GPS Video Tours of Victoria, British Columbia Entertain and Educate

Three new tour options on offer from Victoria Adventure Quest now available

Release date: 6/29/2009

        Visitors to Victoria, British Columbia, can now enjoy all the sights through new self-paced, multimedia GPS tours available from Victoria Adventure Quest. Three different tour options offer plenty of variety, allowing visitors to choose a tour that is either walking or driving, and with topics including the Victorian history of the Inner Harbour, The Old Town / Chinatown districts, and the greater Victoria area. 

        Tours are delivered through the GPS Ranger®, a patented, handheld computer device that delivers compelling multimedia content based on the location of the user through the power of GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.  The GPS Ranger delivers full color video, audio commentary, musical soundtrack, historical photography, and interactive content that communicate the stories that make Victoria so unique.  Tour-goers rent the GPS device and are free to explore the City of Gardens while interpretive videos trigger automatically based on their location.  Three different tour options are sure to please any visitor:  

• Old Town / Chinatown Quest – a 1-2 hour walking tour that leads visitors to discover Victoria’s own “Forbidden City”, the oldest Chinatown in Canada, as well as Victoria’s Old Town district. With 25 points of interest, visitors will learn the extraordinary history of the Gold Rush, Fort Victoria, Fisgard Street (the heart of Chinatown), Fan Tan Alley and stories of some of Victoria’s allegedly “ghostly” inhabitants!

• Historic Victorian Quest – a 1-2 hour walking tour leads guests through Victoria’s journey from a primitive outpost of the Hudson’s Bay Company to becoming the vibrant capital city of today. Visitors explore architecture and early entrepreneurs while visiting 17 points of interest including The Empress Hotel, the Parliament Buildings, St. Ann’s Academy and Victoria’s Inner Harbour.

• The Grand Adventure - a 2-4 hour scenic driving tour that can be enjoyed in the comfort of the visitor’s own vehicle, leads visitors to 30 points of interest including Craigdarroch Castle, Oak Bay Village, Christ Church Cathedral, Beacon Hill Park and additional sites set amongst oceanfront vistas.

        Interactive maps and direction prompts keep visitors on track, while interactive trivia questions, Fun Facts and an on-screen visitor’s guide to restaurants, attractions and shopping opportunities complete the self-paced tour experience.  Unlike group tours, visitors can stop, shop, take pictures or explore off the tour path whenever they choose. 

        Tours are operated by Victoria Adventure Quest, a new endeavor by Victoria entrepreneurs and co-owners of Golf Central Tours, Tyler Hadfield and Steve Jackson. 

        “We are proud to bring tourism and technology together to enhance the visitor’s experience in Victoria. Viewing a film of Government Street shot in 1907 as you stand in the present day location is a real thrill. To view images of the miners being outfitted 150 years ago outside the same buildings today is just awesome. The on-screen Trivia, Map Tracking and Tourist Guide to Victoria’s attractions, restaurants, shopping, entertainment and events completes the experience from past to present,” said Tyler Hadfield of Victoria Adventure Quest.

        Developed and designed by BarZ Adventures, the leading provider of hand-held GPS visitor guiding systems, the GPS Ranger utilizes innovative GPS technology to enhance the visitor experience and take it to the next level of interactivity.  While GPS Ranger tours are currently available at tourist destinations across the U.S., the new Victoria tours are the first on offer in Canada. 

        “BarZ Adventures is pleased to work with Victoria Adventure Quest to introduce the first GPS Ranger tours available in Canada. Victoria’s a beautiful city that really comes to life through the multimedia tour format,” said Wm. Lee Little, founder and CEO of BarZ Adventures Inc. 

        The sleek device features a four-inch LCD touch screen and can be enjoyed by several visitors at once with its dual-speaker stereo system. Tours are available in English with additional foreign languages coming in the future. The Old Town / Chinatown Quest and Historic Victorian Quest tours are available for $19.95 each, while the Grand Adventure driving tour can be enjoyed for $24.95. Units can be rented from the Kiosk just outside the Victoria Visitor Center located at 812 Wharf Street from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm everyday during the peak season (April 15^th through October 15^th ) and out of the Lido Waterfront Bisto at 1234-S Wharf St in the value season. 

ABOUT VICTORIA ADVENTURE QUEST
“Guided from Space at Your Own Pace”, Victoria Adventure Quest is dedicated to offering innovative GPS tour experiences for Victoria visitors. Working with Attractions Victoria, City Of Victoria, Tourism Victoria, the Royal BC Museum and the Provincial Capital Commission to bring together moving and engaging images past and present, Victoria Adventure Quest offers a collaborative look at Victoria that is sure to entertain and educate!  For more information or questions, please contact Tyler Hadfield at:

        Victoria GPS Video Adventures Inc.

        DBA: Victoria Adventure Quest

        www.gpsvideoadventures.com

         This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

        1234-S Wharf St. Victoria, B.C. V8W 3H9
        Toll Free: 866-266-4653, Local 250-595-4653