Battlefords Tourism officially unveiled their new smartphone app named Battlefords App Monday afternoon at the Battlefords River Valley Visitor Centre.
"More and more people are using their smartphones and their computers to make travel decisions," says Battlefords Tourism Executive Director Ryan Bater. "They're booking their hotels. They're getting their event tickets. They're making choices before they even leave the house. We want to make sure that we're on there.
The app, which was made available to the public July 31, is available for free from the App Store on Apple devices and the Play Store on Android phones. It can also be downloaded by visiting www.battlefordstourism.com.
The app uses the same database as the new website, which was completed in early May. The old website, which was primarily text based, allowed users to find things based on activities or experiences, as opposed to facilities. The database is comprised of members of Battlefords Tourism and the information they submitted with their own unique user names and passwords. It allows their members to "tailor" their own messages to potential customers.
Once the website was completed, a company in Toronto that worked with Tourism Saskatchewan began developing the app. The website needed to be completed first in order to create the database the app accesses. The app was completed in early July and underwent beta testing before being released to the public.
Like the website, the app has three sections devoted to what to do, where to stay and where to eat. The app also features sections for events, services, shopping, what's nearby and a direct link to their Facebook page.
"It's a little bit of something for everybody," says Bater. "For visitors, I think the mapping feature will be the most relevant thing. I think for people that live here, if they know where things are, the event information is of value because maybe you don't know what's happening in town this weekend."
When selecting activities from the website, locations pop up based on your proximity to the sites using the phone's GPS technology. When a user looks up events, it also lists them chronologically.
Also included in the app is the ability to plan multi-day trips, search functions and social media integration. Bater demonstrated this by adding events to a "trip" he was planning and posting the results on his Facebook profile. He also stated that if a friend or family member has the app, the users will be able to share their planned trip.
Updates have already been planned for the app. Expected updates will be push notifications for events and tours, both expected to be launched in the next eight to 10 weeks. Bater praised the fact that it is "versatile" and can easily be updated after feedback from users. He says, "if you don't change it, it becomes less and less relevant."
"It's living in the now," he added.
At the luncheon, Bater said the app had already been downloaded more than 120 times. The goal is to have 1,000 users by Christmas. It's a figure that can be tracked by Google Analytics, which allows Battlefords Tourism to accurately track how many people are using it.
"That's not something we can do with paper brochures or guides," says Bater. "Once they go out, we don't know if people are using them and reading them unless they tell us they are. This provides us with some more accurate information."
The app is part of a shift towards more contemporary methods of spreading information. Already on display in certain hotels are Electronic Event Displays, which are televisions hooked up to Wi-Fi that displays information including upcoming events, attractions, date and time, weather and advertisements. All of the data displayed on those screens streams from the same database as the website, providing consistent information across all platforms. In phase two of this strategy this fall, the display may be extended to attractions and other public locations that have access to a power source and Wi-Fi.
The app, Bater says it will be a fundamental part of their ongoing strategy.
"We want the app to be the point of contact or the point of information for people to get that stuff."
