DMO VISITOR GUIDE READERSHIP & CONVERSION STUDY
The DMA West Education & Research Foundation partnered with Destination Analysts to assist DMOs in developing a profile of travelers who use DMO-published official Visitor Guides and estimate the Return on Investment these official Visitor Guides bring to their respective communities. In addition to study participant fees and Foundation grants, the DMA West Foundation is pleased to report that a portion of the study was generously underwritten by Miles Partnership as the Presenting Sponsor for this study.
These important findings on the usage and impact of DMO Visitor Guides were made possible by the DMA West Education & Research Foundation as well as the 12 DMO participants. We thank Destination Analysts for presenting the webinar The Value of DMO Visitor Guides—Insights from a cooperative Readership & Conversion Study, with Visitor Guide Best Practices presented by Miles Partnership.
- You can view the webinar recording here
- The research presentation deck can be downloaded here (including Miles Partnership content)
- Bonus: A whitepaper on The Importance of DMOs in a Crisis can be downloaded here
Industry Research - Executive Summary Available
MEASURING VISITOR CONVERSION FROM DMO SOCIAL MEDIA INVESTMENT + TRAVELER PROFILES OF DMO SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIENCES
The DMA West Education & Research Foundation retained Destination Analysts, Inc. to conduct a comprehensive research study to measure visitor conversion and estimate the economic impact of DMOs’ marketing to their audiences on major social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The combined (blind) findings from all participating DMOs produced industry averages on DMO social media marketing impact and performance. This research also gathered important insights into DMO social media audiences to deepen the industry’s understanding of these traveler profiles and their content preferences.
Special thanks to the participating DMOs in this study: Albuquerque, Central Oregon, Huntington Beach, Lane County, Lubbock, Mesa, Oceanside, Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory, Park City, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Luis Obispo County, Sedona, Stockton, Temecula Valley, Tri-Valley, Vacaville, West Hollywood and Yosemite Mariposa County.
The executive summary of the study was released in late April 2019 and is available to destination marketers on a complimentary basis.
Industry Research
DMO Website User and Conversion Study
The Impact of DMO Websites
Executive Summary of Yearlong Study Released April 2017
In 2016, the DMA West Education & Research Foundation partnered with Destination Analysts to conduct a year-long Website User & Conversion Study on DMO websites. The Foundation’s overarching goal for commissioning this study was to examine travelers who use DMO websites in order to develop a profile of these users, and to measure the extent that this marketing asset converts its users to actual visitors of the destination it promotes. DMA West member DMOs were invited to participate in this cooperative research project. In total, thirteen (13) DMOs undertook this research.
While each participating DMO received a custom report on its own website user profile and ROI estimates, the executive summary presents the aggregate findings from data collected from all thirteen (13) participating DMOs.
In addition to the support of the DMA West Education & Research Foundation, further insights about DMO website user behaviors through implementing an integration of survey data and site analytics was made possible by a generous sponsorship from Miles Partnership.
The executive summary of the study was released in late April 2017 and is available to destination marketers on a complimentary basis.
Download the summary and discover the value of official DMO websites.
DMA West Foundation White Paper
Understanding the Career Path of Destination Marketing Professionals
In fall 2015, DMA West members we invited to answer questions about career advancement in the DMO industry as well as DMO internships and talent-recruiting practices. This research attempts to develop an understanding of existing practices within the industry as well as the need for potential innovation. The collected information and input are tremendously valuable to the DMA West Foundation as it develops new resources for DMOs. The survey was conducted in consultation with Destination Analysts. We invite you to review the White Paper: Understanding the Career Path of Destination Marketing Professionals.
Industry Research
DMO Visitor Guide User and Conversion Study
Executive Summary available.
The Foundation retained Destination Analysts, Inc. to assist DMOs in developing a profile of travelers who use DMO-published official Visitor Guides and estimate the Return on Investment these official Visitor Guides bring to their respective communities. The Foundation and a corporate sponsor, Madden Media, provided funds to support this industry research project in conjunction with discounted fees paid by DMOs in the core study group.
This was a year-long research study. The executive summary was released in March 2014 and is available to destination marketers at no charge.
Download the summary and discover the value of official DMO Visitor Guides.