South African tech company Tourism Radio reaches out to cruise line tourists in Angola

(Cape Town, South Africa) Hummba's parent company, Tourism Radio is proud to announce its partnership with the world’s foremost luxury travel company, Abercrombie & Kent (A&K). The agreement will see the Cape Town-based leader in audio travel technology provide detailed audio tours to passengers on A&K cruise liner passengers visiting the Angolan capital city of Luanda.

A&K representative, and Vice President for Worldwide Cruise Operations at Akorn Destination Management, Chris Owen-Collett says, “Previously, the main challenge to operating in Angola was the lack of qualified and English-speaking guides, however we have now found a way to successfully meet this challenge in the short- to mid-term.”

A&K has been actively developing Luanda as a viable port of call for cruise liners, and Owen-Collett says their partnership with Tourism Radio will help open up the country for well-travelled cruisers to sample. The majority of liners entering into regional waters stop at Walvis Bay, in Namibia, and Owen-Collett maintains that destinations like the Angolan ports of Luanda and Lobito remain largely unexplored from a tourism standpoint.

Tourism Radio CEO Mark Allewell adds, “The uniqueness of our technology is in its ability to seamlessly arrange thousands of audio clips and organise them into a coherent dialogue, based on location. This move into Angola will see Tourism Radio represented in three countries on the West African coast [including South Africa and Namibia].”

Angola is currently in the midst of a massive phase of reconstruction and rejuvenation, following a brutal 27-year civil war. Luanda has been rated as one of the most expensive cities in the world to live, and it is arguably one of the world’s up-and-coming tourist destinations. Allewell says, “Once again, we’re moving into unchartered waters and we look forward to providing A&K passengers with a tour of Luanda they won’t soon forget.”

London and Paris City Guides – Hummba is all you need

London and Paris are undoubtedly two of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. Millions of people visit the cities each year, and many them will travel half way across the globe to do so.

The two cities share a few similarities in that they are both modern capitals, and have long been considered the centres of culture, fashion, entertainment and industry for their respective countries. They are also travel hubs, and are often used as stopover points for people travelling even further afield. Another point to note is that the two cities are relatively close to one another, and one can easily travel between the London and Paris by simply hopping on a high-speed train (a trip that takes just two hours) or budget airline. That being said, the two cities couldn’t be any more different.

Paris has the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe, while London has Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and Piccadilly Circus. Paris is known as the City of Light and is unofficially regarded as one of the most romantic cities in the world. London however claims the title as being one of the most commercially successful places in the world; the city to go if you’re looking to make it.

Here at Hummba, we believe both cities are fantastic destinations in their own rite. Each is a veritable cornucopia of tourist attractions, and one can easily get lost in either for days on end. That’s why we’re put together our comprehensive City Guides to London and Paris.

The London City Guide features more than three hours of quality audio travel content and a total of 634 points of interest, while the Paris City Guide contains 549 points of interest, and also has more than three hours of audio.

You can download the guides onto your iPhone or Android mobile. Or download them from the iStore and Android Marketplace: just search for “Tourism Radio London City Guide” or “Tourism Radio Paris City Guide”.

Happy travels!

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.

Credit crunch travellers save money with audio guides.

The effects of the 2008 global recession are still being felt today. News reports from Greece, Spain and several other European countries are painting a rather bleak picture of the financial future of Euro. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the United States has its own problems to deal with, thanks to an ongoing credit crunch. Words of doom and gloom continue to be thrown around, and many people have resigned themselves to the fact that they might not be able to afford the annual family holiday this year.

Here at Hummba, however, we believe that by making a few changes to your normal holiday routine, you can actually save money. We’ve spoken about travelling mobile in a previous blog post, and we stand by our opinion that mobile phones are becoming essential travel companions that can be used to make your life easier.

For example, why cough up your hard-earned cash to go on an overcrowded city tour? You’ll find yourself ambling along behind a tour guide with a numbered placard, and chances are you’ll miss most of the information they give you anyway. That’s if you manage to muscle your way to the front of the pack so you can actually get a look at whatever it is your tour group is being rushed past next.

Hummba’s mobile application puts you in control and lets you set the pace. Explore your favourite holiday destinations with Hummba’s location-aware audio guides and we’ll give you all the information you need about things to do and places to see around you. That’s just one of the ways you can save yourself a few Euros and get all the travel information you need in the process.

Hummba has a wide range of audio travel guides available for download on Android and iPhone. For more information about Hummba, or to look at our wide range of audio guides, visit hummba.com.

Travel smarter this year! Travel mobile!

There’s a well known saying that you don’t have to work harder, but rather work smarter. Here at Hummba, we believe that the same can be said when it comes to travelling.

Travel nowadays seems to be characterised by long queues at airports, bulky guide books, lost or damaged luggage and general annoyances that tend to mimic the reasons we took time off in the first place. Luckily, modern technology has come to the rescue and seems to be addressing at least a few of these problems.

Booking a flight or double checking your hotel reservations can now be done in a fraction of the time it used to online. Adding to that, there are numerous Android and iPhone applications that can help you plan your holiday and also get the most from your experience.

There are accommodation apps, restaurant apps, and weather apps in all shapes and sizes. But while it’s all well and good to organise the logistics before you set off, many people still rely on travel guide books to figure out what to do once they have arrived. These guide books are often bulky, easily damaged and more of a burden to carry around than they are worth. There’s also nothing more that screams “tourist” than someone pulling out a guide book in the middle of a busy sidewalk.

The Hummba application, which is available on both Android and iPhone, lets you download mobile audio guides directly onto your smartphone. These audio guides will give you information about things to do and places to see as you move around. The app is location aware and uses GPS technology to provide you with information about places of interest nearby. This means that going mobile really is the smarter way to travel.

Hummba has detailed guides to hundreds of popular tourist destinations all over the world. Discover the best museums in Paris, or explore the New York nightlife with a guide to the best bars and clubs.

Browse through our audio guides and find places of interest while you’re on the go.

It's going to be a big year for London...

Few people will argue that London is not the place to be in 2012. The London Olympics are expected to be some of the most watched sporting events in history and Queen Elizabeth II’s upcoming Diamond Jubilee has already got the entire country in the mood for a party.

Celebrations in honour of the Jubilee are set to begin already on the 6th of February. This will mark the 60th anniversary of Elizabeth’s ascension to the British throne. The real show however is only scheduled to kick off in June, just a few weeks before the Summer Olympics.

Britons will be graced with a four-day holiday and a Diamond Jubilee concert produced by Gary Barlow (one of the head judges on the X-Factor reality television show). A maritime parade of more than 1,000 boats will make its way up the River Thames and the Queen herself is expected to join the flotilla atop a golden barge. Events have also been organised in several Commonwealth countries around the world, including Australia and Canada.

London hosted the Olympics back in 1908 and 1948, and with this year’s event it will become the first city to host the modern Games on three occasions. Kicking off on the 27th of July and running until the 12th of August, the London Olympics will be a big tourist draw card for the entire United Kingdom. Music lovers will also be pleased to hear that English rock legends Pink Floyd are expected to reunite to perform at the Olympics and Sir Paul McCartney will also make an appearance at the Games.

If you’re looking to experience one of 2012’s hottest holiday destinations, London really should be at the top of your list. Download our free audio travel guides to help you discover more about the must-see attractions of London, or let us guide you on a walking tour of the city.

The convenience of technology has drastically changed the way we travel

There’s no denying that the way we travel has changed. Making holiday arrangements, which used to take days, weeks or even months, can now be done in an instant. The reason for this is quite simple: travellers are embracing the convenience of technology.

The internet has led the charge when it comes to innovations in travel. Booking your flights, accommodation and vehicle hire online are common occurrences. The fact that you can do all this from the comfort of your own home, outside normal working hours, has only added to the method’s popularity.

But now the mobile phone has entered the fray and there’s no need even to have access to a computer. There are hundreds of Android and iPhone applications specifically designed to help travellers and at Hummba, we’re doing just that.

With Hummba, you can download free audio guides directly onto your mobile phone. We’ve got informative guides for hundreds of tourist attractions all over the world. Our location-based technology means you’ll get the information you need, when you need it most.

The Hummba app uses your phone’s GPS location to point out interesting things to see and do nearby. Your mobile phone can be your own personal tour guide as you take a walking tour of New York or Paris, for example.

With Hummba, you can also share your travel experiences, as they happen. Create a travel route and tag pictures along the way. It’s the perfect way to keep your friends and family in the loop while you’re on the move.

Visit Hummba.com to find out more about our free audio travel guides for your mobile phone.

So it’s the end of the world in 2012, but that’s no reason to skip your holiday!

It’s a well-known theory that the ancient Mayan civilization predicted the end of the world would take place on the 21st of December, 2012. At Hummba.com, we think this is the perfect excuse for a holiday. Many of us will not get the opportunity to take a break in 2011, but that just means we’re way ahead in our planning for next year. Let’s take a look at some of the hottest destinations for 2012...

Thousands of people are expected to flock to Cancun in Mexico, in celebration of the end of the world. However, parties are being planned in many different cities for what will undoubtedly become a global event. If it really is the end, we might as well go out with a bang, right? But 2012 will be as long a year as any, and we’ll need something to do in the months before our impending doom.

The London Olympic Games are expected to draw thousands of people to Britain in July and August. Hummba’s audio travel guides of London will be the perfect companion for anyone visiting the city during this massive sporting event.

Sao Paulo is also coming out guns blazing in 2012. The city will host the first ever Brazilian edition of the famous Lollapalooza music festival in early April. The Foo Fighters, Calvin Harris and the Arctic Monkeys are just a few of the internationally-renowned artists featured on the line up. Find out more about this vibrant city while you’re there, with the Hummba audio travel guide.

The Netherlands is expecting an influx of tourists throughout 2012, due to the phasing out of the sale of questionable substances from the country’s infamous coffee shops. The ban will only be imposed in Amsterdam from the beginning of 2013, so many people are expected to visit the city before then. Hummba.com’s audio travel guide for Amsterdam will help you discover more about this fascinating place.

Auckland will be one of the first major cities in the world to experience the predicted last day. Even before hosting the successful 2011 Rugby World Cup, New Zealand was a favourite tourist destination. The entire island nation is known for its spectacular scenery, and Hummba’s audio travel guide for Auckland will help you explore this paradise in more detail.

These are just a few of the extraordinary places you can visit next year. Hummba’s audio travel guides can be downloaded directly onto your iPhone or Android mobile phone, which means you’ll have guides to hundreds of tourist attractions right in the palm of your hand.

Just remember, it’s not the end of the world if you’re not going on holiday this year. Start planning your 2012 getaway right now.