Taupo puts itself on the app

With an estimated 40 per cent of travellers around the globe using smart phones, Destination Great Lake Taupo has been quick to get on board with a new travel app.

The regional tourism organisation's digital marketing executive has been working with the itravelnz team to provide both iPhone and Android users to provide articles, images and information to compliment the points of interest and tourism businesses listed on the app.

As a result, the destination now has more information available to travellers using the app than any other place in New Zealand.

Destination Great Lake Taupo general manager Scott Pearson told The Daily Post it was a great opportunity to get ahead in this growing area.

"It is certainly the way things are going. We saw a 384 per cent increase in people using mobile divices to access our site in the past year."

 

Pearson said a wide range of nationalities and age groups were using their phones to research and book holidays and adding the itravelnz app to its digital marketing would complement the more traditional brochures and website resources.

The organisation has a dedicated digital marketing executive who works on promoting the region through digital channels. Joleen Lunjew has been able to adapt contenet from GreatLakeTaupo.com into a format suitable for the mobile environment and some editing was required to fit the categories within itravelnz, but Pearson said most of the uploading and content layout was done by the app team.

And he can see definite benefits in having such a high profile on the app.

"Destination Great Lake Taupo aims to attract more visitors and encourage them to stay longer and do more. We hope the stunning destination images and information on the many Great Lake Taupo attractions will entice a visitor to New Zealand to include our region in their itinerary."

One of the reasons the organisation got in behind itravelnz was the ability of users to download information to access at any time - regardless of internet availability or cell phone coverage.

The app is free from Appstore or the Android Market. It has been integrated with wide range of GPS navigation apps - such as Tomtom, Sygic, MetroView, and NavFree - and with social media so users can find their intended destination and share their travel experiences online.

Non-English speakers can also translate the information into more than 30 languages.

Creator Yuri Volna said smartphones enabled travellers to access instant information, without the bulk of guide books or laptops.