Memphis, Rutherford County, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Smoky Mountains have been named “The South’s Best Destination Apps and Mobile Sites” by ConventionSouth magazine.
Memphis won the First-Tier Destination App and Mobile Site, Chattanooga and Knoxville took the Second-Tier, and Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Rutherford County, Sevierville and Smoky Mountains took the Third-Tier Destination Apps and Mobile Sites.
“There are thousands of online travel resources available, however, official destination apps and mobile sites provide meeting attendees with a trusted, easy-to-use tool while they’re in town for a convention or event,” said ConventionSouth editor, Marlane Bundock. “The meeting planners who read ConventionSouth can feel confident in recommending these apps and mobile sites to attendees because while they may be free, they provide accurate information directly from each destination’s official tourism bureau.”
To select the list, editors requested nominations from destinations across 16 states in the Southeast as well as D.C. and the Caribbean. From the nominations and research, editors then downloaded dozens of official destination travel apps and logged on to mobile-friendly websites using iPhone 4S smartphones.
Each app or mobile site was then categorized by destination size, in order to compare apps and mobile sites of similar-sized destinations. Destination size categories included state/country, first-tier destinations, second-tier destinations and third-tier destinations. Within each category, apps and mobile sites were judged based on GPS and mapping features, content, user-friendliness, unique features and visual appeal.
The complete list of selected destinations will be featured in the March 2014 issue of ConventionSouth or can be found at www.conventionsouth.com/bestdestinationappsmobilesites.htm.