Internet access for tourists
Despite the development of technology in many destinations, the problem of tourists’ access to the Internet remains relevant.
This is important for destinations for several reasons:
A tourist without the Internet will visit fewer activities and get a less tourist experience.
A tourist without the Internet is deprived of the opportunity to generate the most valuable UGC content.
A tourist without the Internet experiences discomfort, because he cannot contact anyone, the cards in the smartphone do not work, he cannot book anything online.
A tourist without communication does not feel safe because he cannot call for help if necessary.
Often these problems are not so much technical, but also organizational and financial in nature.
It cannot be said that nothing is being done, for example, roaming is canceled, tourist SIM cards are issued in some destinations, and Internet routers are rented in others.
In this section, we present some ways and cases of solving this problem by different destinations. Perhaps this experience can be scaled up and implemented in other destinations.
Japan
In Japan, there is an application showing free hotspots. Free access to WiFI is available in almost all hotels and cafes. With all the amenities, you can’t count on the high quality of such an Internet, and besides, there is no mobility.
You can rent a mobile WIFI router. This gives some independence, but in any case, you will have to pay for it and remember to charge the router.
You can buy a SIM card for data transfer. Also a convenient way, however, this may not be applicable for phones tied to a specific operator. Also, it is not always possible to replace your SIM card with a third-party one. More.
Dubai
In Dubai, tourist SIM cards are mainly offered from 3 different operators. In some cases, a free package is provided for a certain amount of traffic or days. The disadvantages of this method are standard: the need to change the SIM card if the phone does not support 2 cards at the same time. Does not work on phones tied to any particular carrier.
In addition, free WiFi is available in all hotels, as well as in all major malls and public places. More.
Singapore
In Singapore, you can also buy a tourist sim card, however, some innovations are already being applied, namely esim cards, which do not require a physical replacement of a sim card. The main thing is that the tourist’s phone supports this format. More.
Paris
Along with the ability to purchase SIM cards and E-SIM cards, all visitors from Europe can use their own SIM cards without roaming charges. In addition, Internet access points have been installed in Paris not only in hotels and restaurants, but also in parks, libraries and other public places. More.
New York
In New York, Internet access points are installed in almost all public places. In addition, special LynkNYC access points in the form of self-service kiosks, which also have USB charging sockets, are installed right on the sidewalks in the city. At the time of this writing, there were 1700 of them, but the plans of the city authorities to bring their number to 5700. More.