Alice in Wonderland tourism app launched in Llandudno

Barry Mortlock, of Alice in Wonderland Limited, takes part in a virtual Mad Hatter's tea party in Llandudno

Characters from the Alice in Wonderland books will guide visitors on a tour of Llandudno in a new app which shows the town's links with the stories.

In the app, the cartoon characters feature with the real world in the background.

The developers claim it is the first time in the UK that "augmented reality" has been used in this way.

They and Conwy council hope it will bring tourists to the town where the inspiration for Alice went on holiday.

The original launch of the app in August was delayed after key figures for tourists to follow were altered.

Virtual characters failed to recognise sculptures in the town after Conwy council painted them.

150th anniversary

Next year marks 150 years since Alice in Wonderland was first published.

Simon Burrows, co-director of Alice in Wonderland Limited which has co-ordinated the project, said: "People who use the app can look at Llandudno landmarks on screen, while characters from the Alice books tell the story behind them.

"It's also possible to take a picture of yourself or your friends standing next to the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat or Alice herself."

The Alice in Wonderland story, and its sequel Through the Looking Glass, were written by Lewis Carroll (whose real name was Charles Dodgson).

Developers of the app are hoping people will use it to take selfies with the Alice in Wonderland characters

He composed the original story to entertain a young girl called Alice Liddell, with whose family he was friends.

Alice Liddell's family lived in Oxford but had a house in Llandudno and spent many of their holidays there.

More visitors

Company director Barry Mortlock said: "I've lived in Llandudno for 36 years now, and it worried me that the town wasn't doing enough in recent years to celebrate its links with the real life Alice.

"The app is now ready for next year's important anniversary.

"It has the potential to attract more visitors from overseas, where there's a huge interest in the Alice in Wonderland stories."

Graham Rees, Conwy council's cabinet member for tourism, said: "This will be a huge asset to Llandudno and really enhance what we can offer to visitors."

Users of the app can see real life scenes with characters from the Alice in Wonderland stories appearing in them