(July 16) This article has been updated since publishing.
A new app is bringing South African towns and their often unknown attractions to tourists’ fingertips.
AppmyVillage is a web-based application that started when the developers saw the need for tourists to find tourism services in towns, without the time-consuming process of Googling. Today, the app covers 79 towns across South Africa’s three provinces, with plans to expand into Africa to give tourists a one-stop experience.
It has been endorsed by South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, as well as the Western Cape Minister of Tourism, Alan Winde, South African Tourism, and Brand South Africa, and lists all local Tourism Bureaux and SA Tourism members.
Within the main app, every town has its own app – giving it an individual presence on the platform. All information is clickable, with no need to type in a search bar. Establishments have the option of becoming Lifetime Members, giving them access to upgrades such as call buttons, website links, links to social media pages, as well as interactive directions.
Being a web-based app, it is not available on Apple iStore or GooglePlay, but is downloadable as a single icon on a mobile phone or tablet. The benefits of being web-based are that the app can be regularly updated without long waiting periods; and can be marketed via the establishments themselves, and not just be searchable on the stores.
To download the app, click here.