(Seychelles News Agency) - Ten years ago, no holiday would be complete without a trusty guide book, selected with great care from a bookstore or travel agent. But these days, travel information has gradually moved from printed paperbacks to the internet, and as a natural consequence, on to the more ready-at-hand smartphone.

Dr. Lucia Ciunfrini and her husband Riccardo Roccardi have spent the last 25 years promoting the Seychelles with informative tourism maps and upmarket magazines such as ‘Elite Seychelles’ and ‘Elite Travel’ magazines, all published by their publishing company, JollyPress. The Italian-born editor’s tour guide mini books have been translated into six languages.

But realizing that times and technologies were changing, Dr. Ciunfrini spent two years preparing and developing an app which could be downloaded free of charge.

Speaking to SNA, Dr Ciunfrini said that for now, the app was only available for Apple products for the moment.

“We started with the iPhone and iPad and in the future we will do Android and also maybe in French,” she said. “But for now it was a very big effort for us at JollyPress.”

A collage of screenshots from the iPhone JollyMaps app, which contains detailed maps of the main inner islands as well as more general information and advice for visitors to the islands. (JollyPress) Photo license: CC-BY

“You can easily see what it is all about for yourself – if you have an iPhone or an iPad, you can download it. You go to the App Store and search for jollymaps - one word - and you will see one for Seychelles and also one for Mauritius, and it is free.”

The app contains an image-based map that details the location of most of the popular restaurants and hotels on the three main inhabited islands.

It also contains information on the rich history of the islands, the geography and climate as well as some information on the types of cuisine available and advice for travellers, each section enhanced with a variety of breathtaking images of the archipelago. The app also contains a section on different types of excursions and tours available to adventure-seekers.

A holiday in the Seychelles islands is a dream come true for many visitors, and accurate information that is easy to access is essential when planning activities (Gerard Larose, Seychelles Tourism Board) Photo license: CC BY-NC

In a press statement issued yesterday by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture, Alain St. Ange, has voiced support for the JollyMaps app, adding that it was an innovative way of supporting what the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) has been doing to market the islands as a destination.

Although the map is not interactive or linked with geo-location services, Dr Ciunfrini believes that all the information one needs is still right at one’s fingertips.

“This is our (JollyPress’) map, and you can focus on the places. It’s different from Google Maps because Google Maps are general while this one is the one that the STB uses and you can see it is more detailed,” she explained.