Official Bath App now one of the most downloaded destination apps in the UK
2013-09-17 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Official Bath App is celebrating its first highly successful year of launch as it reaches over 30,000 downloads, becoming the most downloaded official destination apps outside of London. The app, funded and developed by Bath Tourism Plus and Bath Business Improvement District (BID), is celebrating with a new set of features to help residents and visitors get the most out of the city, including a version for tablet devices.
Currently available for iPhone and Android, the app is free to download and provides an interactive, invaluable source of information about events, attractions, shops, restaurants, accommodation and more. Users can find directions, opening times, prices and money saving vouchers that can be redeemed across the city.
The second phase of the app, which is now live in the App Store and Play Store, features a new calendar interface under the ‘What’s On’ section to help users discover the events that are taking place during their visit. A new ‘Getting to Bath’ section has been added, as well as a data re-structure to significantly improve loading time and create a faster user experience.
Users will now be able to view the main app content in French, German, Spanish and Italian as well as English. Due to the increasingly popularity of tablet devices, it will shortly be available for iPads and Android tablets too.
The app’s new features also offer a new set of powerful commercial opportunities for local businesses to maximise. Alongside banner adverts and featured listings to push businesses to the top of search results, the app also features new geo fencing technology to send location based messages to users. This enables a business to have a ‘virtual fence’ drawn around their location, sending a targeted message to any app user that walks within a set distance of their premises.
Nick Brooks-Sykes, Chief Executive of Bath Tourism Plus, commented: “I am delighted that Bath is at the forefront of providing relevant, up to date visitor information in a range of formats. Alongside our Visitor Information Centre and visitbath.co.uk website – which are both amongst the busiest in the country – we can now boast the most popular destination App download. I am delighted that the app is proving so popular with visitors: Bath businesses now need to take advantage of the marketing opportunities that this new technology presents: there are lots of ways in which business can benefit. This is another example of how partnership between Bath Tourism Plus and Bath BID is delivering tangible results for business in the city.”
Andrew Cooper, Manager of Bath Business Improvement District, added: “One of the BID’s key objectives is to promote the city and modern technology plays a pivotal role in doing this. It is fantastic to see that the app is proving popular among visitors and residents, and we are confident that the upgraded app will encourage even more people to visit Bath this summer and make the most of their time here.
The App has been designed and upgraded by Dublin-based company iGuide Mobile Applications Ltd. Derick Murphy, director of iGuide Mobile Applications, said: “This update gives the user a major upgrade in terms of speed and usability. Our brief was that the ‘Official Bath App should provide a solution that allows Bath to truly connect people, places and culture’ and with the delivery of this update, we are confident that we have achieved this.
“We are not resting on our laurels, and we are currently working on some further updates to the app, which will enhance the user-experience and provide Bath Tourism Plus and Bath BID with features to directly connect with local residents and tourists.”
Developments for the next stage of the app are already well underway to incorporate two interactive trails themed on film locations and sites of historical interest around the city. Future developments also aim to include live parking information, allowing users to see how many spaces are available in each car park.
The Official Bath App is free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For further information please contact Audra McSherry at Bath Tourism Plus on 01225 322434 or email: audra_mcsherry@bathtourism.co.uk or visit www.visitbath.co.uk, the official tourism website for Bath and the surrounding area.
Bath Tourism Plus
Working with the public and private sectors, Bath’s destination marketing organisation, Bath Tourism Plus, takes full responsibility for co-ordinating the work of a busy tourist information centre, the marketing of Bath and the surrounding area to leisure and business travellers, PR activity to attract the nation’s top travel writers, a conference office, and development of Bath’s official destination website www.visitbath.co.uk
Bath BID
The Bath Business Improvement District (BID) was formed on 1st April 2011 and will run for five years to March 2016. Funded by businesses within a defined city centre catchment, the BID works in partnership with its levy payers and other organisations to add value and amplify activities and initiatives that without BID funding would not otherwise take place. The BID’s core priorities include improving the management of the city centre, promoting the city centre offer and the delivery of real savings for businesses in the BID area.
With 73% of BID levy payers comprising of retail and leisure sector, it is vital that we direct BID levy payer funding to effective marketing activity which will drive footfall and support this sector in the challenging economic landscape. With regional competition in the retail and leisure remaining strong, the BID funding allows new opportunities to articulate Bath’s unique visitor message to previously untapped markets.
This unified approach with Bath Tourism Plus ensures value for money for BID levy payers and clarity of message in expressing Bath’s offer.
iGuide
iGuide, is a cross-platform mobile phone App providing dynamic Geo located directory services to the user whilst delivering comprehensive marketing and promotional facilities to the represented business . The iGuide solution has been the product of choice for numerous BID and Tourism organisations.
The Apps ability to integrate content from a website through iGuide’s customised application interface, minimises the administrative overhead, and provides the ability to publish information instantly and efficiently to both Web and Mobile app users, through a single interface.
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One of the most downloaded destination apps in the UK is the official Bath App