Mobile Travel Apps — Why the Delay?

Milford Sound is one of New Zealand’s top attractions. Photo by Clark Norton

I was surprised to read a few days ago that Tourism New Zealand — the organization charged with luring travelers to kiwi land and making their visits more enjoyable — has just launched its first mobile app.

Called “Essential New Zealand,” the new app can be downloaded for free and used to access travel advice throughout the country without having to have a WiFi connection.

Among its current features you’ll find:

The top 10 New Zealand experiences;

“must-do” experiences for 26 regions and many popular locations;

photos, descriptions and prices for hundreds of activities and attractions;

contact details and detailed map locations for activities and information centers;

and ways to plan, save and share your favorite activities.

More features are planned for future versions.

Smartphone usage is reported to have increased by 28 percent in New Zealand between 2011 and 2012, while travelers using iPads and laptops have jumped by 44 percent during the same one-year period, so introducing a mobile app makes perfect sense — though it would have made even more sense a year or two or three ago.

New Zealand has some of the finest attractions in the world, but travelers — many of whom, including baby boomers, have gone digital —  need to know about them before they can get there.

As I noted in an earlier post — about Provincetown, MA, launching a new mobile app for visitors — every town, region, state or country that depends on tourism for a decent amount of its revenues should develop its own app if it hasn’t by now.

Baby boomer travelers — and other generations — are waiting.

Be sure to download my free report, “How to Ride the Coming Wave of Boomers,” available here. It’s all about the best ways to market travel to baby boomers — the biggest-spending group of travelers the world has ever seen.

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