TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site, which enables travelers to plan the perfect trip, launched a new interactive app.
The all-new app uses local dinner ratings with Facebook's social graph to create the ultimate food resource. Covering more than 850,000 restaurants worldwide, "Local Picks" takes opinions from millions of diners.
Each restaurant has a detailed profile that includes a score from 1-5 on the Local Picks Index. Built on Facebook, Local Picks allows users to easily express opinions and get restaurant advice from people who belong to their friends' circle and the ones they trust.
The app is integrated with Facebook's timeline so diners can share ratings, favorites etc. with friends. Not only does Local Picks stress on how good a restaurant is, it provides all necessary information to reach there.
Local Picks also displays essential information including a restaurant's address, neighborhood, type of cuisine, phone number, website address, hours of operation, menus, along with photographs so that viewers have an idea of the ambiance.
"TripAdvisor is committed to improving the social travel planning experience and, whether you're looking for a restaurant in a foreign city or in your own backyard, Local Picks is an excellent resource for the inside scoop," Adam Medros, vice president of global product for TripAdvisor said to reporters. "The app leverages the Facebook Platform to uniquely combine friend advice with local insight, highlighting dining options from those that know the user and the area best."
Here are a few features Local Picks offers:
Foodies Feed
The Foodies newsfeed keeps users informed of their Facebook friends' recommendations and real-time activity like where they've checked in, and what restaurants they've recently rated.
Local Picks Index
Local Picks Index ranks top restaurants worldwide with a stress on the reviews and opinions of locals. Users can browse the "Top Picks" tab to see a list of restaurants that have been ranked high on the Local Picks Index.
Favorites and Wish Lists
By clicking "want" or "fave," Local Picks users can quickly and easily keep track of restaurants they want to try and those they love.
At present, Local Picks is available to Facebook users in English, but the company promises to launch the program in multiple languages later this summer.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
