To promote a sustainable tourism, we created the App “TuristAndo” for people who are interested in using bikes and making routes in a sustainable way. Our App is free and easy to use and provides diverse information to users. Therefore, it encourages the use of bicycles, reduces the environmental footprint, improves the quality of life, health and welfare of residents and tourists who choose the bicycle as a means of mobility in the city of Bogota.
The ideas
According to figures from the District Institute of Tourism (IDT), Bogotá received 12.462 million tourists in 2019. Of these, 10.558 million were national and 1.904 million international tourists. This, according to the city's statistics, meant a growth of 28.4% compared to 2017. The main reasons are visiting friends and family, vacation activities, recreation and leisure, business and work.
In Bogota there are 550 kilometers of bicycle routes, more than 12,400 parking spaces in the district and private network, bicycle lanes on Sundays and holidays, more than 56 routes of cycling routes, bicycle mountaineering and crossing in the surroundings of the city, bicycle registration system and routes with tourist and technical information, which serve as a guide to know the thematic routes by bicycle, which include literature, the bicycle lane, urban art and places of interest in the city.
This is how the bicycle has become a sustainable means of transport, adopting its use on a daily basis, according to studies, will help reduce air pollution and mitigate the effects of climate change by avoiding the emission of more than 300 thousand tons of CO2 per year.
It increases people's quality of life in aspects such as time, economy, autonomy, physical health and mental health; it guarantees access to fast and safe mobility by reducing the risk of fatalities and accidents in traditional means of transport by avoiding their use.
In terms of tourism, one of the strengths of the city is that it has an important natural and cultural structure, a variety of well-preserved natural, cultural and gastronomic tourist attractions and the opportunity to share with local communities that are traditionally linked to the development of physical and recreational activities in the open air.
Having this information in mind, we had the idea of designing a free mobile application, “TuristAndo” to connect users with all the necessary information about the use of bicycles, showing how easy it is to know and ride in Bogota in a sustainable way.
After having the bases to create our app (SDG) we decided to make a survey to be able to define the tools that our app should have and at the same time to know the interests of our population objective. To do this we created a google form, in which we had the participation of 80 people, and as a result of the surveys we decided that the most relevant data in case of an accident was the full name, identification number, if you have any special medical condition, blood type and emergency contact. Also, more than half of the population surveyed does not know how sustainable tourism works, but would be willing to try it, and if it were by bicycle, would prefer it to be in a group, that is why we would have a very high level of approval in the general idea of what TuristAndo offers.
The initiatives
TuristAndo is our technological solution to encourage a more sustainable tourism. Our App is for local, national and foreign bicycle users in the city of Bogotá, who wish to opt for a sustainable and fun means of transport such as the bicycle, to visit the most emblematic places in the town.
Our specific goals are:
- Encourage the use of the bicycle as a sustainable means of transport, to contribute to the environment and improve the quality of life and well-being of people.
- Provide through the technological tool type App: TuristAndo, the sufficient and adequate information to have access to the use of the bicycle in the city of Bogotá.
- To venture into tourism in an innovative way, and with the help of technology to exhibit all the opportunities and virtues that the city of Bogotá offers.
Our App allows users to know where to rents bicycles, how to get their bearings, schedule routes, access information about the location of technical service, medical assistance, tourist sites, CycleParks, geolocation through maps, explore the safest routes. In case of any accident or theft, all the important information about the user bicycle and the bicycle can be located more easily because it will have a QR code which will identify the owner and his most important personal data.
Our App also has information on road safety rules and measures that are essential, for cyclists, such as: the correct position to ride a bicycle, necessary protective elements and clothing, maintenance workshops, signaling, traffic on the road and traffic signs.
Using this App, users will be updated and will know the availability of the bicycles, in what state they are, schedules and dates of operation of the parking, technical requirements that the user must have for the use of the bicycle.
To disseminate our App we created a website and we shared it our social networks, such as Instagram, Facebook and twitter. In these platforms we gave information about the application through videos and posts.
Our future steps to make the App know for a wider audience will be:
- Contact sponsors who have products related to the use of the bicycle and tourism in Bogotá such as: public and private tourism agents (hotels, District Institute of Tourism, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Industry and Tourism, Decathlon, etc,)
- Contact cycling communities in social networks.
- Participate in specialized tourism and bicycle events in Bogotá, where the opportunity for networking is generated
- Making agreements with different entities that promote tourism in Bogota so that they make the application known to tourists who wish to visit the most touristic sites in Bogota from a sustainable means of transport, such as the bicycle.
