Visit California is marking its stake in the growing digital travel sector by relaunching its site using responsive design, suggesting that mobile sites are becoming a top engagement platform for travelers.

The nonprofit organization, which aims to develop marketing programs alongside the state?s travel industry, teamed up with a creative agency to make the site more inspiring and engaging, as well as accessible regardless of the user?s location. Visitors can scroll through the site on their mobile devices to view a list of potential getaway locations, maps and weather forecasts in addition to compelling photographs.

?The mobile trend is something that?s been on our radar for some time,? said Lynn Carpenter, vice president of marketing at Visit California. ?We?ve been closely monitoring the consumer migration and have seen mobile and tablet ?screen time? start to dominate the global consumer?s day.

?For VisitCalifornia.com we have certainly seen a shift toward mobile traffic. In the last 12 months, more than 40 percent of site traffic globally was mobile and YOY mobile traffic increased by over 55 percent.?

Visual assets
The site?s mobile-optimization allows the visual content to have a more prudent effect on the user, which will likely aid in driving more travel to the West Coast state. It features a streamlined design with heavy focus on photographs to guide visitors and highlight the diversity and abundance in each region.

Users can select a particular County to receive more information on, leading them to another section featuring a map, average temperature, and a brief history of the area. Consumers can then scroll through the ?spotlight? locations and activities featured on the County?s homepage.

San Diego County?s spotlight activities include visiting SeaWorld San Diego, trekking through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and visiting La Jolla?s beaches.

?We are incredibly proud of the quality of the images on the site,? Ms. Carpenter said. ?They bring the California experience to life in a way that words just can?t (although the words are pretty darn good too!) and we believe they are central to driving inspiration and creating desire for a California vacation.

?Additionally, the updated, highly-visual approach to providing Road Trip ideas which we?ve heard over time is something of high demand for consumers looking for guidance on how to explore California,? she said.

Mobile and word-of-mouth
Visit California believes that the mobile-optimized site will help ramp up word-of-mouth marketing, as consumers will likely be able to connect emotionally to the bold images designed to bring the Californian landscape to life. Once visitors have selected a destination they would like to visit, the site will direct them to top third-party sites where they will be able to book services and accommodations.

The site aims to establish the California lifestyle brand and allow users to explore rich media content in a streamlined manner, which will ideally drive repeat visits.

Much of the travel planning and booking process is now being conducted via mobile devices, with sites such as Expedia turning to iPad and mobile applications to offer customers personalized travel data and a simple booking experience (see story).

?Word-of-mouth marketing has always been the number one influencer, and changes in the digital landscape ? both access to an increasing amount of content and digital sharing - allows for even more peer to peer influence,? Ms. Carpenter said.

?The implications on the travel sector are vast, but for destination marketers specifically, we believe it has made it more important than ever to create compelling content across channels (Web, social, etc.) to foster and facilitate sharing and influence.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York