The French Riviera Cruise Club is introducing a French Riviera cruise guide as a smartphone application this month, providing sightseeing, dining and shopping information, including custom-designed walking tours.

The smartphone application can be downloaded on the iPhone, iPod Touch and Android iPad before departure from the passengers’ country of origin or on arrival. The download is free and here is no connection fee.

The French Riviera ports of Nice, Villefranche sur Mer, Cannes, Antibes and Golfe Juan expect to receive more than 490 ship calls and 660,000 passengers in 2011. Passenger spending ashore is estimated from 93 to 150 euro per passenger, according to the Riviera Cruise Club, which is made up of some 140 members coordinating cruise tourism and related services in the five ports and the region.