Lapu tourism goes digital

The Lapu-Lapu City government yesterday launched the Digital Tourism program which would allow smartphone users to access the historical information of the city's historical sites through QR code markers. Key historical sites in the city have been tagged with QR markers. These are the Liberty Shrine, Virgen de Regla Church and the old Lapu-Lapu statue in the old Opon town square. The markers will give tourists information about the heritage and tourism sites through the use of smartphones with QR code reader. QR code (Quick Response Code) is a type of barcode that records information related to an item. QR code is read by an imaging device, like smartphones. As an example, the marker at the old Lapu-Lapu statue in Opon explains why the statue now carries a club and not the original bow and arrow that it used to carry. The marker also loads a photo of the old Lapu-Lapu statue, when it was still carrying a bow and arrow. More tourism and heritage sites will be marked in the coming weeks. Still under production is a tourism guide to Lapu-Lapu City that can be download free at the Lapu-Lapu City Hall, airport and other key locations where tourists converge. The initiatives are meant to strengthen Lapu-Lapu’s standing as the premier tourism zone in the province by providing tourists with much-needed information to make their stay more enjoyable. The project is part of a nationwide program by Cebu-based new media start-up InnoPub Media, Smart Communications and several other private sector partners. Digital tourism is just one part of the direction of the Lapu-Lapu City government to harness technology in enhancing governance. Lapu-Lapu is the first LGU to allow people to download the mayor’s State of the City Address as an ebook. Lapu-Lapu is also the first LGU to have an online news website that is run by its youth -- students and SK officials. The city will commemorate through reenactment the Battle of Mactan that saw Datu Lapu-Lapu defeat Spanish conquistador Ferdinand Magellan 492 years ago. “We will commemorate Datu Lapu-Lapu’s heroic deed of defending our shores against the Spanish conquistador Ferdinand Magellan. On the eve of our preparation to commemorate a proud moment in our country’s history, we are once again faced with another Battle of Mactan, so to speak. This time to accurately promote our history and preserve our culture and heritage by persuading a diaper manufacturer to pull out their advertising because it mocks the first Filipino hero, Datu Lapu-Lapu.” Mayor Paz Radaza said during yesterday's launching of the city's digital tourism. The Kadaugan Festival is celebrated by Lapu-Lapu City every April 26-27. /Norman V. Mendoza, Correspondent