Arizona company hired to overhaul R.I. tourism website

A TUSCON, ARIZ.-based firm that provides website design has been hired to revamp the visitrhodeisland.com website. / COURTESY VISITRHODEISLAND.COM
A TUSCON, ARIZ.-based firm that provides website design has been hired to revamp the visitrhodeisland.com website. / COURTESY VISITRHODEISLAND.COM

PROVIDENCE – An Arizona firm that provides website design to destination marketing organizations has been hired to revamp the visitrhodeisland.com website.
The R.I. Commerce Corp. board on Monday approved the contract with Simpleview of Tuscon, Ariz., for approximately $250,000, Commerce RI spokesman Matt Sheaff said Tuesday.
“It will be a major overhaul,” Sheaff said. “It will be more functional.”
The website played a part in the disastrous rollout of the since abandoned “Cooler & Warmer” tourism campaign in March. Besides the widely disliked slogan, the website was criticized for publicizing wrong information, links to restaurants outside Rhode Island and a profile of a dead chef.
Sheaff said the department released a request for proposals for the website design two months ago, selecting Simpleview, as it has done work for Discover Newport and the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, as well as Las Vegas and Norway.
“It’s one of the leaders in that space,” he said. “They work with about 250 destination marketing organizations.”
Sheaff said officials are excited to work with Simpleview. He expects the new website to roll out next fall. But before then, he said there will be a 45-day period involving user testing.
The new website will integrate social media, and track the visitor experience in Rhode Island, features currently lacking on visitrhodeisland.com, he said. Businesses and restaurants also will be able to input information, something that is not easily done now due to the platform, he explained. He said the website is in need of an update, as it was created “20 years ago.”

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