Destination Northern Ontario (DNO) announced all new, app-based “community itineraries” June 24, an interactive series of tours in Northern Ontario communities with a special focus on Francophone tourism opportunities.
The free app, available in both French and English, offers tours, interactive maps, narrative text, and videos for those looking to tour Northern Ontario to find the best of francophone culture and experiential tourism opportunities.
A release from DNO states that francophone tourism is a key priority for the organization and the app was developed in line with their strategy, the Francophone Tourism Plan for Northern Ontario. The focus of the plan is to “work with francophone communities and operators to create, enhance and connect experiences through the creation of itineraries that showcase the region’s culture, history, food, and people thus capitalizing on the massive growth of the cultural tourism industry.”
Each itinerary features ten points of interest for each of nine communities, with tours available showing visitors the Francophone opportunities at their fingertips.
Now available are Temiskaming Shores, Hearst and Kapuskasing, Dubreilville, Thunder Bay, Cochrane, and Greater Sudbury. North Bay, West Nipissing and French River, will be released in the next few weeks. The preload feature allows users to view the itineraries while offline and they can be checked on BaladoDiscoveries’ website with a PC.
BaladoDiscoveries is the hosting platform, and the app itself is available for download in the
Apple Store and on Google Play. It is a mobile application offering “the largest network of historical tours in Canada.”
“Northern Ontario is home to many bilingual and francophone communities that are well positioned to enhance their product and brand image to attract French speaking and culture seeking visitors,” stated David MacLachlan, Executive Director, Destination Northern Ontario “The Balado project provides a great opportunity to focus on the development and growth of francophone tourism as Ontarians explore their own backyards.”