The go! Travel South Africa app, which features more than 25,000 points of interest and also incorporates content from go! travel magazine and restaurant guide Eat Out, is claimed to be the first local app to provide such comprehensive information about everything from accommodation, restaurants and adventure activities, to hiking trails, wine estates, popular local events and even Wi-Fi hotspots.
Tania Stephenson, marketing manager at SA-Venues.com, describes the app as a 'one-stop resource' for travellers, which is designed to be extremely user-friendly.
"It draws from the Accommodation, Things to Do and Attractions listings on our website and provides absolutely everything you need to plan your trip around South Africa, including directions," says Stephenson. "There are even suggested routes in each of the nine provinces which highlight the top attractions in the area. The tablet version provides tools to plan your own trips with a trip planner timeline."
Several routes can be plotted, planned and saved simultaneously. The distances between each place are provided, giving the user an indication of the time required for travelling.
The app also offers a number of offline maps which can be downloaded in areas where there is little or no internet connection, such as the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the Kruger National Park, amongst others.
Says Stephenson: "All you have to do is choose your route, for example from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. Then select your accommodation, restaurants, activities and so on from all the available options, which are indicated with pins. When you tap on a pin, a pop-up appears with more information about your selection. "
Because the app is integrated with TravelGround, Expedia, gotravel24 and ComeDine's online booking systems, you can use the app to actually book accommodation, restaurants and activities.
The app, which won a silver Pixel at the 2012 Bookmarks Awards and a bronze Loerie Award, was developed by Touchlab, a division of Media24 for use on an iPad, Android 10? tablet or Android smartphone.
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