Tan Hwee Hwee | Singapore tech startup Fooyo launches new smart tourism app in China
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Singapore tech startup Fooyo launches new smart tourism app in China

This is a press release I wrote for Singapore tech company Fooyo that helped them get coverage in the Business Times and Lianhe Zaobao.

PRESS RELEASE

Header: Singapore tech company Fooyo partners with Chongqing Tourism Investment Group to launch the first smart tourism app in Chongqing, China

Fooyo, a Singapore-based smart tourism solution company, will launch the first smart tourism app in Chongqing, China on 22 August, a day before it participates in the Smart China Expo 2018.

Named “爱重庆AI Chongqing”, Fooyo’s new product is a smart tourism app available for the iPhone, Android and WeChat mini programme. The app was developed in collaboration with the Chongqing Tourism Investment Group, a China state-owned tourism investment company responsible for building infrastructure for Chongqing’s tourism industry.

Fooyo will showcase “爱重庆AI Chongqing” at the Smart China Expo, which will be held from August 23 to 25 in Chongqing.  The exhibition will feature companies showcasing the latest in smart technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, such as smart homes and smart entertainment.

“Fooyo is using the power of smart technology, including AI and Big Data, to improve the visitor experience of tourists to Chongqing  and the rest of the world, making it more easy, interesting and convenient for them, so as to enable them to enjoy a delightful trip,” says Li Shaohuan, Chief Executive Officer of Fooyo.

The first feature of the tourism app is an AI audio guide. The app uses AI audio technology to give audio guide information to the visitors based on their GPS location. The app will provide visitors with interesting knowledge, such as the history of the attraction, as well as intriguing facts about where they are at, including stories not well known to people. “AI Chongqing” provides both Chinese and English audio information so as to give a consistently pleasurable experience for both domestic and international visitors.

The second feature of the app is an AI chatbot assistant which serves as a smart customer service assistant. Tourists can use the app to ask for suggestions on attractions based on specific themes, such as attractions that would be fun for families. The app also gives a brief introduction of the attractions, as well as directions on how to get there. Since the chatbot is linked to the audio guide, tourists can also use it to get relevant information such as where the nearest washroom is located.

The third feature of the app is a smart suggestion feature. The app has pictures of interesting attractions that tourists can scroll through by swiping up and down. The tourists can mark attractions they are interested in as “favorites” and get helpful information about the attractions such as its description, location and opening hours.

The app currently covers 90 attractions in nine districts of Chongqing, and there are plans to include all the attractions located in the 34 districts of Chongqing.

Before the official launch of “爱重庆AI Chongqing”, Fooyo released a beta version of the app for Hongyadong in Chongqing. As the second most visited tourist attraction in China, the authorities at Hongyadong had to deal with the problem of large crowds, which Fooyo’s app helped to solve through human traffic monitoring. The app offered real-time information about the number of people at different spots at Hongyadong, which helped tourists figure out whether it would be a good idea to visit Hongyadong at the particular time they were thinking of going there and included video footage to show tourists how crowded a particular popular spot was.

Memorandum of Understanding between Fooyo and Chongqing Tourism Investment Group

On August 26, Fooyo and the Chongqing Tourism Investment Group will sign a MOU in Singapore to form a joint venture with the aim to co-invent more AI-driven smart solutions for the tourism industry. This will be done by creating a connected smart tourism platform to enhance the travel experiences of visitors from Singapore, China and the rest of the world. Fooyo plans to expand its app capabilities to include valuable features for tourists such as itinerary planning, restaurant reviews, events and tours bookings, as well as online shopping.

About Fooyo:

Fooyo is a Singapore-based smart tourism solution company that was established in 2014 by four National University of Singapore alumni. Fooyo has developed products such as smart itinerary planners, smart navigation systems, smart attraction guides and smart virtual service robots. In 2017, Fooyo collaborated with Sentosa, IMDA and Accenture to create an integrated smart tourism app named MySentosa, to improve the experience of visitors to Sentosa, a popular tourist attraction in Singapore.

ENDS