When Calvin Klein recently replaced their racy billboards with QR Codes, it brought the emerging technology to the attention of a worldwide audience.

Is it time for the Tourism Industry to embrace the opportunities presented by the bar codes?

The Fort Smith National Historic Site has begun using Quick Response (QR) Codes on way signs for improved interpretation, giving visitors access to a three-minute orientation video that plays on Web enabled smart phones.

In the photo at right, park superintendant Bill Black points to the new QR code on one of the National Historic sites interpretive signs.

Interpretive signs make guest visits more enjoyable by providing a historical perspective, instruction or education that is specific to the location of the sign.  Such signs are expensive to design, produce and mount and the amount of information displayed is limited by the size of the sign.

QR codes extend interpretive signage directly to the internet on Web-enabled cell phones or devices.  Online information in the form of:

• webpages
• video
• audio
• photo libraries

becomes instantly available to your guest right where they are standing.   When guests snap a photo of the QR code with a free application that runs on their phone or mobile device your online media plays on their device.  QR codes are free to produce.  So the only limit to engaging your guests with extended information is your imagination.

If you are involved in visitor experiences at a park or national historic site, consider investing in the production of on-demand video and put the video on a dedicated webpage.  By exclusively using the QR code to the link to the online media you will have an easy time tracking the number of visitors who make use your QR coded signage.

There are many systems for hyperlinking from the real world to the Web including Microsoft Tags.  At any point in the future, you could make your information available on any and all of these tagging systems, just by producing a new tag linking to your online content.  For now, stick with QR codes which will remain backward compatible with most smartphone apps in the future.

Links:

• Talking QR Codes with Roger Smolski
• http://www.visitmyarkansas.com/dena-woerner/default.aspx?id=622