BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched a new application for smartphones and tablets that promotes its IN Guide, a listing of top restaurants, hotels, activities and attractions in the Birmingham-Hoover area, which is raking in record tourism spending.

The IN Guide app is available for iPhone, Android and iPad users, and can be downloaded for free here or at the iTunes App store. The app is based on the 2011 version of the printed IN Guide, which features more than 270 of the metro area's favorite local spots as selected by residents.

The application, which went live Thursday, was designed by Big Communications and developed by Kinetic Communications, two Birmingham firms.

"This is far beyond a Google map search or a user-generated review service," said Jim Smither, president of the Birmingham convention bureau. "It's a careful collection of our city's culture, by the people who live here and know it best."

On Friday during a press conference in its downtown Birmingham headquarters, representatives of Big and Kinetic demonstrated features of the app including:

>>>Extensive lists of IN spots in seven categories, from dining to attractions, complete with directions, descriptions, contact information, links to Web sites and tips from locals.

>>>Maps that show how close app users are to various IN spots in metro Birmingham.

>>>Custom tours that allow you to customize your day of things to do and places to eat based on a user's interests.

>>>An "Invent a Day" feature that allows you to shake your phone to create a randomized day trip to spots in metro Birmingham.

>>>Social media integration for checking in or sharing IN Spots with friends via sites like Facebook or Twitter.

>>>A "nominate" feature that allows users to suggest new spots they love.

>>>Insider Status, in which you earn special titles when you check in, nominate or leave a comment.

Smither said the application will take the IN campaign, launched in 2008, to a new level in terms of visibility for attractions and hot-spots selected. He said the campaign has helped the bureau bring visitors and conventions to the Birmingham-Hoover area.

"Our goal for the new IN Guide app is to not only provide tourists with a mobile interactive guide for the city, but to also remind our locals about the great things there are to do and inspire them to be ambassadors for Birmingham," Smither said.

Also Friday, the Birmingham convention bureau announced that Jefferson County saw a record $1.52 billion in tourism spending in 2011. That was up 5.4 percent over the previous year, and indicates that the tourism market has bounced back from the recent economic downturn, Smither said.

Tourism in Jefferson County generated $127 million in tax revenue for the state and $68.8 million for local governments, which he said represents a solid return on the investment the CVB spends in promoting the Birmingham area. Tourism generated 36,134 full-time jobs in Jefferson County last year, a 6 percent increase from 2010, Smither said, with a combined income of $806 million.

"With the economic woes the country has faced in recent years, we were pleased to receive the news that tourism continues to thrive in Jefferson County," Smither said. "We were a little surprised by the strength of the 2011 numbers, but it reflects a cohesive hospitality industry in our area. Our hats are off to personnel at hotels and motels, restaurants, and area attractions who make our visitors feel so welcome."

The convention bureau study didn't detail the most visited tourism attractions in metro Birmingham, but the Alabama Tourism Department does track the most popular area atttractions, which last year included the McWane Center, the Birmingham Zoo and Barber Motorsports Museum.

Jefferson County lodging managers estimate that more than half of their guests (53 percent) were from outside the state of Alabama. Business travel or visits for conventions and meetings accounted for 60 percent of Jefferson County's lodging numbers, with the remaining 40 percent of guests traveling for pleasure/personal trips.

In 2011, spending patterns mirrored the previous year, with shopping expenditures (29 percent) holding the top spot, followed by dining (28 percent). Other top expenditures were lodging (17 percent), recreation (14 percent) and transportation and other expenditures (12 percent).

The tourism economic impact study, commissioned annually by the Birmingham convention bureau, was conducted by Davidson-Peterson Associates, a national travel research firm based in Maine.