Enjoy the view – new Greater Yarmouth tourism app

Events in Norfolk and Suffolk / Holidays / the coast / Tourist Attractions Norfolk and Suffolk June 8, 2015

Tourism bosses from Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area (GYTABIA), Great Yarmouth Town Centre Partnership and Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s Tourism Division recently launched the new official Greater Yarmouth app, whilst enjoying the view of the borough and its attractions from the top of the Atlantis Tower on the seafront.

The new free tourism app is suitable for iPhones and iPads running iOS7.1 and later, and Android phones using 2.2 or later.

It is available free from the app stores now. Search for ‘Great Yarmouth’ and look out for the ‘iheartGY’ icon or click on the icon below:

Covering the whole borough, from Hopton-on-Sea in the south, to Winterton-on-Sea in the north and Repps-with-Bastwick and Clippesby in the west, the app is packed with useful information about the entire resort, as well as the most up to date details of what’s on.

The app features in-built maps, images and information to help visitors plan their holiday, from activities such as boat trips, swimming pools and golf, to tourist attractions, shopping, food and drink and entertainment, as well as where to stay, and essentials like car parks, toilets and cash machines.

The app is GPS based and gives visitors the opportunity to see everything on offer near to where they are and, by using the comprehensive search facility, to look for specific things that they’re interested in, such as heritage attractions or theme parks. They can also search for places within a given radius of a location, such as Gorleston or Hemsby.

Users can look for events happening between two dates of their choice, and narrow their search down to certain types of events, for example, fairs and festivals or walks and tours.

When planning their holiday or day trip, users can mark items that they find interesting as favourites and can create a list to check back later. Items are displayed either in an alphabetic list or as pins on maps and can be clicked for more information with details about everything that is on offer at that location. .

The maps and information are stored on the phone, so there is no need to constantly download data, saving on charges and helping reduce battery usage. Updates to the app happen automatically whenever the user has a WiFi connection and the app is opened.

The app currently includes an entry for all graded accommodation within the borough of Great Yarmouth, along with all tourist attractions, shops, cafés, restaurants and pubs on the tourism database. It uses the same destination management system as the official tourism website www.great-yarmouth.co.uk and its mobile version, provided by New Vision Group and cost £9,000.

Ken Sims, Chair of the GYTABIA Marketing Group said: “Visitors to Great Yarmouth want to gather information on the move, so it is vital for us to provide user friendly ways to aid this process. The new app, combined with our mobile friendly website and free resort WiFi, will help ensure that we meet the expectations of our visitors wanting to quickly gather inspiration for their day out or evening meal and entertainment.”

Jonathan Newman, Town Centre Manager said: We’re delighted to support GYTABIA and the Borough Council in producing this app which covers the whole area and look forward to working with them further to develop phase two which will incorporate the ability to make special offers available to app users.”

Barry Coleman, Great Yarmouth Borough Council Cabinet Member for Tourism and Business said:

“It’s vital that we move with the times to make sure the 4.2 million tourists and, of course, our residents can access the information they want, when they want. With such a large percentage of people having smart phones these days, the iheartGY app is a great step forward, especially in rural areas of the borough where WiFi provision is not as prominent, as it may be in town centres.

With the app already downloaded onto their phone, visitors can explore our beautiful resort with all the information they need to hand, with no worries about what happens if they lose their signal.”