Think how many times you used your cell phone today. According to research from the Pew Institute, 90 percent of all Americans own a cell phone and 44 percent of us sleep with it next to our beds so we don’t miss any calls, texts, or emails.
So it’s no surprise to hear that more than 40 million consumers have used their phone to figure out and plan their next vacation.
The VisitOmaha mobile site has seen explosive growth in just the last two years. In 2011, a little more than 11,000 visited the mobile site. Last year that number grew nine-fold to almost 200,000.
To answer the growing mobile demand, the VisitOmaha site is now enhanced with new user-friendly features including:r
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- Yelp reviews providing the visitor access to independent restaurant recommendations.
- Intuitive mapping features that allow visitors to search for what’s nearby.
- A comprehensive calendar of events making it easy for users to find out what’s going on in Omaha.
- An online booking engine, which provides visitors the ability to search a variety of Omaha hotel options all at once and then book directly with the hotel of their choice. This feature also allows users to view hotel availability two months at a time so they can compare rates surrounding their selected dates—all from their cell phone.
- The VisitOmaha mobile site is also a great resource for locals, providing them with an easy way to find new places to eat and different things to do.
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rDespite our mobile society and our desire to have instant access to information, you may find it interesting that, in addition to the growth of the VisitOmaha mobile site, requests for the printed Omaha Visitor Guide are up more than 9 percent over last year. The visitor still values that printed brochure. Mobile or print, as long as visitors are holding Omaha in the palm of their hand, we’re happy.
Dana Markel is Executive Director of the Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau. Questions or comments? Email the Omaha CVB at info@visitomaha.com
