Location Codes for Tourism and Attractions

Visitors arrive somewhere unfamiliar, often reading a different script, with only a booking confirmation and a phone. Directions written in local street names can be useless to them. A fixed-format code and a map pin avoid that language barrier, because a code such as TH-2K3L-4M5N means the same thing to a visitor from anywhere.

Entrances are not always on the address

Large attractions have visitor entrances that differ from the registered address. Archaeological sites, nature reserves and old town districts may have no meaningful street address at all. A tour might start at a statue, a pier or a hotel lobby, where "outside the main entrance" can mean three different doors.

What operators can publish

• Meeting point code on the booking confirmation, with a short written description and the guide's contact method.
• Entrance and ticket office codes, so that visitors do not walk around the whole complex.
• Trailhead and parking codes for outdoor attractions that sit far from town.
• Drop-off points for coach operators and shuttle services.

Easy to adopt

An attraction can create these once and print them on its own website, leaflets and signs. Visitors can paste the code into the search box on upcs.io to see the exact point. Because the lookup page also offers directions, they can start navigation in their usual map app.

Considerations

Be honest with visitors about what the pin represents: the entrance, not the whole site. For an attraction spread across many hectares, publish multiple codes with clear labels. UPCS currently covers a limited list of countries, so a code cannot be generated for a place outside them, and in those cases ordinary directions remain necessary.

Accessibility matters too. If you publish an accessible entrance, give it its own code and test the route. A code does not tell anyone about steps, gradients or opening hours.

Tour operators with an online booking site can capture a pickup pin from guests with the embeddable map, which the documentation explains. Related pages: hotels and short-term rentals and outdoor recreation and camping.

Seasonal review

Review your codes at the start of each season. Entrances move, temporary diversions appear and car parks change, so a quick check keeps visitor information accurate when it matters most.