VIJAYAWADA: A month after the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority (APTA) introduced NiVU, its AI-powered QR-based visitor assistance system, at select tourist destinations, the initiative appears to be gaining traction, with officials reporting encouraging public response and visitors finding the multilingual service easy to navigate.
The QR-based service in Vijayawada is available at destinations like Bhavani Island, Bapu Museum, Kondapalli Toy Street, among others, with more places expected to be brought under the initiative very soon.
Officials say the initiative is witnessing encouraging response, particularly at the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple and Sri Panakala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Mangalagiri, where hundreds of devotees are using the service every day.
The AI-enabled QR code allows visitors to access verified information about a tourist destination through text or voice in multiple languages without downloading a separate application.
The initiative forms part of APTA’s efforts to improve visitor experience while using technology to understand tourist behaviour and strengthen tourism management.
P Suresh, Commissioner of the Bapu Museum, said the system has been functioning smoothly since its installation. “Visitors have been scanning the QR code to understand the history of the museum in the language they are comfortable with. It has made information more accessible, particularly for tourists visiting from outside the State,” he said.
Explurger Founder and CEO Jitin Bhatia said the platform is rolled out only after its AI model is adequately trained on a destination using authenticated information from the concerned authorities. “We don’t deploy the model until it reaches a level of maturity where visitors can rely on it confidently.
Every interaction further improves the system. We will also soon be providing APTA with a real-time dashboard that will enable officials to track visitor engagement, including the number of users, the languages they interact in and the kinds of queries they raise. These insights can help identify visitor needs and improve tourism facilities at individual destinations,” he said.
For visitors, the technology has simplified access to information. “I used the QR code at Bhavani Island and found it very easy to use. Everything I wanted to know was available after scanning and conversing with it. While I was conversing in English, my mother used it in Hindi. It definitely made the visit more informative,” said Malika.
Tourism officials believe such digital interventions can play a larger role in Andhra Pradesh, where pilgrimage, heritage and leisure tourism together attract millions of visitors every year.
As the system is expanded to more destinations across the State, authorities will also be able to draw upon visitor analytics to improve services and identify gaps in tourist infrastructure.
