Top 5 Travel Destinations with Hummba Audio Guides

US-based travel magazine Travel + Leisure recently released their annual World’s Best Awards, and some of our favourite travel destinations made the cut. In fact, we’re very proud to announce that we have audio and text mobile travel guides to nine of the Top 10 cities, and they’re all available for download right now in the Hummba guide store.

Bangkok:
Bangkok came in first on the list, narrowly defending its title from last year. Krung Thep, as it’s known to locals, is a popular tourist destination for travellers looking to experience Southeast Asia at a bargain. It’s not unheard of to stay in a 5-star hotel in Bangkok for the same price as a 2- or 3-star hotel in New York! There are also more than 400 temples in the city, and our Bangkok City Guide helps you navigate them with ease.

Istanbul:
Istanbul climbed up two spaces from last year to take the number three position on the Travel + Leisure list. The Turkish capital is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and holds the unique title of being the only city in the world that is found on two continents (Europe and Asia). Istanbul’s nightlife is booming and restaurants, bars and clubs are popping up all over the place. Our Istanbul City Guide has detailed information about 320 points of interest in the city, so you’ll never be left without something to do.

Cape Town:
The Mother City will always hold a special place in our hearts. It’s where Hummba’s parent company, Tourism Radio, was founded, so we might be a little biased when we say it should have featured a little bit higher in the list. At number four however, Cape Town proves that it still has what it takes to compete with the World’s Best – thanks in part to the stunning Table Mountain, which looms over the city and offers breathtaking views from on high. There’s no shortage of things to see and do in the Mother City, and our Cape Town City Guide will point you in the right direction from the moment you arrive.

New York:
New York came in at a disappointing number seven; falling three spots since last year. Don’t let that put you off however. We firmly believe that the Big Apple remains one of those places that every traveller simply has to visit at least once in their lives – add it to the bucket list if you haven’t already. Our New York City Guide has already proved popular with mobile travellers, and it’s certainly one of our most impressive. It features more than three hours of audio as well as hundreds of restaurants, shops, tourist attractions and accommodation facilities. If you’re on your way to New York, do yourself a favour and download the audio travel guide from the Hummba guide store.

Paris:
Coming in at number 10, is the ever-consistent Paris. The City of Lights is often called the most romantic city in the world, and we can’t help but agree. There’s so much more to do in the French Capital than just the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Download our Paris City Guide and you’ll discover some of the many hidden treasures of this beautiful place.

That being said, we better get back to work on our Kyoto City Guide. Happy travels!

Location-based travel guides – why should you be using them?

Here at Hummba, we’ve long said that the days of carrying around a bulky travel guide book are numbered. What was once a useful tool (before the advent of the smartphone), is now becoming nothing more than a nuisance when travelling abroad. The travel information contained in guide books is notoriously outdated, and of course they can be quite pricey. Adding to that, unless you buy a ‘pocket version’, they can also be quite heavy and bothersome to lug around from one place to the next.

According to the Pew Research Center in Washington, more than 46% of Americans owned a smartphone in February, 2012. This represents an increase of 11% when compared to the numbers from May, 2011 (source). People are beginning to explore the capabilities of their mobile phones, as well as rely on the devices to carry out everyday tasks, such as check train timetables or read restaurant reviews. The emergence of third party applications is also adding fuel to this fire, showing smartphone owners the sheer amount of information they can easily access at the touch of a few buttons.

Enter Hummba, the intelligent travel guide for your mobile phone. Our intelligent audio guides use mobile GPS technology to provide smartphone users with accurate travel information that is relevant to where they are in the world. For example, you can find up-to-date information about the nearest place to grab a bite for lunch, while you’re standing on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. With Hummba, you’ll have access to an unprecedented amount of audio and text travel content, right there on your mobile phone.

We offer two ways to get the travel information you need. Firstly, you can download the Hummba application to your iPhone or Android, free of charge. You can then search for paid or free guides to your favourite travel destinations and download them through the app itself. Download multiple guides and use the Hummba app to get the most of your travels.

If however you’re looking to download a guide to a single travel destination, then you can visit the iTunes Store or Android Marketplace and search for the Tourism Radio standalone guides as well. Search for the Tourism Radio New York City Guide, for example, if you’re looking to find out more about the Big Apple.

Location-based travel guides for the mobile phone take all the legwork out for getting travel information when you need it most. Visit hummba.com for more information on the Hummba application, or head straight for the Hummba guide store and start searching for guides.

South African tech start-up Tourism Radio® partners with Frommer’s® Unlimited to provide local travel information in mobile audio guides

(Cape Town, South Africa / Hoboken, NJ, USA) South African travel technology company Tourism Radio has teamed up with Frommer’s® Unlimited in a move that is set to revolutionise the world of mobile travel guides.

Frommer’s has been a trusted travel resource for more than 50 years, and the partnership with the iconic travel brand will firmly establish Tourism Radio in the mobile space with the next generation of travel guides. Tourism Radio’s unique mobile technology seamlessly blends Frommer’s text content with Tourism Radio audio clips, which automatically play as travellers enter their location.

The initial partnership launch will entail the release of audio and text travel guides to a number of popular travel destinations around the world. This includes comprehensive guides to the top tourist cities of New York, London and Paris. The guides can be downloaded as standalone applications for Android and iPhone, or accessed through the Tourism Radio travel application, Hummba.

Hummba.com was included in the listings for the Top 20 Startups in Africa in Forbes magazine in February this year.

Tourism Radio founder and CEO Mark Allewell says, “We like to think of our partnership with Frommer’s as serendipity on steroids. Travellers will now be able to easily access an unprecedented amount of quality travel information, directly from their mobile phones. We’re also delighted to partner with one of the world’s oldest and most respected travel companies, and we look forward to producing guides that cater for every traveller’s needs.”

The Frommer’s Unlimited team is optimistic about the partnership’s potential in the travel landscape. "Offering Frommer's travel information through Tourism Radio's intelligent mobile audio guides is an exciting new way for travelers to access our expert travel advice at the right time in the right place,” said Craig Schickler, Director of E-Business Development, Wiley. “We are happy to be working with Tourism Radio and together helping shape memorable experiences for travelers around the globe."

From launch until the 1st of May, the audio travel guides from across the globe will be free for download, after which, they will range in price from US$ 0.99 to US$4.99, depending on the amount of travel content they contain. A selection of free, ‘lite’ guides, to several popular destinations around the world, will also be available for download. These give travellers the opportunity to sample the content before committing to the purchase of a full guide.

About Frommer’s® Unlimited

For over 50 years, Frommer's travel guides have been the trusted choice to help travelers explore destinations the way the locals do. Frommer’s Unlimited enables businesses to create high-value propositions for their customers by leveraging Frommer’s travel expertise, rich content resources and technical capabilities.

Products and services provided by Frommer’s Unlimited include global destination and events content, private label Websites, mobile applications and custom publishing. Whether your customers are venturing close to home or across the globe, whether your budget is limited or limitless, Frommer’s Unlimited delivers the most candid and reliable travel and event information, anywhere and anytime. Frommer’s is a registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Frommer’s is a branded imprint of Wiley.

About Tourism Radio®

Founded in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2005, Tourism Radio is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Mark Allewell. Tourism Radio provides location-based technology and travel content, and currently has offices in South Africa, New Zealand and Spain. Tourism Radio’s mobile phone application, Hummba, is a traveller’s community and travel guide shop where users can buy travel guides, create travel routes, upload picture postcards and share their travel experiences with fellow travellers.

Intelligent audio guide for New York now available on the Android Marketplace

A trip to New York City should be at the top of every traveller’s wish list. The city that never sleeps is one of the most densely populated places in the world, and yet still manages to draw in millions of tourists every year. This can partly be attributed to the city’s numerous iconic landmarks, like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, but also to the quirky, cosmopolitan atmosphere that the city exudes.

To help you discover more about New York City, Hummba put together an intelligent audio guide to Midtown Manhattan. The guide is available on the Android Marketplace and uses smartphone GPS technology to provide you with information about points of interest near your location. This means you’ll discover places that you might otherwise have missed.

Take a walk down New York’s famous Fifth Avenue or explore the historic Hell’s Kitchen area of Manhattan in more detail. Visit the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, which once served as a powerful aircraft carrier during World War 2 or experience one of the best views of the city from the Top of the Rock. Use this guide to give you more information about Grand Central Station or to help you find your way to the Madame Tussaud’s wax museum.

The guide also features offline maps, which means you won’t be running up your data bill while you’re looking for the next exciting place to go.

The intelligent audio guide to New York is available on the Android Marketplace for $5.99 and can be downloaded directly onto your smartphone here. For more information about Hummba or about our intelligent guides that speak to you, visit www.hummba.com.

Hummba launches intelligent audio guides onto the Android Marketplace

London, Paris and New York are three of the most well-known cities in the world, each with its own distinct feel and personality. All three are incredibly popular tourist destinations and play host to millions of visitors every year. The one thing the trio have in common is that a traveller can spend days there and still not get the chance to experience everything on offer.

With Hummba’s intelligent audio guides however, you can now get the most of your visit to London, Paris or New York. The guides are available on the Android Marketplace and contain audio information about numerous tourist attractions in each of the three cities.

Explore Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park in London, or take a trip to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in the heart of Paris. You could even use our guide to accompany you on a walking tour of Midtown Manhattan, taking in the sights of the Big Apple.

Our intelligent audio guides use smartphone GPS technology to provide you with information about points of interest near to your location. Discover places to see and things to do that you might otherwise have missed. No more searching through cumbersome guide books. It’s like having your own personal tour guide, right there on your Andoid phone!

The guides also provide offline maps, which mean you won’t be running up your data bill while you’re looking for the next exciting place to visit.

The guides are available for $5.99 each, and can be downloaded directly onto your Android phone: London, Paris and New York. For more information about Hummba or about our intelligent guides that speak to you, visit www.hummba.com.

Hummba gets a Makeover

For those of you who haven't noticed, hummba has undergone a transformation. Now we're really smiling. We listened to your suggestions and made all the changes necessary for you to have a pleasant hummba experience. Our new version is available to downlooad on m.hummba.com So, here's some of the cool things you can do on hummba:

* Connect your Hummba profile to your Facebook account, that way your Facebook friends can see where you are and what you're doing
* Publish all your Footprint photo albums on Facebook to share with your friends directly from your mobile phone
* You now have an inbox on hummba that's like a live stream of what your friends are doing, Footprints they've uploaded, and where in the world they are
* New York clips are available for you to download for free
* Admire our new front page and wonder why you didn't think of that
* Follow our intrepid traveler, Jack Hummba, as he travels around the world. Check your friends on hummba...I think you might have a new one!

Remember to add 'Great White Adventure' to your friends to stand a chance to win a trip for two shark cage diving in Cape Town! Terms and conditions apply.

Keep up the adventure. Log on to www.hummba.com to check it out!