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NEW APP FOR VISITORS PERFECT FOR EUROPE'S LARGEST FREE WI-FI HUB

  • 17 Jul 2012

As London becomes Europe’s largest free Wi-Fi hub in time for the London 2012 Games, VisitBritain has launched the latest edition of its Mx Great Britain app, a mobile guide to the UK which allows visitors to research and book their holidays.

The app is available for free on all major mobile platforms including iPhone, Nokia and Android. It includes information on destinations across the UK, along with some bookability for flights, over 11,000 hotels on offer, a range of tours, restaurant suggestions, a guide to attractions, where to shop and the best modes of transport.

The app will be especially useful to visitors wanting to make the most of their holiday. With London’s new status as the largest free wireless zone in Europe and the ever increasing number of free Wi-Fi hotspots available around the UK, Mx Great Britain will be a highly popular app, especially for visitors wanting tickets to a West End show or to book tours to some of Britain’s best known attractions in between taking in the celebrations going on as part of the London 2012 Games.

Analysts estimate that this year's Games will be the most data-heavy yet, with some 60gb - the equivalent of 3,000 photographs - travelling across the network in the Olympic Park every second. The massive Wi-Fi undertaking will help show why London is one of the most connected and innovative cities in the world and will be a major boost for the number of interactions on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other online sources being used during the Games period. Along with street level access there will be free Wi-Fi rolled out at London Underground stations so visitors will be able to talk about their experiences on the move.

VisitBritain is leading the world’s first social media Olympics with a global presence coordinated from London. Nearly 1.5 million people already follow VisitBritain across its social media channels. LoveUK, the Facebook page, offers a global social media hub and the @VisitBritain Twitter stream publishes round the clock coverage of all the buzz from Britain.

Laurence Bresh, Marketing Director at VisitBritain said: “As the world turns its attention to London as it hosts its third Olympic Games, this free app means visitors are just a few clicks away from planning and booking their trip to the UK so that they can come and join in the celebrations.

“During July and August, we would normally expect to see around 6 million overseas visitors in the UK, so being able to access extensive free Wi-Fi coverage in places like London is perfect timing and offers our overseas guests a one-stop shop to help them make the most of their holiday when they’re here. It also means users will be able to share their experiences on major social networks and tell their followers what makes a visit here so GREAT.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Mx Great Britain app is available to download for free on all major mobile platforms at www.mobiexplore.com/visitbritain. Where free Wi-Fi is not available, the app can be used in offline mode to help save on any roaming charges. It also helps users find the nearest free Wi-Fi hotspot.

2. VisitBritain’s digital strategy is built to inspire international travellers and motivate them to travel to Britain. During the summer of 2012 Britain’s national tourist office will continue to build innovative and engaging ways to explore the amazing range of content created in a wide-variety of different media types such as imagery and video.

For more information contact:

About VisitBritain

  • VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, is responsible for inspiring the world to explore Britain and for developing the UK’s visitor economy.
  • Americans made 2.8 million visits to Britain in 2012 and spent $3.7 billion USD (£2.4 billion). The US remains in the top spot in terms of market value for inbound tourism and is one of the top three most important markets in terms of visitor numbers. 
  • Visitors traveling to Britain can find out more information from visitbritain.us plus purchase money and time saving local transport, sightseeing, attraction, theatre and tour tickets from visitbritainshop.us 
  • Follow us on Twitter @VisitBritain, Pinterest (VisitBritain) and Facebook: LoveUK & LoveUK Film & TV