Visiting Australia is now just a tweet away.
Remote Control Tourist lets anyone with an Internet connection explore Melbourne, Australia. Here's how it works: A pair of real people document their travels through the city, but their itineraries are completely controlled by social-media users.
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You can send suggestions via Twitter and Facebook to the twosome, who will follow your cues: They'll see the sights you request, eat at your suggested restaurants and complete all the touristy adventures you can think up.
The pair of tourists are armed with helmet-mounted cameras that let them stream live video and audio, meaning users can experience every street, park and local coffee shop in real-time. Throughout their travels in Melbourne, the tourists will comment on what they're seeing and doing, creating a living city guide.
Tourism Victoria, the Victorian Government's lead tourism agency, is responsible for Remote Control Tourist. It launched Wednesday as part of Play Melbourne, the organization's campaign for tourism in the city.
The live stream operates in daily 10-hour sessions. October’s sessions started Wednesday, and will run through Sunday. Live sessions start at noon Australian time — that’s 9 p.m. ET the night before.
The campaign gives visitors a way to explore the city before they visit in-person, and can help travelers plan their trips before they head into town, Victorian Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher said in a release.
Asher added that while Remote Control Tourist was created with Australians in mind, visitors from any country can log on, watch the tourists and submit requests for their next adventure.
“This campaign is designed to engage with interstate visitors, but due to its highly creative format, we believe it has the potential to generate a global audience."
Homepage image: Flickr, Robert Michalski