Thousands of tourists are wandering the streets of Vancouver these days – many of them for the first time. How are they finding information on local sites of interest and, more importantly, where the most interesting shopping can be found?

One option is a new iPhone app called Chicwalks which positions itself as a personal tour guide of the nine most interesting shopping districts in Vancouver. “Ms. Chic,” the app’s avatar, leads you from one area to the next with informational overviews and specific retail information such as hours and location. The information is supplied by city shopping experts who are former journalists or local business people and the information is updated weekly. In addition to Vancouver, it appears the app will be expanding to Paris and San Francisco next.

As you would probably assume, the business model is local advertising, which the site “stylishly blends in” (according to the promo video below), in addition to special offers and deals. I couldn’t find any information on how the ads are sold (feet on the street or call center), but there was a link in the footer of the corporate website with basic advertising information.

It’s a great concept for local media to … borrow? If you have a local sales force and a local knowledge base, you should be able to execute this model better than an outside startup that is doing it for scale. It means hiring an app developer, too, something you should already be doing – at least on a contract basis.

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