THE second phase of visitor improvements have been launched at Belfast’s Crumlin Road Gaol.
The new additions to the tourist attraction include holograms, audio guides, digital signage and an augmented reality (AR) zone.
Phelim Devlin, director of Crumlin Road Gaol, said the investment introduces a self-guided offering at the historic prison, with five hours of material for visitors to consume.
“The holograms allows us to bring the 150 years of history to life and ‘AR zone’ allows visitor to become fully immersed in the Crumlin Road Gaol when it was a working prison,” he said.
“The biggest improvement of this development would be the introduction of the audio visual handsets.”
The handsets enable visitors to navigate their way around the 13 acre site while listening to anecdotal stories and viewing videos and images.
The guided tour is available in six foreign languages and British Sign Language is also supported.
“We still offer our famous guided tour but more people are now opting for the self-guided as they can explore everything that Crumlin Road Gaol has to offer at their own pace,” added Mr Devlin.
“As we continue to guide the tourism industry out of the Covid pandemic, I have no doubt that these improvements will play an important role in attracting new and repeat visitors to Crumlin Road Gaol and Belfast.”
The new installations have been supported by Tourism NI’s Experience Development Programme.
Ciaran Doherty from the tourist body, said: “The programme has received significant funding from Tourism NI as Crumlin Road Gaol is an important part of Northern Ireland’s offering.”
Meanwhile, Belfast Distillery Company is continuing its work on a new £22 million working distillery and visitor attraction in the Gaol's A-wing. It's due to open later this year.
