Landmark’s digital upgrade hopes to take visitor experience to new heights

LANDMARK Forest Adventure Park is harnessing Internet of Things (IoT) technology to try and enhance the experience of its 160,000 annual visitors.

The nature-based theme and adventure park in Carrbridge near Aviemore first opened in 1970 and offers a wide range of outdoor attractions, including a Butterfly House and the popular Wild Water Coasters.

In collaboration with CENSIS – the innovation delivery organisation for digitalisation and enabling technologies – the park has installed LoRaWAN sensors across its site.

The sensors at the entry and exit points of its 23 attractions, aim to monitor real-time visitor flow and support data-driven business decisions.

The system provides valuable insights into visitor behaviour, highlighting peak times for popular attractions and showing how various factors, such as weather conditions, can affect operations.

By tracking how visitors patterns, it enables the team to pinpoint key areas for future improvements and developments.

In addition to monitoring attractions, sensors have been placed in the catering areas to provide additional information on how many visitors are using each outlet at any given time.

The data collected also aims to help guide future investment decisions, ensuring new attractions and enhancements are strategically aligned with visitor preferences.

Ross Coulter, general manager at Landmark, said: “This technology has been a game changer for us. We’ve been tracking the visitor experience at our individual attractions through our customer feedback platform for a number of years, but up until now, we didn’t have any data on the popularity of each attraction.

“Now, using both of these data sets, we can better prioritise developments that will have the most positive impact on the visitor experience. 

“This approach allows us to create memorable experiences that keep our visitors coming back to explore everything Landmark has to offer.”

To provide insight into how various weather conditions impact visitor experience, CENSIS will intergrate data from a network of 200 local weather stations, helping the park to make more informed decisions.

Ally Longmuir, business development manager at CENSIS, added: “This project is a shining example of how digitalisation can empower traditional visitor attractions to adapt to their guests’ needs in real-time.

“By leveraging IoT technology, it provides valuable insights into visitor flow, enabling the park to optimise resources and respond proactively to changing conditions.

“We look forward to seeing how this initiative will continue to evolve and set new standards for visitor engagement in the tourism sector.”