iTour Savannah ( http://www.itoursavannah.com ) is an all-digital tour service offering downloadable audio tours of Savannah’s Historic District for playback on MP3 players such as Apple Computer’s iPod. The tours are also playable on Cell Phones and PDAs at no additional air time charges. “These are audio tours for savvy travelers,” says company owner and president, Phil Sellers. “We have combined the best tours available in Savannah with the latest portable media technologies to create a memorable experience unlike those offered by typical vehicle or walking tours.” Customers planning to tour Savannah go to the website and select from an inventory of tours, download them and take
the tours whenever they like, according to the company. “People who take our tours like to go at their own pace,” Sellers says. iTour Savannah currently offers walking, driving, or bicycling modes to match the pace of each.

Sellers, who is a licensed tour guide in Savannah, does all the narration of the tours himself. He says he uses his radio-trained voice but likes to do the tours live on location in Savannah’s streets and squares. “You get the feel you are there with your guide that way,” he says.

According to Sellers, the tours are knowledge-based and sustainable. “The initiatives of The Creative Coast and its partnership with the City of Savannah have shaped our thinking in the design of this tourism business model.”