Traffic on the Dordogne river is busy, and competition for trade between the passenger barge companies that run the route has been fierce. So fierce in fact, that the municipal authorities in the area have been forced to limit activity on the river to two companies with two boats each.

This limit has inevitably led to even fiercer competition between the companies who hope to attract foot passengers for a trip down the Dordogne. According to a report by SudOuest.com, the news provider for the region, one company thinks it has found an advantage – through technology.

Barges Caminade offers tourists wishing to spend their french holiday exploring the riveira a high-tech accompaniment to their traditional experience on a river barge – GPS audio guides.

Starting this summer, Caminade has been running these guides on its boats. They are available in eight languages as well as French, and provide information directly related to wherever the user is currently located. The guides contain both current and historical information about the Perigord region – the historical name for the area which roughly corresponds to the modern Dordogne department.

Peter Van Nifterik, the current owner of Caminades and the great-great-great-great-grand-son of its founder, Mark Caminade, said that the guides were very popular.

“Tourists are fond, they join right away.” he said. “It is a real innovation.”

Van Nifterik said that he plans to expand the guides in the near future; “We’ll be able to go further because there are ways to add images to audio, [and] you can go up to 120 languages”

All of the companies who run barges on the Dordogne use modern replica’s of the traditional Gabare, a type of riverboat that was historically particular to the river and its tributaries. These modern versions generally seat between 25 and 48 passengers, and travel at a constant but sedentary 7km per hour.

The Dordogne river runs cuts straight through the departements of Dordogne, Gironde, Lot, Correze. Each year, 40 to 50,000 passengers use barges to see the many attractions which line its banks. Throughout its route french holiday attractions and locations have developed over time.

The quaysides of local towns, famous for their medieval architecture, are said to be lined with eateries and bars. As the valley widens in the Perigord region some of the country’s most famous culinary attractions can be seen.

Related posts:

1. France is the second most popular destination for British tourists
2. Easter in Dordogne was popular with Spanish tourists
3. Dordogne chocolate factory proves popular with tourists
4. Dordogne region airports battle for passengers
5. Traditional French cafés need to move with the times, RFI reports

One Response to “Dordogne River Barges use tech to win tourists”