Interactive Kiosks with Live Video, Navigation, and Digital Services Enhance Guest Experience in One of Germany’s Most Beloved Vacation Regions

The Hochschwarzwald region spans nearly 1,000 km² and attracts tens of thousands of visitors yearly from Germany and beyond. While the region’s size and diversity are part of its charm, they also present significant operational challenges—especially in delivering consistent, high-quality guest services across dozens of towns and remote destinations.

Many of these locations lack a staffed visitor center, which makes it difficult to provide real-time information, personal assistance, or promotional support for local businesses. Additionally, tourism teams needed to find better ways to support guests without relying on expanded headcount or physical infrastructure.

Key challenges included:

• Providing centralized visitor support across decentralized locations
• Offering multilingual, user-friendly services accessible to all visitor types
• Delivering real-time updates and local information across the region
• Reducing the burden on in-person staff without compromising service

To address these challenges and provide a modern, guest-centric experience, Hochschwarzwald Tourism set out to achieve the following strategic goals:

• Improve guest services through a region-wide network of interactive info kiosks offering real-time content, wayfinding, and live support via audio/video assistant.
• Reduce operational costs by automating manual processes and standardizing information delivery across all locations.
• Optimize staff resources by allowing staff to support multiple locations virtually, reducing the need for on-site personnel.
• Support local partners by promoting regional businesses, events, and accommodations digitally.
• Enhance sustainability by guiding visitor flows with hiking route and transportation information, and reducing paper handouts.
• Strengthen brand image with a scalable, digital-first solution that reflects the region’s innovative spirit.

Hochschwarzwald Tourism selected friendlyway as its exclusive technology partner based on a strong track record with similar regional projects and its ability to deliver an end-to-end solution—from software to hardware to integration.

friendlyway met every key requirement, including:

• A cloud-based digital signage platform tailored to the tourism industry
• Integration with external services and third-party systems
• Dynamic content and interactive wayfinding capabilities
• Easy-to-use tools for local communities to manage their content
• Weatherproof kiosk hardware for indoor and outdoor deployment
• A Germany-based provider with over 25 years of industry experience

friendlyway’s flexibility in delivering standard and custom solutions was another significant advantage—ensuring that the platform could grow and evolve with the region’s needs.

The project is rolled out in three strategic phases:

Phase 1 – Foundation Laid (Completed)

10 friendlyway Impress 43″ kiosks were deployed across key visitor locations. The friendlyway Cloud Platform was configured to deliver localized, real-time content on all kiosks. Services available include:

• Live video calls with tourism staff for instant assistance
• Regional content from local and partner municipalities
• Interactive wayfinding via large touchscreen maps
• Search and booking of accommodations, events, and restaurants
• Multilingual support for international visitors

friendlyway Impress 43 kiosk in the foyer of the Breitnau Visitor Center

Interactive information services for guests and visitors

Phase 2 – Network Expansion (In Progress)

An additional 7 kiosks are being installed to extend coverage across even more locations.

Phase 3 – Outdoor Kiosks (In Planning)

Plans are underway for weatherproof, tamper-resistant kiosks at outdoor hotspots. These will support:

• Navigation and directions to nearby attractions
• Real-time weather updates, alerts, and announcements
• Booking of accommodations and event tickets
• Promotions for local businesses and services
• Live video or voice support for guests in remote areas

friendlyway outdoor kiosk

The friendlyway Cloud Platform acts as the command center for all connected devices. It supports:

• Drag-and-drop content management
• Central and local content editing
• Real-time updates and dynamic screen layouts
• Live audio/video assistance
• Remote device monitoring and control

Its user-friendly interface allows local tourism teams to manage their digital touchpoints independently without any programming skills.

By implementing friendlyway’s all-in-one solution, Hochschwarzwald Tourism has improved service quality, efficiency, and regional visibility. The system delivers real value for guests, staff, and partner businesses.
Early results show:

• A streamlined visitor and customer experience (CX)
• Reduction in operational costs via automation and standardization
• Better allocation of staff and greater productivity, resulting in lower personnel costs
• Enhanced visibility for local businesses and service providers
• Increased bookings of accommodations, activities, and events
• Frequent use of digital wayfinding, navigation tools, and interactive maps
• Positive feedback on real‐time announcements, alerts, and weather forecasts
• High adoption of live audio/video support calls by visitors
• Strong interest from regional partners in advertising on kiosks