Rapid City Leverages Technology to Boost Tourism

Online, April 14, 2011 (Newswire.com) - RAPID CITY, S.D. - In an age where travelers are increasingly looking to online sources rather than dusty atlases to plan their travel, the Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau (RCCVB) is making navigating Rapid City and the Black Hills from mobile devices simple and interactive.

The RCCVB has created a mobile version of its website accessible at m.visitrapidcity.com. The site is formatted for mobile devices, making it faster to interact with the site on handheld devices.

"Over the past year more than 10,000 visitors have accessed our site via mobile device, and that was before this new version of our site launched," says Michelle Lintz, RCCVB executive director. "It clearly demonstrates how much demand there is for mobile content."

"We wanted to make information about Rapid City attractions, dining and lodging easy to access for travelers, whether they are at home or on the go," says Jared Trask, multimedia marketing manager at the RCCVB. "The reformatted website will limit the amount of scrolling and make it easier for visitors to find what they need on a mobile device."

Another way the RCCVB is making travel to the area more interactive is by adding mobile barcodes to the new Visitors Guide and other marketing materials. Mobile barcodes are small geometric images that smartphones can translate into website links. Although several forms of mobile barcodes exist, including QR (Quick Response) codes and Jagtags, the RCCVB has opted to use Microsoft Tags.

Smartphone users must download the Microsoft Tag Reader to view the tags printed throughout the Visitors Guide. Once the software is downloaded, visitors can photograph tags, which will lead to additional online information, such as related travel packages.

"We believe the tags will bridge the gap between traditional vacation guides and travelers' desire to have up-to-date information at their fingertips," says Lintz.