Friday’s Food for Thought: Mapping Tourism

Mapping technology has made it so you don’t even have to leave your home to tour the world. Google Maps is working with South Africa to create the “Mzansi experience,” a virtual trip to South Africa, reports Africa News. According to the article, the Mzansi experience shows South Africans and international travelers the natural beauty of the country via Google Street View. Check it out and take a tour of Kruger National Park, Table Mountain, and the Cape of Good Hope.

Mapping is also enhancing in-real-life tourism. New York City launched Discover NYC Landmarks, an interactive map pinpointing every Landmarks Preservation Commission-designated landmark in the city. Curbed reports when users click on a landmark they can read a description of the site and learn its history. Landmarks include historic houses, churches, hotels, and more.

If you’re a world traveler who likes sharing your experiences with others, TourBuilder is a great tool to do just that. Using Google Earth, this tool allows you to recreate your travels by picking locations on the map, writing text, and uploading photos and video.

What are the most photogenic destinations in the world? Sightsmap is an interactive heat map revealing sites where the most pictures are taken using the photo sharing service Panoramio. The landmark with the top pictures is the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Additionally, Trinita Dei Monti in Rome, Italy; Park Güell in Barcelona, Spain; Moulin Rouge in Paris, France; and Maiden’s Tower in Istanbul, Turkey round out the top five.

Photo Credit: Sightsmap