Nowadays, the global tourism market is gradually recovering, and international tourists have increasingly higher demands for travel quality. The problems of traditional wireless tour guides, such as “single functions, outdated experiences, and troublesome management”, are becoming more and more obvious. Whether it is overseas scenic spots, museums, or the organizers of international conferences, they often encounter these headache-inducing problems: there are not enough multilingual guides, the personalized services that tourists want cannot be met, and equipment maintenance is both labor-intensive and costly.
All along, we have been following the demands of overseas customers. With years of practical experience and technological accumulation, we have figured out the future development direction of wireless audio guides – by leveraging technologies such as AI, AR, and the Internet of Things, we aim to create a new generation of products that can be customized according to tourists’ needs, provide a sense of immersion, and be intelligently managed by themselves. Let cultural dissemination no longer be restricted by language and region, and add some new vitality to the global cultural and tourism industry.
I. Core Technical Directions for the Future Development of Wireless Interpreters
The future wireless audio guide needs to be upgraded. The core lies in “solving practical problems with technology”, deeply integrating cutting-edge technologies such as AI, AR, and the Internet of Things with products, and upgrading from “meeting basic needs” to “creating a good experience”.
(1) AI assistance: Ensuring that everyone hears a different explanation
Artificial intelligence technology will completely transform the content presentation method of wireless audio guides, shifting from “fixed broadcasting and listening to what visitors listen to” to “intelligent adjustment based on visitor needs”, precisely matching everyone’s preferences.
In the future, wireless tour guides will be able to intelligently identify tourists’ preferences. Visitors do not need to fill out complex forms. They just need to simply select on the device whether it is “Family Tour”, “Cultural Depth Tour” or “Leisure Sightseeing Tour”, and the system will automatically adjust the depth and style of the explanation content. Previously, we conducted a test in a heritage park in Cairo, Egypt: Tourists with children walked up to the stone statues and heard interesting folk tales, such as “In ancient Egypt, children would play hide-and-seek beside the stone statues.” For tourists who chose the in-depth tour, what they heard was professional interpretation, such as “This stone statue was made of Aswan granite. Last year, the archaeological team discovered new inscriptions on the base of the stone statue, which recorded the time of the sacrificial ceremony at that time.”
Multilingual translation will also be more accurate and comprehensive. In addition to supporting real-time switching among more than 16 mainstream languages, it can also adapt to different regional accents. For example, English can be changed to British, American, or even Australian English. Chinese can be exchanged into Mandarin, Cantonese and Minnan dialect. Previously, an Australian tourist gave us feedback, saying, “When I heard the explanations in my hometown accent, it felt as warm and friendly as chatting with a local.” This kind of personalized service can make overseas tourists feel more comfortable. Moreover, the system can automatically adjust the speaking speed according to the tourists’ conditions. When encountering elderly tourists, the speaking speed will slow down and the voice will be clearer, without the need for manual Settings.
AI can also make the content of the explanations change according to the interests of the tourists. The system will analyze which scenic spots tourists stay longer and interact more with the equipment, determine the points they are interested in, and automatically supplement relevant content. For instance, if a visitor stops in front of a certain exhibit for more than five minutes, the system will proactively push some “obscure knowledge behind the exhibit” and “extended interpretations of related historical events”, no longer limited to pre-recorded content, but more flexible and rich.
(2) AR plus Wearable Devices: Immersive experience without using your hands
Many overseas customers have told us, “A good tour guide system should be one that tourists don’t feel its existence but can’t do without.” The future wireless audio guides will develop in the direction of “no need to use hands and being able to immerse people”. By combining AR technology with wearable devices, they will break the limitations of physical space and make cultural experiences more infectious.
Wearable devices will become an important trend. In the future, wireless audio guides may no longer be standalone handheld devices or receivers worn around the neck, but rather integrated with commonly used wearable devices such as smartwatches and Bluetooth headphones. We are currently collaborating with a hiking scenic area in New Zealand to conduct a test: Tourists wear a smartwatch. When they reach the viewing platform, the watch will gently vibrate, and an explanation of the snow-capped mountain will come through the headphones, such as “This mountain was formed 2 million years ago. In summer, a local unique yellow flower will bloom at the foot of the mountain.” When encountering a fork in the road, the watch will guide the direction by vibrating and remind you, “If you go left, you can see the remnants of the glacier.” This hands-free design enables tourists to focus on enjoying the scenery and have a particularly smooth experience.
AR technology can bring culture to life. Traditional explanations can only convey information through sound, while AR technology can superimpose virtual content with real scenes, allowing visitors to directly experience history and culture. For instance, in the ancient Roman theater in Turkey, tourists point their mobile phones or AR glasses at the ruins, and the screen will recreate the scene of the ancient Romans watching a play – actors perform on stage, and the audience claps in their seats. At the same time, there is a voice explanation: “At that time, this theater could seat 5,000 people. Without microphones, the sound could reach the last row because the arc design of the theater had acoustic principles.” This immersive experience enables visitors to transform from “listening to explanations” to “feeling as if they were really on the spot”, allowing them to better understand the culture behind the landscape.
In museums, AR technology can also enable visitors to “interact” with the exhibits. Visitors can “touch” virtual exhibits through the equipment, view their 3D models, and even simulate how to use ancient tools. For instance, in the Ceramic Museum of Florence, Italy, tourists can see through AR how ceramics are fired, from the mixing of raw materials to the drawing of patterns, step by step, all clearly visible. It’s much more interesting than just listening to audio.
(3) Internet of Things plus Cloud Management: More worry-free operation and maintenance
Most scenic spots and museums overseas have a large number of facilities and are widely distributed. However, there are few people maintaining them, making management particularly troublesome. In the future, wireless audio guides will achieve full-process automatic management through the deep integration of the Internet of Things and cloud management, saving them a lot of trouble.
The equipment status can be monitored in real time. In the future, every wireless audio guide will be equipped with an iot module. Through the cloud platform, the operator can check at any time where the device is, whether its battery is sufficient, and if there are any faults. For instance, in tropical rainforest scenic spots in Southeast Asia, equipment is prone to moisture damage. The cloud system can monitor the humidity of the equipment in real time. Once it exceeds the standard, it will automatically remind the staff to handle it promptly, so that tourists will not be affected by equipment failure. There is a chain of art galleries in Europe. The equipment of its five venues can be monitored at the headquarters. It is clear at a glance which equipment is running out of power and which is malfunctioning. There is no need to send people to visit each venue one by one.
The updated content can be synchronized with one click. To update and explain the content of traditional equipment, one has to connect each device to a computer one by one, which is particularly time-consuming. In the future, through the cloud platform, the operator only needs to upload new audio, text or video in the background, and all devices will be automatically updated without the need for staff to operate on-site. For instance, in the mountainous scenic area of Chiang Mai, Thailand, if one wants to update the legendary stories recorded by local elders, they can change the audio file in the background. Tourists can listen to the new content on the same day, which is particularly flexible.
Data can also assist operators in making decisions. The cloud system will automatically collect the usage data of tourists, such as “which language is used the most”, “Which scenic spot tourists stay at the longest”, and “Which interpretation mode do tourists prefer”. There is a museum in France. Through data, it was found that the usage frequency of Spanish has increased by 30% compared to last year. So, Spanish explanations were promptly added. Later, the positive feedback rate from Spanish tourists rose significantly. These data can help the operators precisely improve services and make tourists more satisfied.
II. Upgrade of Core Application Scenarios for Future Wireless Audio Guides
Ultimately, technological upgrades will be applied to practical scenarios. In the future, wireless audio guides will be used in three core scenarios: museums and cultural sites, scenic spots and theme parks, and international conferences and business investigations, enhancing both experience and efficiency to a higher level and meeting the diverse needs of overseas markets.
(1) Museums and Cultural Sites: Making cultural inheritance more profound
The core demand of overseas museums and cultural sites is to “enable tourists to understand culture and feel history”. In the future, wireless audio guides will shift from merely “imparting knowledge points” to “telling interesting stories”, making cultural inheritance more humane.
In the Egyptian Pyramids Scenic area, tourists can wear an AR glasses-style audio guide and face the entrance of the pyramids to see the AR restoration scene of ancient Egyptians carrying coffins in. The voice is synchronized with the explanation: “People at that time believed that doing so could enable the soul of the pharaoh to ascend to heaven.” Meanwhile, the system can also retrieve photos of the interior of the pyramid taken by the archaeological team, detailing that “this secret passage discovered by archaeologists in 1922 still contains the jewelry of the pharaoh.” This multi-dimensional explanation is much more interesting than simply saying “The pyramids were built around 2500 BC”, and it is also easier for tourists to remember.
Barrier-free services will also be improved. For visually impaired visitors, the audio guide will be equipped with a haptic feedback function. When visitors touch the model of the exhibit, the device will simultaneously explain, “This earthenware jar is 20 centimeters high, and the wavy patterns on its surface feel uneven when touched.” For hearing-impaired tourists, the AR glasses will display subtitles in real time and can also switch to sign language animations to ensure that every tourist can enjoy the guided tour service equally. Last year, the accessibility upgrade we made for a museum in London, UK, was commended by the local tourism department.
(2) Scenic Spots and theme Parks: Make the tour smoother
Overseas scenic spots and theme parks are large in area and crowded with people. The most troublesome problems for tourists are “difficulty in finding the way, long queues and monotonous experiences”. In the future, wireless tour guides will become “intelligent travel assistants”, helping tourists solve these troubles.
Dynamic route recommendations can save tourists a lot of time. A theme park in Tokyo, Japan, is testing this feature: the tour guide for visitors will display the queuing time for each attraction in real time, such as “The roller coaster takes 20 minutes and the carousel only 5 minutes”, and will also recommend “Go to the carousel first and then go to the roller coaster when there are fewer people” based on the visitors’ preferences. If a scenic spot is temporarily closed, the system will immediately remind you to prevent tourists from making a wasted trip. After testing, the number of complaints from visitors to this park has decreased by 40% compared to before, and the satisfaction of everyone’s visit has increased significantly.
It can also help the scenic area increase its income. When tourists get tired from walking around, the guide will recommend based on their location: “There is a cafe 50 meters ahead. Their handmade cakes are local specialties. The owner’s grandma used to make desserts for the nobility.” When recommending restaurants, they will also tell the stories behind the dishes and the sources of the ingredients. Tourists find it interesting and are willing to give it a try. After a scenic spot in Southeast Asia added this function, the revenue of the cooperating restaurants increased by 25%.
For natural scenic spots, the audio guide can also popularize knowledge about ecological protection. For instance, in hiking spots in New Zealand, when tourists reach a specific area, the equipment will automatically say, “This forest is the habitat of endangered birds. Please keep your voice down while visiting.” It will also recommend environmentally friendly tour routes to help promote sustainable tourism in the scenic area.
(3) International conferences and business visits: Smoother cross-language communication
In scenarios such as international conferences and business investigations, the most core requirements for wireless audio guides are “accurate sound transmission and multi-language synchronization”. Future products will be upgraded from “simple translation” to “efficient communication”.
Previously, we provided services for a tourism industry forum in Germany, with participants from 12 countries. Use our team’s interpretation equipment for real-time simultaneous interpretation – the speaker speaks English, and the receivers worn by the participants can be switched to multiple languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish in real time, eliminating the need to specially find a translation team. After the meeting, the participants can also download the meeting minutes and voice replay in the system, which is convenient for reviewing the key points later. This efficient way of communication was found particularly good by all the participants.
In the context of enterprise inspection, the functions of the guide will be more targeted. A tourism group from China went to Europe for an inspection. The local tour guide spoke French and the equipment could translate it into Chinese in real time to ensure that the inspection team could understand the key information such as the operation mode and service process of the scenic area. When encountering key content, the members of the inspection team can press the “Mark” button on the device. After returning, they can bring it up and review it again without worrying about missing important things.
III. Core Guarantee for Future Development: Follow customer demands and keep innovating
We have always believed that the future of wireless tour guides is not about “playing with technical gimmicks”, but about “solving practical problems” – serving tourists and enabling them to easily and deeply experience the local culture. Serve the operation party, enabling them to manage the venue with peace of mind and efficiency. In the future, we will continue to strive in three aspects to promote the technological upgrade and market expansion of wireless audio guides.
(1) Precisely meet the demands of different regions
The scene characteristics and usage habits of different regions vary. In the future, we will launch customized products for different overseas markets: for tropical scenic spots, we will improve the high-temperature resistance and waterproof performance of the equipment. For niche museums in Europe, control costs well and provide simple and user-friendly solutions. For cultural sites in the Middle East, the historical details restored by AR should be made more accurate and in line with local cultural customs.
(2) Deeply integrate technologies and constantly innovate
Continue to increase investment in the research and development of AI, AR and Internet of Things technologies to continuously upgrade product functions: In terms of AI, make the identification of tourists’ preferences and content recommendations more accurate; In terms of AR, enhance the integration of virtual content and real scenes to make the devices more user-friendly. In terms of the Internet of Things, improve the data analysis function of the cloud management platform to help the operators make more accurate decisions.
(3) Improve the global service network
We have formulated a clear overseas market expansion plan, with the goal of increasing overseas sales by 8 million yuan. In the future, we will further improve our global marketing and service network. We will expand our brand influence through platforms such as Google, TikTok, Facebook, and Alibaba International Station. We will set up offices and after-sales technical centers in key overseas markets to enhance our localized service capabilities, making it more convenient for overseas customers to purchase our products and enjoy our services.
Conclusion
The future of wireless audio guides lies in the deep integration of technology and humanity. With 15 years of industry accumulation, Yingmi Technology follows the demands of overseas customers and breaks through traditional limitations with technologies such as AI, AR and the Internet of Things, outlining a development blueprint of “personalization, immersion and intelligence”. From cultural inheritance in museums to smooth Tours in scenic spots and efficient communication at international conferences, the future wireless audio guide will no longer be a simple “tool”, but a “bridge” connecting tourists with culture and operators with the market.
Under the global trend of cultural and tourism integration, Yingmi is willing to work with overseas customers to continue promoting technological innovation and scene adaptation of wireless audio guides, making every trip warm and enabling every culture to transcend language and regional boundaries and be understood and loved by more people.