Destination Jessamine, a Jessamine County Fiscal Court organization dedicated to promoting tourism throughout the county, is pleased to announce the launch of a free Jessamine County, Nicholasville/Wilmore app through Kentucky Monthly magazine’s Travel Kentucky app program.
The app serves as a one-stop-shop guide for visitors to discover and explore Kentucky’s unique destinations, including historic sites, attractions, lodging, dining, shopping and much more.
The app assists users in finding locations with turn-by-turn directions using Google maps and GPS tracking; learning about attractions and events with web links, photos and videos; and exploring entire regions with walking tours and city guides.
“The Jessamine County, Nicholasville/Wilmore app will be useful for residents as well as visitors,” Destination Jessamine County liaison and Jessamine County special-projects director Mary Kozak said. “The app won’t just help users discover Jessamine County locations, attractions and events that they might not have already been aware of or that they had overlooked in the past — it will also provide web links, turn-by-turn directions, and even special offers and coupons, when applicable.”
“Since Travel Kentucky’s app program launched in April of 2011, the usage rates have grown almost as quickly among local users as it has among out-of-town visitors and tourists,” said Amy Walker, Kentucky Monthly’s director of multimedia marketing. “We have already logged over 30,000 user sessions on the product, and that number is growing. We’re especially pleased to report that people are using the app on multiple occasions — a sure sign that the program is a success.”
In addition to “backyard tourists” (people who use the app to learn more about what’s available close to home), the Travel Kentucky app has drawn a high percentage of users from other states, including Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois.
The app’s ability to reach potential visitors presents a definite benefit for local businesses and residents, according to Kozak.
“The recognized growth of tourism in the county equals an increase of expenditures, which stimulates the local economy, and that, in turn, helps businesses create and maintain jobs,” Kozak said.
The app program offers a limited number of options in each tour, so Kozak cautions that users shouldn’t expect to find every Jessamine County location, attraction or event in the Jessamine County, Nicholasville/Wilmore tour.
“We plan to continue in the program, so even though we couldn’t include every possible Jessamine County attraction and event in this version, we can focus on those we might have missed in next year’s version,” Kozak said.
The Jessamine County, Nicholasville/Wilmore app is available for free download on any smart-phone device, including iPhones, iPads, iTouch, and Google Android. To access the app, visit the App Store on your phone and search for the free “Travel Kentucky” app. Once you have the app, click on “City Guides and Walking Tours”; then click on “Jessamine County.”
