State tourism website gets upgrade
11.05.2007, 06:12
The Delaware Tourism Office launched a new Web site showcasing the First State.
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Now, www.visitdelaware.com is the official Web site of the Delaware Tourism Office, which now offers a total upgrade. The Delaware Tourism Office, part of the Delaware Economic Development Office, has recognized the need to develop a more robust Web site to better promote family, group and commercial tourism throughout the state.
“The new site features the latest technologies with an eye-catching design to produce an excellent marketing tool for the State,” said Tim Morgan, Director of the Delaware Tourism Office. “This new site is the first step toward our goal of making the Delaware tourism site a one-stop service for anyone planning to travel, dine, or enjoy attractions in Delaware.”
The new Delaware tourism Web site has a contemporary new design and is more user-friendly. It features destination maps as well as links to Web sites of destination communities, attractions, and additional tourism resources throughout the state. These features make the Web site a “tourism portal” that showcases all Delaware has to offer. Web site visitors can explore a variety of Delaware attractions that pertain to their interests, geography and/or date of visit.
The Web site also has many unique tools, including a new, easy-to-use trip planning function. The “trip planner” will enable potential tourists to create their own personalized itinerary. Similar to a “shopping cart” feature on retail sites, this interactive feature allows visitors to create (and revise) their personal sightseeing itineraries from a showcase of Delaware attractions. Categories include arts & culture, history & heritage, sports & gaming, outdoor recreation, and dining & leisure. When visitors add the attractions to their personal trips, they can choose nearby places to stay.
They can also print destination maps and e-mail complete itineraries to friends. “It has been my goal to increase opportunities for the people of Delaware and to increase the number of visitors to the State,” said Governor Minner. “I am confident that this Web site will attract increased interest from prospective visitors and will result in more visitors and more business opportunities for the state’s resident tourism industry.”
Delaware’s tourism industry for leisure and hospitality has increased by 14 percent in the past 5 years, adding some 5,000 jobs to the state’s economy. Last year, core tourism added $1.2 billion to the state’s economy, employed more than 22,980 Delawareans who earned $760 million in labor income and contributed more than $600 million in federal, state and local taxes.
Enhanced functionality allows resident tourism organizations to easily submit their attractions and events for posting on the site. To do so, partners simply select the “Add an Attraction/ Event” link at the bottom of any page.
The posting is free; however, postings are reviewed for content and appropriateness. To design the Web site, the Delaware Tourism Office partnered with The Archer Group, a Wilmington based Internet marketing firm. “VisitDelaware.com showcases what we feel are The Archer Group’s strengths: Well thought out creative, powerful technology and most importantly, a connection to the client’s business goals. Being a Delaware based company, we took tremendous pride in creating a site that promotes where we call home,” said Lee Mikles, President of The Archer Group.
The new site will continue to evolve, with other plans in the works including an option to provide an automated quarterly newsletter to keep visitors up-to-date on the latest news, events, getaway packages and more. The Delaware Tourism Office, 99 Kings Highway in Dover, Del., a division of the Delaware Economic Development Office, promotes tourism and economic growth in Delaware.