TripAdvisor adds virtual tours to iPad app

February 17, 2011 |

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The new functionality allows travelers to take a virtual walk through their travel destination with nearby places superimposed over Street View from Google, including TripAdvisor's more than 40 million traveler reviews and opinions, giving travelers an even more engaging and insightful way to discover great hotels, restaurants and attractions.

TripAdvisor, now with more than 5 million unique users a month on mobile alone, today announced the launch of a new virtual tours feature for the TripAdvisor iPad app, built using augmented reality technology. The new functionality allows travelers to take a virtual walk through their travel destination with nearby places superimposed over Street View from Google, including TripAdvisor's more than 40 million traveler reviews and opinions, giving travelers an even more engaging and insightful way to discover great hotels, restaurants and attractions. The feature is available today in the TripAdvisor iPad app, available for free in the Apple App Store.

"With virtual tours on the TripAdvisor iPad app, we've made the experience even more engaging and helpful for travelers," said Mike Putnam, Director of Mobile Product for TripAdvisor. "For travelers who have ever booked a hotel or restaurant and arrived only to be disappointed by the neighborhood, this feature brings a whole new way to gain insights into their destination. Now travelers can get the full picture in advance, along with the wisdom of TripAdvisor's more than 40 million reviews and opinions."

The new augmented reality feature enhances TripAdvisor's popular iPad app, which has already reached the top spot for free iPad travel apps in more than 50 countries. Travelers can access the new functionality by clicking on the Street View icon for hotels, restaurants or attractions. In addition, travelers have a wealth of other helpful travel planning features at their fingertips with the app, including:

- TripAdvisor's more than 40 million reviews and opinions for hotels, restaurants, and attractions. Travelers can even add their own reviews while their experiences are fresh.
- "Near Me Now" functionality, so travelers can determine what hotels, restaurants and attractions are nearby.
- Unique map-based browsing, giving travelers the lay of the land in their travel destination.
- The ability to find cheap flights using the award-winning TripAdvisor Flights search engine, and compare airline fees using its Fees Estimator.
- Access to the TripAdvisor forums, where users can ask questions of their fellow travelers and receive helpful feedback.
- Traveler photos of hotels, restaurants, attractions and destinations.

The TripAdvisor iPad app is available for free in the Apple App Store in 18 languages and 26 countries. For more information about TripAdvisor's mobile offerings, including its apps for the iPhone, Android, Nokia and Palm smartphones, please visit http://www.tripadvisor.com/mobile.