Belmullet native's innovative app to boost local tourism

Mayo County Council has become the country’s first local authority to utilise a unique tourism app created by a Belmullet native to showcase tourist offerings within the county, writes Paul O'Malley.

My360town was created by Brian Lavelle and allows users to take virtual tours of entire towns to see offerings, attractions and the accommodation available, as well as capturing the charm and beauty of these locations, with a view towards visiting that town in real life.

The software and technology allow the user of the app to explore towns from above in the sky, zoom down to ground level and virtually walk into any business in the area.

From there, users can book a table at a restaurant, reserve accommodation at hotels, guesthouses and Airbnb and explore the locality to see what is on offer in that area.

Brian’s native Belmullet was among the first locations to be showcased on the app and it has now been expanded to include tours of Ballina, Crossmolina and Westport and it is expected to expand further in the future to showcase more towns in the county.

Mayo County Council has embraced Virtual Tours with the aim of promoting the county’s towns and attractions to a global audience. The links to visit each of these towns virtually is available via www.mayo.ie.