ROCKFORD, IL — The Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau has expanded its resources for the Hispanic traveler by launching a Spanish-language microsite available from the gorockford.com homepage. Native Spanish speakers can now click an “En Español” link in the top header of gorockford.com or visit gorockford.com/Spanish to access a “transculturated” microsite with information on Rockford Region attractions and accommodations.
With the launch of the new microsite, Hispanic travelers to the Rockford Region now have an on-demand bilingual resource to help them plan their stay in the area. A list of the “top ten things to do in the Rockford Region” and two themed itineraries offer suggestions on where to visit. The page of recommendations for hotels and bed and breakfasts provides guidance on where to stay, and a transculturated map makes navigating through the region faster and easier for native Spanish speakers.
“Like our primary website gorockford.com, this Spanish-language microsite is a great resource for both local citizens and potential visitors,” said John Groh, RACVB President/CEO. “We recognize the important buying power represented in the Hispanic market and want to ensure we provide content that is easily accessible and of value to the people who use our site.”
Prior to the launch of the Spanish-language microsite, visitors to gorockford.com could click a Spanish flag icon at the bottom of each website page to use Google translation to directly translate the site into Spanish. While this option is still available, the new microsite takes this even further by completely “transculturating” the content, or translating it with a conversational voice. This provides a higher quality, more authentic experience for users whose first language is Spanish.
The microsite was built in partnership with the Illinois Office of Tourism (formerly Illinois Bureau of Tourism) and its partner the San Jose Group, a Chicago-based marketing and communications firm serving the U.S. and Latin America. The RACVB was one of only two Illinois tourism bureaus chosen to participate in this project.
Rockford, IL, is located approximately 60 minutes west of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport off Interstate 90. For information on accommodations and things to do, visit http://www.gorockford.com. The Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private, non-profit organization that champions efforts to promote and further develop the Rockford Region as an overnight visitor destination. RACVB generates positive economic impact for the community through investments in tourism marketing, sales, promotion and advocacy.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mika Doyle, RACVB Communications Coordinator: 815.489.1678, mdoyle@gorockford.com
