5 Ways Tourism Boards Can Use GPS Tour Apps to Boost Local Engagement

Empower visitors to explore your city with self-guided experiences that promote local culture, small businesses, and hidden gems.

Today’s travelers want authentic, flexible experiences—and tourism boards are feeling the pressure to deliver. But with limited staffing and growing expectations, it's not always easy to meet those demands.

That’s why Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) are increasingly turning to GPS tour solutions to bring their destinations to life. A digital city tour platform like Sulu allows tourism boards to create immersive, self-paced walking or biking tours that highlight history, culture, and local businesses—without the need for guides or printed brochures.

Whether you're serving tourists, new residents, or curious locals, these tech-powered tours can help you engage more people, tell better stories, and promote the places that make your region unique.

1. Showcase Local History and Culture

Create walking or cycling tours that highlight your city’s historic landmarks, public art, and architectural points of interest. With GPS-triggered narration, visitors learn as they go—without needing to join a scheduled tour.

Example: A downtown heritage loop that includes historic buildings, murals, and monuments, brought to life with storytelling and sound.

2. Promote Small Businesses and Local Attractions

Use your GPS tour app to guide users toward featured businesses, restaurants, galleries, and shops. Offer insider tips and special offers to drive foot traffic and support the local economy

Example:  A “Taste of the Town” food tour that weaves through cafés, bakeries, and breweries with audio commentary and exclusive QR code deals.

3. Support Self-Guided Exploration During Events and Festivals

Give attendees a way to explore beyond the main event. Whether it's a music festival, art fair, or farmers market, a digital city tour platform can add context and interactivity before, during, and after.

Example: A self-guided festival fringe tour that highlights local installations and venue history as visitors explore at their own pace.

4. Provide Multilingual Access to Tour Information

Make your destination more inclusive and accessible by offering your GPS tour in multiple languages—ideal for international visitors and diverse local communities.

Example: A welcoming city tour available in English, Spanish, and Mandarin, guiding visitors from the train station to top sites.

5. Preserve Stories and Voices of the Community

Highlight lesser-known stories, voices from local communities, and cultural traditions that don’t always make it into mainstream tourism guides. GPS audio tours give you space to uplift authentic narratives.

Example: A neighborhood storytelling tour developed with community members that reflects the area's evolving identity and hidden history.

How Sulu Supports Tourism Boards and DMOs

Sulu makes it easy for DMOs and tourism boards to launch, update, and scale their own guided experiences:

Intuitive route builder
Create walking, biking, or driving tours in minutes.

AI-assisted content creation
Generate historical facts, legends, and fun facts automatically—or write your own script.‍

GPS-triggered audio narration
Visitors enjoy hands-free guidance and storytelling triggered by location.

Custom branding and easy updates
Match your city's identity and keep tours fresh with seasonal content or new stops.

Multilingual support
Translate your tours with one click to accommodate global audiences.

A Modern Way to Explore Your City

Tourism boards are no longer just promoting places—they’re curating experiences. With a GPS tour solution for DMOs, you can empower visitors to discover your destination on their own terms, while supporting local culture and economic growth.

Ready to launch your own digital city tour platform?

Get started with Sulu today →