A VIC (visitor information centre) is an acronym tech-savvy travellers might not be familiar with, but they certainly know what an app is.
  

Proving that Google doesn't know everything, a new travel app has been launched to hook travellers up with the closest information centres while they're travelling around Queensland, so they can find what they're looking for faster than Siri can say, “Sorry, I didn't get that”.
 

Tourism and Events Queensland developed the app in partnership with the Queensland Information Centres Association (QICA) to promote the network of 116 accredited VICs across the state.
 

Inside these hubs of knowledge, travellers can find the information they're searching for first-hand from locals who know all the insider tips and gossip way before Google does.
 

As well as using global positioning-system technology to point users in the direction of the closest three VICs, the app also reveals the top things to see and do close by.
 

The app has been tailor-built for knowledge-hungry travellers, with people who use VICs tending to spend more and stay longer in region – and who wouldn't when they've got the 411 on where to get the best coffee, secret walking trails, and bargain buys?
 

Smartphones may be able to do everything short of making the perfect espresso but they can't replace the decades of experience and local knowledge of the passionate VIC volunteers – each one essentially a private travel agent, ready and waiting to give visitors all the information they need, for free.
 

Melanie Sands from Visit Queensland says, “Some people, especially younger generations, tend to overlook the VICs but our volunteers often know a destination's best hidden secrets and can point you in the right direction based on your interests and what you want to get out of your stay.”
 

“We've all wasted frustrating hours search for information online – sometimes it's just easier to ask a human,” she says.
 

Leanne Coddington, CEO of Tourism and Events Queensland agrees and says “by visiting a VIC, you can be assured they've already done the research for you, so you can get the most out of your time in Queensland's destinations.
 

The free app is available to download for iPhone and android now.
For more information on the VIC app visit queensland.com/vics

MEDIA CONTACT:

Celeste Mitchell, Publicity Consultant, Tourism and Events Queensland
E: hello@celestemitchell.com.au
M: +61 415 626 444