Knoxville: There’s An App For That

By Tasha Mahurin
mahurint@knoxfocus.com
Knoxville now has an app, thanks in part to Knoxville City Councilman Nick Della Volpe.
“The Knoxville application is a handy index-like tool, pointing the way to local food, lodging, tour sites, local happenings, etc. These topic lists then expand (with a screen touch or swipe) into specific listings within the categories, and ultimately into location-specific information (maps, menus, and links other the participant’s own web page),” Della Volpe told The Focus.
Della Volpe was taken with the idea after visiting Bardstown, Kentucky. Bardstown has a population of less than 20,000, but still has its own app. Della Volpe quickly learned that the app was inexpensive to develop and reached out to Visit Knoxville with the idea upon his return home.
“What a great tool for a traveler. In moments, you can download and have a tour guide for your day trip or short stay,” Della Volpe added.
The app is Knoxville’s first tourism mobile application and puts hundreds of attractions, events, accommodations and restaurants at visitors’ fingertips and features hundreds of Knoxville’s attractions, restaurants, shops, venues, transportation, nightlife, and more. The App is based off the 2013 Knoxville City Guide & Visitors Handbook, which was unveiled last week.
“The app gives visitors access to listings of hotels, restaurants, upcoming events, attractions, festivals, and much more. If someone wants to know what is going on in town or where to eat dinner or find a hotel room, the app is a great resource of information. The app will also continue to develop, as we plan to add new features and create more interactive elements throughout the app,” Kim Bumpas, President of Visit Knoxville, told The Focus.
The Visit Knoxville app is designed to help visitors immediately access lodging information, entertainment and dining options to encourage them to extend their stay and visit more attractions and points of interests in Knoxville. Visitors to Knoxville can use the application to find restaurants and lodging, search events and outdoor activities, and get directions to points of interests.
“The Visit Knoxville app is a great resource to visitors as well as for Knoxvillians,” Bumpas added.
According to Visit Knoxville, the app still is in its infancy. The beta version was launched at the end of December. However, the free Visit Knoxville application is currently available for download at the iTunes App store for iPhone users, and is also available for Google based phones such as Droids. Visit Knoxville expects to begin marketing the app to tourists and locals alike in February.