Kendra Valentine takes you behind the scenes of the new Stockholm app from Spotted by Locals.
Spotted by Locals is a city guide app with blog type articles and reviews written by locals in 57 cities. These locals write insider tips that give a broader picture of their cities than one might get through the typical travel app. The app allows you to purchase city guides and access these reviews of various activities from bars and restaurants to arts and culture.
Stockholm being the city in question, we navigated through several insightful reviews of various Stockholm spots, written from unique and personal perspectives of several different contributors. The Spotted by Locals Stockholm guide is ideal for us slow travelers and locals who wish to dig a little deeper into the city: each entry is an article of its own, making it more involved than a simple location and ratings search.
Curious as to how the app came about, we reached out to founder and owner, Bart van Poll.
How has the process of developing Spotted by Locals Stockholm been?
Developing the app was easy – our developers have done a great job writing the code. However, the heart of the app is not code: it’s content! Since 2008, Sanne and myself (we’re married) have been traveling around the world most of the year to meet and contract locals who love sharing unique insider tips on our blogs, and since 2011 in our app.
The first time we met our Stockholm Spotters was in 2008. Our Spotters Elin, Lars, Miranda, Natalia, and Vasco have written about some wonderful local favorites.
How has it been received by tourists and/or locals?
The app has been received well. Stockholm has always been one of our better performing city guides – even before the launch of the app. The amount of downloads we get for the Stockholm app is more than the average city guide.
What is the best feature or use for Spotted by Locals Stockholm?
We are happy to see many app reviewers don’t write about the technical features (GPS, offline maps, favorites) but about how they like our locals’ unique tips – many of the tips will not be found in regular tourist guides. Also, users like the fact our locals’ tips are always up-to-date and up to season. And the app works 100% offline – no expensive roaming!
How do you see the app developing in the future?
In a next version we will add more search options and a filter to see which spots are “open now.” Also, we’ll add an option to “sync” the Android and iPhone app. If you purchase the Android app, you can download the iPhone app for free. And vice versa.
What’s your personal favorite destination, event, or activity in Stockholm?
One of our personal favorite activities in Stockholm is visiting the second hand stores (“Loppis”). Lars wrote a nice article about some of the best in the city.
Looking to check out the article? Find more information on Spotted by Locals here.
Download the app for iPhone or Android.
