New Digital Tour For Holyrood Park, Edinburgh
New digital audio trail disperses visitors away from traditional ‘pressure point’ through immersive storytelling
A new digital audio tour in Holyrood Park, downloadable from the Geotourist app to visitors’ smartphones, has been created to drive enhanced visitor exploration of the Scottish capital. Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile have, for many years, provided a focal point to the Edinburgh visitor experience. While it provides a critical boost to the economy, this concentration of visitor numbers raises both the negative environmental impact and the effects of overtourism on the local community. With the need to explore the world around us in a Covid-safe, socially distant way also a crucial part of the visitor agenda, the ability to discover somewhere new without with supportive technology is at the very heart of the modern travel experience.
Using GPS technology and with an easy-to-use interface, Historic Environment Scotland has partnered with Geotourist to create a trail that takes visitors through Holyrood Park via immersive storytelling so that they can truly connect with the world around them, understanding why and how this Royal Park is such an important part of Scottish history.
Holyrood Park
Holyrood Park has many different elements that come together to make it a 
special place – and one that should be on every visitor’s shortlist. From its rich historical history to natural history, geology and its socio-economic role, the audio tour takes the visitors through the centuries in a meaningful and inherently socially distant way.
Curated by Historic Environment Scotland and produced in partnership with Geotourist, the revolutionary mobile platform and app for the world’s stories, the trail follows a carefully thought-out route that will help visitors to make the most of their time in Holyrood Park.
The trail opens at the Horse Wynd, which runs off the foot of the Royal Mile, just between the Scottish Parliament Building and Holyrood Palace. Stretching across 14 points, the tour ends at Hunters Bog, where users will hear more about how this area became a Royal Park. The tour can be enjoyed by users of through the Geotourist app on their smartphone, either in location or remotely, or from anywhere in the world via the website.
Hannah Brown, Interpretation Officer, at Historic Environment Scotland (HES) who manages the site said, “We are delighted to have worked with Geotourist to enhance the visitor offer at Holyrood Park. The app allows visitors to explore the park at the heart of Scotland’s capital city and find out more about its rich history, prehistory and abundant wildlife.”
CEO and Geotourist founder, Shaon Talukder, who created the Geotourist concept said: “The Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle represent two of the busiest visitor hubs in the whole of Scotland, yet, a few moments away, they can access other parts of the Scottish story, surrounded by a stunning and utterly unique landscape that they may otherwise not feel able to experience. Working with Historic Environment Scotland on a visitor dispersal project such as this means that we can truly leverage the power of technology to give people a reason – and reward – to explore more of the world around them. Not only does it alleviate pressure on visitor hubs and supports a socially distant experience where everyone uses only their own devices, but it also places the visitors right in the spot where history happened and sets the scene for a connection with the world around them.”
For more information on the Holyrood Park, go to Historic Environment Scotland.