York County visitors’ app offers perks for residents too

York County wants to get onto your phone.

That’s the hope behind a promotional effort that will come up for a vote at Monday’s meeting of the York County Council.

A resolution would put promotional material in all county offices – “especially those offices where the public is served” – for the mobile app developed by the York County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The application was developed to help travelers find their way around the county, but CVB executive director Lisa Meadows hopes the app can give longtime county residents the same exposure to events, businesses and attractions around them as visitors from outside York County.

“We’re trying to get the local community to use it as well,” Meadows said. “So, if you want to know what’s happening this weekend, you can pull up our calendar of events.”

As part of a re-branding strategy – along with the slogan “Create Your Story,” hashtag #myYCstory and redesigned logo – the CVB spent six months developing the free app for download to users’ mobile devices, including the stylized “YC” combo as the app’s icon.

But to get the most bang for their buck, the app needs to be downloaded by the widest variety of users possible. Thus the promotional campaign.

“We need to be where there are a lot of people in public places besides restaurants,” Meadows said. “That’s why we want to put our acrylic signs in public offices, like where people go to pay their taxes or utility bills.”

The addition of an app to the CVB’s promotional tools is seen as crucial in 2016’s media landscape.

“You see where technology is leading,” Meadows said. “Travelers now are so dependent on social media, on GPS and their phones. In the age of social media, you have to have an app.”

The York County visitors’ app is available from the Apple Store for iPhone users and on Google Play for Android users.

▪  At the same meeting Monday, York County Council is scheduled to give final reading to an $89.9 million bond issue. Voters approved the bond in a November referendum to fund mostly space and security-related renovations at county buildings, including the Moss Justice Center in York and the Family Court building on Heckle Boulevard in Rock Hill.

The proposal will not include an additional $19 million bond to complete York County’s new administration building, which was stripped by a 4-3 vote at the Dec. 21 meeting.

This story was originally published January 3, 2016 at 4:15 PM with the headline "York County visitors’ app offers perks for residents too."