MyWoWo – the provider of a travel app with supporting multi-language audio guides – is expanding after securing its latest listing at Milan Bergamo Airport in Italy.

The Bergamo-headquartered company’s TravelMate portfolio has taken a high-visibility position within the new circa 300sq m DIF newspapers and tobacco store.

Travellers can peruse from best-selling audio packs and audio cards covering cities such as Athens, Amsterdam, Paris and London from a folio of more than *33 different destinations.

The products are currently sold in a variety of channels, including airports, hotels, bookstores, museums, electronic shops, supermarkets, cultural landmarks (museums, churches, cathedrals), and online via gifting websites, ticketing companies and tour operators.

Stratos Baschenis, CEO and Founder of MyWoWo and creator of TravelMate, said: “We are really excited about this very important opportunity to further expand our brand into several Italian cities, and in particular in our city and in one of the most important airports in Italy and Europe.

“The central island display has become particularly sought after since the start of the pandemic and our company is fortunate to have a fantastic partner like DIF with which to work with and collaborate. We look forward to many future placements, taking the next step in making TravelMate available to all.”

SMART, FUN, ACCESSIBLE CONTENT

Baschenis says the inspiration behind the TravelMate app was to curate easy and smart content for travellers in the cities they visit at a low price with accessible information on the destination.

“We didn’t want to be a traditional audio guide such as the one you can find in a museum, but something different like a touristic companion that tells you the most important things of the most important venues of the city visited,” he explained.

He insists that the products offer something new in the field of audio content, with a key USP resting in the investment made by MyWoWo in translating content using professionals in seven languages.

“We have decided not only to sell our contents via apps on the app stores but also to allow people to find our audios in physical shops with two products: audiocard and audiopack.”

While TravelMate’s products are in their infancy within global travel retail, the CEO and Founder says sales have been performing well at airport shops, travel agencies, money exchange units and with tour operators and ticking firms that combine the products with an entrance fee.

With the products being compatible across 33 international cities – from Asia to Europe and the US – in seven languages, the appeal is global.

The company remains focused on airport departure sales due to favourable passenger dwell times, but is also eyeing inflight, cruise and border shops.

“At this particular moment we are less focused on the Chinese market because we think that for the next 12-18 months, Chinese won’t travel abroad,” commented Baschenis.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The app itself is free to download and boasts hours of pre-loaded destination audio files in different languages, enabling users to discover places of interest in a convenient, simplistic, and fun (yet professional) manner.

TravelMate products feature the audiocard, allowing customers to plug in a unique pin code to explore professional, multi-lingual content, and the audiopack that features earphones with a microphone and volume regulator for Android devices, plus an adapter compatible with iPhones.

An internet connection is required to download the app and the desired city audio, but after the files are downloaded they can be accessed in offline mode.

Each audio file focuses on aspects of interest within the city and lasts no longer than three minutes, finishing with a fun fact to intrigue listeners.

With the TravelMate app, the company says that users can dispense with the need to book a guide or queue to obtain traditional audio equipment from information kiosks.

All the content is recorded by specialised professionals, with users able to move seamlessly on their route without pausing.

*Amsterdam, Assisi, Athens, Barcelona, Beijing, Bergamo, Berlin, Cinque Terre, Dubai, Florence, Hong Kong, Lecce, London, Madrid, Miami, Milan, Moscow, Naples, New York, Palermo, Paris, Pisa, Prague, Rome, St. Petersburg, Santorini, Singapore, Tokyo, Trento, Turin, Venice, Verona, Washington.