News

Baltimore's Inner Harbor visitor center uses touchscreen kiosks to promote tourism

May 10, 2004

BALTIMORE-In an effort to get the city's more than 11 million out-of-town visitors to come more often, and to transform day-trippers into overnight guests, Baltimore christened its long-awaited Inner Harbor visitor center, according to a story in The Baltimore Sun.

As guests watched from two boats docked nearby drapes came down and the lights came up on the $4.5 million building.

"We want this building to be a vibrant reflection of the best Baltimore has to offer," Leslie R. Doggett, president and chief executive of the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, said in an interview this week. "It does transform the way we do business. It allows us to focus on customer service and what the customer wants."

The goal is to get people to realize just how much there is to do in Baltimore, Doggett said. "We want people to come five times instead of three, or better yet, instead of making a day trip, they'll stay overnight," she said.

Expected to attract 250,000 visitors during its first year, the 8,000-square-foot center includes electronic signage announcing local events, a new ticketing system, information kiosks and a 50-seat theater.

Inside the new center, flat-screen monitors display a scrolling list of activities in categories ranging from dining and nightlife to sports and recreation and history and heritage. Touchscreens provide directions to various destinations, in some cases even offering coupons.

"The whole idea of the building was to make it interactive-not just for people to grab brochures, but to touch screens," Pietryka said. "We've never had a building like this, so it's fun to try out things and see what works. Every time someone comes down here, we want them to stop in to see what's new."