From September 2026, Vox Is Bringing Bluetooth Connectivity to Guided Tours, So Guests Can Listen Through the Earphones and Hearing Aids They Already Own
For 25 years, Vox has worked to make sure every guest on a guided tour hears every word. It provides comfortable headphones for everyone, including over-the-ear sets designed to sit easily over hearing aids. Travel has changed in that time. Most guests now carry their own wireless earbuds, and a growing number of hearing aids connect over Bluetooth. That raised a simple question from guests: could I just use my own?
From September 2026, they can. Vox is introducing Vox BT, new technology that brings Bluetooth connectivity to guided tours. A guest can pair their own wireless earphones or Bluetooth hearing aids and hear the guide directly, with no complicated setup. It works across Vox’s existing tour systems, so operators have nothing to replace.
“What I love about Vox BT is how natural it feels for guests,” said Fabio Primerano, CEO of Vox. “Picture a group in a busy cathedral. One person is listening through their own earbuds, another is hearing the guide stream straight into their hearing aids, and everyone is following the same tour in the way that suits them best. We listened to what guests were asking for, and then went a step further. This is an industry first, and we are proud to be the ones behind it.”
For operators, it is a quiet but powerful upgrade. It is a simple addition rather than a change to how they work. The clearest benefit is for guests who rely on hearing aids. Someone with Bluetooth hearing aids can now receive the guide’s commentary through their own devices, without straining to catch detail over city or crowd noise. For the many travellers who depend on hearing aids every day, it quietly removes a familiar frustration.
The update comes as accessible travel becomes a bigger priority across tourism. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.5 billion people live with some degree of hearing loss, and around 430 million need rehabilitation for disabling hearing loss, a figure expected to rise as populations age. As more hearing aids ship with Bluetooth as standard, more guests already carry the technology needed to receive audio directly, including on a guided tour.
There is an environmental gain, too. Vox already gives guests headphones and takes them back to be recycled, so nothing goes to waste. Vox BT builds on that: when guests bring their own earphones, there is even less to distribute and handle, extending an approach Vox already has in place.
Vox BT builds on the momentum of Vox Aura, Vox’s AI transmitter, now a smart companion that helps guides answer anything, adds live subtitles, and speaks the guest’s language in up to 200 languages. The same tour can be shaped differently for a family, a specialist group, or a first-time visitor, each on their own channel. And when there’s no network, Aura keeps working, streaming pre-loaded multilingual content straight from the device. The thread is the same: listen closely, then go a step further.
Vox BT launches in September 2026. Operators who would like to be among the first to offer it can find out more and register their interest at Vox Tours.
