The Chain Mobility Network has won the Best European Rail Tourism Campaign Award for its innovative Wunderline GO app. On Wednesday 2 February the award was presented to a network representative at the official award ceremony in the city of Engelberg, Switzerland. The award competition was open to all projects linking railway transportation and tourism.
Presentation
Out of all entries the jury, consisting of representatives of the European Travel Commission and Eurail, selected four winning projects. These were all given the opportunity to present their projects on 2 February during the official award ceremony. The Wunderline GO app of the Chain Mobility Network was voted the Best New Promotional Initiative 2021. The jury praised the project for the close cross-border collaboration of its many partners. In addition, the jury was impressed by the app’s ability to promote a local railway line while also encouraging people to explore the region. The Best European Rail Tourism Campaign 2021 Award Competition – a joint initiative of the European Travel Commission and Eurail – was launched to promote rail transportation.
Linking railways and tourism
The Wunderline GO app has been developed to get more people into trains. Though the actual Wunderline as such shall be operational by 2024, the railway route itself already exists. The app offers a great way to discover the Wunderline region by train. Imke Wemken of Ostfriesland Tourismus GmbH is one of the partners involved in the development of the app. She explains: "The Wunderline and the Wunderline GO app manage to combine mobility, public transportation, sustainability and fun all in one, allowing railway travelling to be a very nice and comfortable experience as well as an excellent alternative to cars."
Wunderline GO-app
The Wunderline GO-app offers travellers the opportunity to embark on a digital treasure hunt and discover all the wonders along the Wunderline. Each municipality along its railway stretch has its own unique wonder. A distinctive theme for instance, or a historic event, a celebrity or a special geographical feature, all of which users are smartly directed to by their smartphone compass. En route, information pops up on their screen packaged as images, videos and audio or text messages. And another offered feature allows users to check their local knowledge through a quiz. By using Augmented Reality (which superimposes an image onto a user’s view of the real world) the Wunderline wonders almost become a tangible experience. The Wunderline GO app has been developed under the direction of the City of Oldenburg and is currently managed by Ostfriesland Tourismus GmbH and the Province of Groningen/project Wunderline. The project was funded through the INTERREG V A-programme Germany-Netherlands of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). As well as by the Dutch Provinces of Drenthe, Fryslân and Groningen, the Federal State of Lower Saxony and the participating municipalities.