www.RockportUSA.com Caters to Busy People
Finding the perfect places to stay, relax, and enjoy exciting activities in the historic seaside community of Rockport, Massachusetts just got a lot faster and easier. The Rockport Chamber of Commerce, a Division of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, unveiled www.rockportusa.com, their powerful new travel Web site built by veteran Web developers, Van Ness Group.
“With Rockport’s abundance of coastal and landside attractions and activities, scores of accommodations, and wide array of festivals and events each year, we had to give visitors a quick, easy and intuitive way of finding what suits their particular tastes,” said Peter Webber, Rockport Chamber of Commerce Manager, who helped coordinate the project with key support from and in collaboration with the Town of Rockport.
Using highly intuitive, color-coded icons, powerful keyword searching and plenty of tips and help, site visitors can easily find accommodations that match specific desires, such as beachfront, pool, waterfront, fireplace, handicap and Internet access. Budget minded travelers can sort by price, while sun worshippers can sort by distance from the beach.
One major challenge was to organize activities and attractions – from beaches and lighthouses to schooner sails and kayaking to dining on lobsters and getting a massage. “That’s why we chose Van Ness Group,” said Webber. “They are internationally recognized experts in user interface design, in addition to being Cape Ann-based members of our Chamber.”
“With our Up-Front navigation, site visitors are seldom more than one click away from finding what they’re looking for,” said Peter Van Ness, CEO of Van Ness Group. “Rather than force people to think the way we do, we’ve designed the site to be intuitive for all sorts of curious minds.”
For one of America’s most beautiful destinations, speed, power and intuitive navigation are not enough. “This new Web site had to embody the spirit of our community and showcase Rockport’s spectacular natural beauty,” said Michael Costello, Executive Director of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce. “I’m extremely pleased with the result because I feel it does just that, and is destined to become one of the Web’s premier travel sites. I encourage people to log on and see for themselves.”