A new mobile application is now available for both Apple and Android smartphones with the sole purpose of helping inform visitors and locals about the events, attractions and festivals that are happening in the El Paso area.

Now, the citizens of El Paso and its visitors will be able to download the “Visit El Paso” app to inform themselves about the events happening in the Sun City.

Leesy McCorgary, tourism marketing manager of Destination El Paso, said the application was created for both tourists and residents to have a complete mobile-friendly guide to the city.

“The app provides visitors with a variety of things to see and do while in El Paso in an easy way to use mobile tool,” McCorgary said. “Visitors’ questions can also be quickly answered using the Facetime feature. This is the first destination app to ever feature Facetime capabilities.”

The app was developed with Bluebridge, a platform that specializes in creating  smartphone applications for tourism and destination purposes.

This application features different itineraries depending on how much time the individual wants to spend in the city or what events they want to attend in El Paso.

“Visit El Paso” features walking, bike and driving tours around the city, a calendar that is constantly updating as the events are added, weather updates and access to the Visit El Paso podcast.

“The itinerary planner allows locals to plan their weekends in advance. A master calendar allows them to pre-plan their attendance at events, push notifications keeps them in the abreast of tickets sales and new events and social tools allow users to stay connected,” McCorgary said.

The app uses purple, white, turquoise and hot pink to indicate directions, which makes the app user-friendly.

These colors are also representative of the Visit El Paso logo.

The app user can also find information about the city in different categories such as entertainment, museums, shopping, tours, national and state parks, botanical gardens and even horseback riding.

The app also has a section where the user can find accommodations, transportation and a variety of restaurants, which can be chosen depending upon the proximity of the user.

Carla Villaverde, senior marketing major, said having an application like this for El Paso helps not only tourists who want to know about the city but also helps local people figure out what events are happening and to learn more about where they live.

“This is a very cool app,” Villaverde said. “Visit El Paso has a lot of information about events and places in El Paso. I think it would be nice if cities had their own app like this one.”

Villaverde also said that mobile marketing is an effective way of  communicating

“It is an innovative way for Visit El Paso to promote the city’s attractions,” Villaverde said. “Many people today have a mobile gadget from where they can get information anytime. It looks like Visit El Paso’s new app is a good example of creative way to reach tourists, local people, and businesses.”

The Visit El Paso app a helpful alternative for users to find out about the city, and engage residents and tourists into the life of the Sun City. One perk of the application is that it not only includes El Paso-based information, but also information on the events and attractions that are happening in Cuidad Juárez.

The app can be downloaded for free at Apple’s App Store and at the Google Play store. For more information, see visitelpaso.com.

Fernanda Leon may be reached at [email protected]