Mobile application to guide pilgrims

CEBU, Philippines - Most Catholics are expected today to hop from one church to another as part of the tradition during the observance of the Holy Week known as Visita Iglesia.

This practice is done every Maundy Thursday where the faithful conducts Way of the Cross in seven churches or chapels. All 14 stations are completed in every church or chapel with faithful having the options whether to have all seven in one town/city or one per local government unit as in a pilgrimage.

The advent of technology has also adapted to this religious tradition with a free mobile application aptly called “VisitaIglesia.”

The app is available for free download for Android phones and tablets from the Google Play Store. The app’s first version is released in time for Holy Week.

The VisitaIglesia app provides historical information about key heritage churches in Cebu. The app is only on its first release and will be actively updated to cover all the other churches and heritage structures in the province.

The app is released as part of the nationwide Digital Tourism program of telecommunications service provider Smart Communications, Inc. and Cebu-based new media startup InnoPub Media.

Digital Tourism is a program that harnesses mobile technology to deliver tourism, cultural and historical information, being spearheaded by InnoPub Media and the country’s wireless services leader Smart.

The program includes the production of mobile phone apps and ebooks that are offered for free download to serve as guides to tourists.

The program also includes the installation of interactive tourism markers that contain a  quick response code and  or near-field communications sticker to trigger the download of historical, cultural and tourism information into mobile devices.

Digital Tourism was pioneered in Cebu but is now also in Iloilo and Baguio City and is being expanded nationwide.

The program was commended on mass motion by the Cebu City Council in January 2012 as an “ingenious way” to deliver tourism and historical information and was also a recipient of an Anvil Award of Merit during the 49th Anvil Awards held last February 26, 2014.— (FREEMAN)