New Technology From Smart Destinations Lets You Use Your Smartphone as Attraction Admission Ticket

BOSTON, Aug. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart Destinations, the leading provider of multi-attraction passes designed to save travelers time and money, today announced it is giving visitors to four U.S. cities a way to hit the streets and enjoy their favorite attractions with nothing more than their smartphone in their pocket.  Thanks to the debut of a new mobile option for the company's Go Select™ Pass, paper tickets can be a thing of the past for tourists and businesses alike.

Go Select Pass mobile ticketing officially debuts today in New York City, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco.  Similar capabilities for other Go Select Pass cities and destinations are in development and will be added in coming months.  

Smart Destinations' Go Select Pass is a programmable ticket offering that allows tourists to select and "build" their own reduced-price passes online for the specific attractions they wish to visit in a given city.  Discounts add up; the more tours, museums, cruises and other attractions people experience, the more they save.  What's more, Go Select Passes allow users to skip the line at many attractions, saving time as well as money.

The mobile ticketing capability for the Go Select Pass adds even more convenience.  After the pass is purchased from the Go Select Pass website, a QR (Quick Response) code is sent to the customer via email as a PDF attachment.  Using their smartphone, the recipient opens the PDF file and has the QR code scanned at each turnstile or box office.  It's that simple!

Perhaps most game-changing for the tourism industry is the ability for attraction operators to accept, authorize and be paid for Go Select Pass purchases using the company's proprietary, patented technology platform.  Go Select Pass scanners, now deployed at over 275 top attractions nationwide, let operators instantly validate the QR codes from the user's smartphone over the Internet.  The solution ensures system security and virtually eliminates ticket fraud.  

"Smartphones are changing consumer behavior.  Once we saw what these devices are doing for individuals, couples, and parents with young children, it was clear where we wanted to go," said Cecilia Dahl, President and Founder of Smart Destinations.  "No one else can offer this kind of end-to-end convenience because no other company has the infrastructure in the field that Smart Destinations does."

Attraction partners have noted the convenience and reliability of the mobile option:

• "At Aquarium of the Bay, the ability to scan tickets and passes directly from a visitor's phone will greatly increase our operational efficiency, as well as allow for more flexibility on the part of our guests.  As a certified green business, we also appreciate that the technology helps further our efforts to reduce paper waste," said Nicole Silvestri, Membership and Operations Manager at Aquarium of the Bay, San Francisco.
• "The Go Select Pass is so quick, easy and user friendly, it helps keep the line moving," added Gus Matsukawa, Manager of Radio City Stage Door Tour, New York.
• "Go Select is the first product we have used with a scannable mobile barcode.  I was delighted to see how easy it was to scan!  The convenience will benefit the guests as well as our staff," stated David Krause, Museum Services Manager for the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.
• "Once again Smart Destinations is at the forefront of the travel industry and has thought of everything, simultaneously launching their new Go Select Pass for smartphones while providing readable scanners to their attraction partners," said Deleyse Langdale, Associate Director, Travel Industry Sales at the California Academy of Sciences.

Smart Destinations' Go Select Pass is part of the company's existing ticketing products, including its Go City Cards and Explorer Passes that save visitors up to 55% off the cost of regular admission to top attractions in 13 major destinations.  To purchase a Go Select Pass, visit www.goselectpass.com.

About Smart Destinations:

Smart Destinations provides the only multi-attraction passes that maximize the fun, savings and convenience of sightseeing with flexible purchase options for every type of traveler.  Available online and at walk-up retail outlets, Smart Destinations passes, including Go City Cards, Go Explorer and Go Select, provide admission to more than 500 attractions across 13 North American destinations, including New York, Orlando, San Diego, Chicago and Boston.  All passes come with valuable extras, including the ability to skip the line at select attractions and comprehensive city guides that offer insider tips and bonus discounts on shopping and dining.  Smart Destinations passes leverage the company's patented technology and the industry's largest network of attraction partners to save consumers up to 55% compared to purchasing individual tickets.  The company is headquartered in Boston, MA.  For more information, visit www.smartdestinations.com.

SOURCE Smart Destinations