Google, in partnership with the Department of Tourism of the Philippines, announced that they will start driving Street View cars throughout the country to capture panoramic imagery of the country for the first time.
A popular feature of Google Maps, Street View, allows its users to virtually explore cities and other historical sites through 360-degree photographs weaved digitally. Philippines, now joins the ranks of other 50 countries with the Street View imagery. The project started in the city of Manila which covered four popular sites in Intramuros, namely, the San Agustin Church, Baluarte de San Diego, Plaza San Luis Complex and Fort Santiago.
“Our partnership with Google to bring Street View to the Philippines will allow us to create a digital experience of our landscapes, which we hope will entice more people around the world to learn about our diverse offerings and visit our country. For us here at home, Street View can also help make the maps of our country even “more fun” and interesting, as well as enable Filipinos to explore their country more, which in turn can help boost domestic travel and tourism,” Philippine Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said.
Google aims to provide both Filipinos and people all around the world, different ways of exploring tourist spots in a very efficient way, along with more relevant and useful online map services.
“We are delighted to work with the Department of Tourism of the Philippines to begin driving and capturing Street View imagery of the country. The Philippines is a diverse archipelago, with heritage and beauty to be found within and in between every island. By providing people and businesses alike with more useful map information, Street View can also help celebrate Filipino culture and even create lasting economic impact. We can’t wait to share the new panoramic road imagery of the Philippines on Google Maps when the imagery launches at a later date,” says Ryan Morales, Country Marketing Manager, Google Philippines.
Currently, the Street View cars, equipped with special cameras, will continue to drive around different destinations to capture the panoramic scenery of the Philippines in an effort to bring more Filipino sites online for the world to see.
“Our partnership with Google to bring Street View to the Philippines will allow us to create a digital experience of our landscapes, which we hope will entice more people around the world to learn about our diverse offerings and visit our country. For us here at home, Street View can also help make the maps of our country even “more fun” and interesting, as well as enable Filipinos to explore their country more, which in turn can help boost domestic travel and tourism,” Philippine Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said.
Google looks forward to make the 360-degrees images collected for the Philippines ready to share and available at maps.google.com.ph