Disrupting the digital tourism sector with immersive technology: Driftscape

An award-winning platform (mobile and web app) transforms the tourism sector and revolutionizes the way explorers learn about their surroundings.

Driftscape is a mobile and web-based platform that is a unique guide to explore and learn about our surroundings. Currently, more than 80 destinations use the technology to develop interesting and interactive experiences around North America that meet the needs of new generation travelers. Additionally, the platform equips these firms with cutting-edge analytics that enable them to better understand their visitors and how they engage with their location.

Dan Pronovost, CEO of Driftscape, spoke to The Silicon Review about how his company is helping organizations and destinations craft one-of-a-kind tourism experiences for visitors and locals.

Driftscape: Where Technology Meets Innovation

Recently recognized as one of the top 10 travel and hospitality solution providers, Driftscape’s innovation culture places a strong emphasis on creativity, open communication, and a willingness to take calculated risks. The leadership encourages employees at all levels to contribute ideas and experiment with new approaches. Some of their key strategies to foster a culture of innovation include:

Listening to Customers and End-Users: When introducing new features for its platform, the Driftscape team actively solicits input from customers and end-users. Each partner is handled more like an owner than a paying customer.

Freedom to Fail: Innovation means understanding that not all experiments will be successful. Driftscape’s “fail fast, learn faster” mentality has created an environment where taking risks and learning from failures is embraced rather than discouraged.

Supportive Leadership: An innovation-focused culture starts at the top. Driftscape founders Dan Pronovost and Chloe Doesburg consistently demonstrate their commitment to innovation by providing resources, time, and support to employees regardless of the nature or scale of the project they are working on.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: At Driftscape, collaboration between different departments is encouraged, allowing diverse perspectives and expertise to come together to solve problems and generate new ideas.

Open Communication Channels: Most importantly, Driftscape’s company culture encourages open channels of communication where employees can share their ideas and opinions without fear of judgment, which fosters an inclusive and innovative culture.

Driftscape’s Focus Areas to Meet Current Tourism Prerequisites

“Travelers today don’t always want to explore the same ‘Top 10’ most popular sites, and they want to learn the untold stories and unique history of the destinations they explore. Since 2017, our team has been focused on giving travelers an ad-free app that will give them what they’re looking for with a free self-guided, multimedia, and gamified exploration platform,” said Dan Pronovost.

“Driftscape focuses on building relationships with destinations throughout North America, empowering them to share their stories within a shared platform. The shared single-app experience brings all of our amazing content together while still providing lots of ways for destinations to promote and highlight their own unique stories.”

Driftscape’s key focus areas are:

Digital Storytelling: Driftscape’s primary focus is empowering its partners (DMOs, RTOs, CVBs, BIAs, outdoor and cultural organizations, and more) with a digital platform that can help digitize their destination’s sites and stories in a unique and interactive way. Driftscape excels in curating engaging and authentic content contributed by local experts, showcasing the rich history, art, culture, and attractions of different locations, and creating immersive experiences for explorers. It also helps bring these unique experiences into the hands of explorers through its award-winning mobile and web apps.

Technology Innovation: As a pioneer in the industry, Driftscape is at the forefront of incorporating cutting-edge technologies like augmented reality (AR) quests, 3D exploration, auto-play self-guided tours, and more to offer users interactive and enhanced experiences while exploring.

Preservation and Promotion of Hidden Gems: Driftscape’s focus extends beyond merely showcasing our surroundings to actively preserving and promoting them. The team works towards ensuring that hidden gems and treasures are appreciated and celebrated for generations to come.

A “Must-Have” Exploration Tool for People across North America

Driftscape’s award-winning platform transforms the tourism sector and revolutionizes the way explorers learn about their surroundings. Some key ways in which the app enables this include:

Easy Access to Information: Our users get instant access to a wealth of information about destinations, including attractions, landmarks, restaurants, local events, and more. Travelers can quickly learn about the history, culture, and significance of various places, enhancing their overall understanding and appreciation of the destination.

Personalized Recommendations: With content curated by diverse local experts, Driftscape offers personalized recommendations for activities and experiences. This tailoring ensures that explorers receive suggestions that align with their interests, enabling them to discover new things that match their preferences.

Interactive Maps and Navigation: Our digital maps and navigation tools make it easier for travelers to explore unfamiliar territories. We guide them with directions and way-finding features, so they uncover hidden gems. Driftscape helps take things a step further by empowering explorers to discover rural areas with low network coverage using the app’s offline mode!

Real-Time Updates: Real-time updates on local events, weather conditions, etc. are valuable inputs to have when traveling. Driftscape enables its partners to share this timely information with their locals and visitors through its app, ensuring a smoother and safer experience.

Enhanced Engagement with Augmented Reality (AR) and 3D Experiences: Imagine seeing historical figures as you tour a museum, animals as you wander a park, long-lost buildings, and historical artifacts as you pass by! Take a selfie in a fantasy environment or with an imaginary beast! All this is available to Driftscape users. With its game-changing features, explorers are able to delve deeper into their surroundings, unlocking a virtual world that seamlessly merges with the physical environment.

Self-guided Tours: Driftscape allows its partners to create self-guided auto-play audio tours. This feature allows travelers to learn about these places at their own pace. The app also helps its users explore sites and stories from anywhere, making it convenient to discover and appreciate cultural heritage even before arriving at the destination.

Smart Notifications: As visitors travel throughout a destination, Driftscape will alert them when they’re near something of interest—even when the app isn’t running! These smart notifications enable visitors to discover hidden gems they might have missed otherwise.

Opt-In Notifications: This powerful feature helps visitors stay informed about upcoming events, promotions, and new content from their favorite destinations.

Sustainable and Responsible Travel: Last but not least, travel apps like Driftscape help you go green by avoiding the need for printed tourism materials.

Roadmap

Driftscape is constantly evolving and developing new features that will continue to enhance the experience of travelers throughout North America. Driftscape will expand beyond North America, empowering destinations from all over the world to share their unique sites, stories, and experiences through our powerful and immersive platform. By leveraging our all-in-one solution, visitors will plan their travels and explore their favorite destinations both at home and onsite, ultimately making Driftscape a household name for all of their travel needs.

“Offer your visitors exactly what they desire; utilizing the phone they carry in their pocket already. Driftscape empowers visitors of all ages to discover the hidden gems, captivating stories, and unforgettable experiences of your destination for hours, immersing them in engaging features,” concluded Dan Pronovost.

Driftscape | Leadership

Dan Pronovost, Co-Founder & CEO: An experienced software developer and leader who has built dozens of mobile applications for iOS, Android, desktop, and the Web. Dan has led many software development teams in past successful startups and ventures. As the CEO of Driftscape, Dan is passionate about tech sector startups, through which he has seen many successful ventures and acquisitions.

Mr. Pronovost received a distinguished Computer Science degree from the University of Waterloo.

Pooja Chitnis, Director of Marketing & Customer Success: Recognized as one of ‘20 Amazing Women in Tech in Canada’, Pooja is a Marketing and Customer Success Specialist. Before taking on the role as the Director of Marketing and Customer Success at Driftscape, she helped diverse brands connect and create resonance with their target markets across various industries, including tourism, hospitality, real estate, fashion, and more.

Marcia Nykamp, Director of Sales: With more than 18 years of experience working in the technology sector, Marcia brings unparalleled experience in developing scalable teams that deliver results. Marcia’s experience in both Sales and Customer Success ensures a customer-focused approach, and relationships are built at every step of the way. During Marcia’s tenure at Driftscape, the company has expanded its presence across North America.

“Driftscape’s goal is to empower destinations across and beyond North America, with a tool that allows them to share their unique sites, stories, and experiences in a powerful and immersive way.”