Views of tourist attractions go online

ONLINE viewers can now get a bird’s eye view of the flamingos at Fota Wildlife Park and take a virtual tour of Dublin Zoo.

Fáilte Ireland is hoping online views of some of the country’s top tourist destinations will boost the number of foreign visitors coming to this country.

The Rock of Cashel, Muckross House and the National Botanic Gardens are just some of the attractions now featuring on Street View, Google’s online panoramic mapping service which gives people a street-level view and allows them to virtually explore a destination.

Shaun Quinn, Fáilte Ireland chief executive, said the online service has great potential for showcasing what the country has to offer.

“Giving visitors a real feel for all there is to see here, technology such as Street View will give us the cutting edge needed to attract the 21st century traveller and win the business, revenue and new jobs that Irish tourism has the potential to achieve,” Mr Quinn said.

Google’s Street View Trike started collecting the street-level imagery of some of the country’s top tourist destinations and historic monuments last September.

The venues also include Croke Park, the Aviva Stadium, Powerscourt Estate and Dublin Castle.

The views were captured by Google on cameras mounted on the trike.

It collects images from destinations where it is not possible for the Street View car to drive.

Google spokesman John Herlihy said the country is known for its fabulous scenery and our landscape is dotted with historic monuments.

“We wanted to show as much of it as possible, so we got out the Street View Trike and started pedalling to add to our collection of Irish imagery,” Mr Herlihy said.

“We think it will be a really great boost to Irish tourism that visitors to Ireland will now be able to whet their appetite before arriving on our shores.”

People wishing to access the imagery should log onto Google Maps to tour the destinations from the comfort of their armchair.