Elevating Romanian Tourism with GlobalLogic: Apuseni App

Introduction

As digital transformation continues to reshape industries, the tourism sector has embraced innovative solutions to enhance the visitor experience and promote regional attractions. GlobalLogic Romania, a leader in digital engineering, recently collaborated with Apuseni Spirit NGO to create the Apuseni app. The platform is designed to promote tourism in the Apuseni region from Romania by offering an interactive, gamified experience for visitors. This article explores the development process and features of the app, showcasing GlobalLogics expertise in delivering customized software solutions that drive business growth.

Project Background

Apuseni Spirit NGO, an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the cultural and natural heritage of the Apuseni Mountains, recognized the need for a platform to connect tourists with the region's many attractions. They sought a partner capable of turning their vision into a reality, leading to a collaboration with GlobalLogic Romania. Together, we aimed to create a user-friendly app that would not only guide tourists through the Apuseni region, but also engage them in an interactive treasure hunt, making their visit more memorable and rewarding.

“We resonated with the project from the very first meeting with the Apuseni Spirit team. Their positive energy was truly ‘contagious’, making the goal of developing and launching the native app on two platforms (iOS and Android) in less than three months seem less of a challenge. We are proud to contribute to such an important project for tourism in the Apuseni area.” - Dragoș Rus, Engineering Director GlobalLogic.

The Apuseni App

The Apuseni app is a comprehensive digital platform designed to catalog and highlight over 1,000 points of interest across the Apuseni Mountains. The app is available for both iOS and Android.

These include:

• Natural Attractions: Unique caves, viewpoints, and waterfalls.
• Horeca (Hospitality and Food Services): Listings of guesthouses, restaurants, bars, and gastronomic spots.
• Cultural Sites: Museums, churches, memorial houses, and workshops of local artisans and artists.
• Events: Information on local sports, music, and cultural events organized by entrepreneurs and artists.
• Local Guides: Contact details for organizing guided tours.

Registration in the app can be done via Google/Facebook or traditionally through an email address. There are two types of accounts: a Tourist account with normal access and an account dedicated to Local Entrepreneurs/Artisans/Artists. This second type of account, in addition to the functionalities available to regular tourists, also allows the creation of events related to their activities (e.g., Cooking Course, Barrel Making Course).

The app provides an interactive map that helps users navigate these points of interest, offering detailed information such as descriptions, GPS locations, visiting hours, and contact information. Each location is marked with a QR code that users can scan to access more information and log their visits. Through a feature within the app, users can use their phone's camera to scan a QR code and simultaneously take photos at the point of interest. These photos will be listed in a gallery on their profile page and on the point of interest's page.

The app is designed to store an image in cache memory for situations where a point of interest is not in an area with internet access. In addition to the image, the phone will record the user’s geolocation to ensure that they were at the location and did not scan a photo taken by someone else.

The app’s standout feature is its gamification, where users earn points for each location visited. These points are collected through QR code scans and contribute to the user’s overall score, adding a competitive aspect to the experience. This feature not only incentivizes exploration, but also drives engagement, encouraging tourists to visit lesser-known spots and discover the hidden gems of the Apuseni region.

Technologies Used

The development of the Apuseni app involved leveraging a range of advanced technologies to ensure a seamless, scalable, and user-friendly experience:

React Native: This cross-platform framework was used to build the app for both iOS and Android devices, ensuring a consistent user experience across platforms. React Native allowed us to write much of the app’s code once and deploy it across multiple platforms, accelerating the development process.

Expo: As a framework and platform for React Native, Expo was utilized to streamline development and deployment, particularly in managing app updates and testing across devices.

React Query and Context API: These tools were essential for state management within the app, particularly in handling asynchronous data fetching and caching. React Query improved data synchronization and minimized unnecessary re-fetching of data, while Context API enabled efficient management of global state across various app components.

.NET Core and Entity Framework: The server-side logic of the app was powered by .NET Core, a robust and scalable framework, ensuring the app’s backend was both performant and maintainable. Entity Framework, a popular Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) tool, facilitated seamless interaction with the MySQL database, simplifying database operations.

Azure Cloud: The app’s backend services were hosted on Microsoft Azure, providing a reliable, scalable, and secure cloud environment. Azure's flexibility allowed for smooth scaling during high traffic periods, such as during the Treasure Hunt event.

MySQL Database: The app’s database was built on MySQL, chosen for its reliability and ability to handle the extensive data related to points of interest, user profiles, and event tracking.

3rd-Party Integrations: To enhance the app’s functionality, several third-party services were integrated. SendGrid was used for email notifications, ensuring reliable communication with users, particularly for event reminders and updates. Google Maps was integrated for precise geolocation services, and provided the foundational map data, enabling accurate navigation and location tracking within the app.

These technologies collectively contributed to creating a robust, user-friendly, and highly engaging app that can scale to meet the demands of all users exploring the Apuseni region.

The Apuseni Treasure Hunt Activity

A key feature of the app is the "Treasure Hunt" competition, held from July 4 to August 18, 2024. During this period, users participated in a region-wide treasure hunt. Participants were directed to visit specific premium locations, including natural sites, Horeca venues, and cultural attractions, in order to collect points.

Participants were able to compete individually or form teams of up to 20 members, adding a collaborative element to the hunt. The app tracked each team’s progress and rankings, with points accumulating even if a team member withdrew. This activity was designed to be more than just a game; it was an immersive experience that blends adventure with cultural education, providing additional incentives through rewards for top performers.

“We've all heard about the beauty of the Apuseni Mountains, but few know about their hidden treasures. The Apuseni app is a true guide for creating a complete and unforgettable authentic experience, covering everything from unique accommodations where you can enjoy traditional dishes to hidden natural attractions within spectacular landscapes, to cultural landmarks that reveal a bit of history, and events that offer a unique glimpse into the local spirit. The app's gamification element challenges you at every step to keep exploring, earning not just points but also cherished memories with your adventure companions.” - Alina, app user

 “Thanks to the app, we discovered new places we didn’t know about. It was fun hunting for as many points as possible in Roșia Montană. And because we wanted to collect as many points as we could in the competition, on our way home, we stopped in the center of Abrud, where we discovered several historic buildings. It was the first time we stopped in Abrud, and I can say that we’ll be back—the center looked great and was undergoing renovations. All of this was thanks to the app and the competition by Apuseni Spirit. ” - Daniel, app user

Impact on Local Tourism

“We set out to put local communities back on the map by attracting tourists and promoting the region's values and traditions, thus contributing to the area's economic and social development.
Tourists who come to discover the Apuseni Mountains will have everything at their fingertips: from local craftsmen who carry forward the ancestral secrets of coopering and traditional shoe-making, to the wilderness of nature waiting to be explored, with hosts eager to provide a warm welcome. From the Living Fire to the pies made by Mama Uța, there are over 1,000 hidden treasures just waiting to be discovered!” - Radu Stoica, one of the project initiators and the founder of the Apuseni Spirit NGO

Since its launch, the Apuseni app has been well-received by both tourists and local businesses. The app has significantly enhanced the visitor experience by providing a comprehensive and free guide to the region’s attractions while encouraging exploration through its gamification features. Local businesses, particularly those in the hospitality and cultural sectors, have benefited from increased visibility and foot traffic as tourists are drawn to lesser-known locations.

The Treasure Hunt activity is expected to further boost tourism during the summer months, creating a domino effect that benefits the local economy. By promoting off-the-beaten-path locations and events, the app helps distribute tourist traffic more evenly across the region, reducing overcrowding at popular sites and driving economic activity in smaller communities.

Conclusion

The Apuseni app is a shining example of GlobalLogic Romania’s ability to deliver innovative and impactful software solutions. By leveraging the latest technologies and a user-centric approach, we have created a platform that not only promotes tourism but also preserves and highlights the cultural and natural heritage of the Apuseni Mountains. If you're looking for a trusted digital engineering partner who's known for engineering impact with intelligent products, platforms, and services that transform businesses and redefine industries, then GlobalLogic is here to help.