DUBLIN APP

Dublin Tourism has launched a fantastic innovative piece of technology that allows tourists visiting the city to discover information on an attraction by just pointing at it...and the Grand Canal Hotel are very impressed.

The app is already proving to be hugely successful and is the number one travel app in Ireland since its launch.

The IPhone app allows tourists to point their cell phone at a range of buildings in the city providing them with a wealth of information including 3D maps, building details, voucher details and audio clips.

An additional one million visitors are expected to descend upon the city to try out the innovative product.

More than 7,000 pages of information have been condensed into the one feature.

Frank Magee, chief executive of Dublin Tourism, said although the application can be accessed abroad it will be very appealing to people from Dublin.

"We are the first people in the world to introduce this but we expect that other cities will follow," he said.

"It's a fascinating piece of equipment.

"We were the first city in the world to introduce iwalks and within the first 18 months, over 600,000 were downloaded."

A 100,000 application downloads are expected in the first year.

"The beauty of it is that once you download the app from the Apple Store or the Google Marketplace, there is little or no charge," Magee added.

"There is the option to accept an entertainment guide and breaking news, which will carry a minimum charge to see."

"So if want to stay at Mrs McGrath's B&B in Balbriggan, you can find out all the sites in the area," Magee explained.