Hot off of several awards, including the Demo Day $1 million IDG Media and several PCW/General Catalyst awards, panaroma technology provider TourWrist has announced a series of new travel brand partnerships.
The technology, which allows users to film a 360-degree panaroma of the world around them, has been released in a Software Development Kit for brands to more easily integrate the software into apps and websites.
TourWrist founder and CEO Charles Armstrong:
“Our virtual tour technology empowers travelers to make faster, more informed and confident travel planning and booking decisions. By integrating our panoramic shoot, view and share experience into their apps and websites, TourWrist will help these innovative travel companies increase bookings and traveler satisfaction."
Users can carry TourWrist wherever they go, and travel brands can also leverage the technology to provide unique ways to explore their travel-related offerings. By creating these new perspectives and sharing them with potential visitors, travel companies and destination marketers can engage users in completely new ways.
TourWrist-style panoramas are especially engaging at the inspiration and sharing stages, where users are either looking to discover destinations or to share their experiences in immersive ways with their friends and family back home.
Tour providers can create inside looks into the specifics of tour offerings, and can allow potential travelers to follow along their journey as they begin to determine which trip is for them.
The panos are also especially compelling for hotels looking to offer tours of their space to potential guests - videos can be a bit too cumbersome to produce and require a lot more thought as far as structure, editing, and distribution. The 360 degree photos provide a bit of interactivity and control that also engages potential guests.
So far, there are 18 travel brands from across travel segments that have signed licensing agreements with TourWrist are:
Armstrong demoed the product at PCW, which eventually led to the company winning several awards: The General Catalyst Award for Travel Innovation, the DEMO Award for Most Game-Changing Innovation, the Most Innovative Emerging Company, and the 2012 Travel Innovation Summit People's Choice Award Runner Up.
In addition to the SDK, TourWrist also has a recently-released Android app and an iOS application.