MapBlast! Announces European Maps and Driving Directions
19 January 2000
MapBlast! Announces European Maps and Driving Directions; Web Site is First to Provide Travelers with Free Pan-European Maps Online
PALO ALTO, Calif.--Jan. 19, 2000--MapBlast!, (www.mapblast.com), the award-winning Web site that offers door-to-door driving directions and detailed street-level maps, announced today it has expanded its service to include 12 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. MapBlast! is the only service providing such extensive pan-European maps and driving direction information to online users."The addition of Europe makes MapBlast! an international service, providing the most comprehensive and technologically advanced maps on the Web," said David Cherner, general manager for MapBlast! "MapBlast! is already used by more than 1.2 million users each month to find the most accurate maps and driving directions in the United States and Canada, and we are pleased to extend this service to Europe as well."
To access European maps and driving directions, users simply switch the "Address Type" from "US Street Address" to "World Address" on the MapBlast! map page. From there, users can print or download maps, or request point-to-point driving directions. Later this Spring, MapBlast! will also add European Yellow Pages, business locators, local landmarks, points-of-interest and places to stay, as well as expanded coverage of the region.
European maps and driving directions are the latest addition to a series of site improvements to help online users with their travel needs. Other recent MapBlast! additions include "Places to Stay" for access to more than 8,000 hotels and resorts for lodging; MapBlast! Business Center, for small and home office employees; and MapBlast! Ski Center, for up-to-date information on ski resorts and conditions.
About MapBlast!
MapBlast! (http://www.mapblast.com) is an award-winning Web site that provides users with the most accurate interactive maps and driving directions, as well as extensive information on services and products near a user's address or travel route. MapBlast! also provides lodging information and reservation capabilities, traffic reports and local points of interest. MapBlast! regularly receives more than 19 million page views per month from more than 1.2 million unique visitors. The site has received accolades from top-tier publications such as MacWorld, PC World, Upside, USA Today and ZDNet. MapBlast! is a free service offered by Vicinity Corporation (http://www.vicinity.com), a leader in Internet-based marketing services. Vicinity is a privately held company established in 1995 and headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif.