The Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau is expanding its presence on the Internet with a mobile website and a page on TripAdvisor.com. Both were launched in December, said Cris Collier, president of the Visitors Bureau.
The mobile website – m.visitgreatbend.com – allows people with mobile devices such as smartphones to see a streamlined version of the regular website, visitgreatbend.com. Starting with links to dining, lodging and “things to do,” the site provides easy access to information visitors are most likely to need.
“People are using their mobile phones more and more,” Collier said. “Cell phones and other mobile devices are a travel’s number one resource tool these days. They make decisions while in their car, at the airport or walking down the street. Research shows people are three times more likely to make a decision based on instant mobile information than from research they did beforehand on their home computer.”
Travelers still plan their trips from their home computers, and one of the most popular websites today is Trip Advisor, Collier said.  
Founded in 2000, Trip Advisor is considered the largest travel website in the world for online travel information, with over 45 million reviews and opinions and over 6 million photos. People who have stayed at local hotels or visited the Barton County Historical Museum or the B-29 Memorial can rate the experience and write about it. “Trip Advisor has become one of the first places tourists visit when they are planning a trip or researching a location,” Collier said. “It is important that Great Bend have an inviting presence on the site.
“We need a community-wide presence on the Internet,” Collier continued. “We want Great Bend to be easily available to people whenever they need information – on the go or on their desktop.”
 For more information about Great Bend’s online tourism efforts, or help in planning a trip to Great Bend, contact the Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau, cvb@visitgreatbend.com, 620-792-2750. Visit the full GBCVB web site at www.visitgreatbend.com.