SOLUTION

The destination has exceptional water features and tourism products and services. However, many tourism assets were missing or not being fully promoted.

Research shows consumers make travel decisions following a very distinct pattern. The website’s revised navigation follows the one travelers use when making travel decisions.

With a small staff, the Visitor Center relies on interns to track down and gather information. To assist in this effort, we generated spreadsheets for each main area – things to do, dine, shop and stay – which would later be uploaded to the website. While we encouraged them to secure top-level information, we also suggested data collection include an additional layer. That extra depth would allow the Visitor Center to respond to group inquiries and include the local travel industry’s social media platforms.

The videos responding to the how do you pronounce it? and where it is? questions are now prominently featured below a multi-state map marking their location. For the convenience of shoppers, a map was added to feature numerous stores within a given area of town.

An events calendar was added to keep all events in one place versus inserting flyer PDFs. The calendar allows a direct link to a sponsoring organization’s webpage.

BENEFIT

The two river attractions now have top billing with relevant details on the website making them more accessible to land lovers and water enthusiasts. The website is also accessible (WCAG compliant), opening up the destination to a wider audience. To assure the design style is maintained, staff and interns can update the website within established constraints relative to fonts and colors and image sizes.

Visit Cayce West Columbia is now literally on the map as the “Get Here” page covers all modes of transportation. All roads lead to the destination with helpful contact information.

Their cleverly produced videos – answering where is it? and how do you pronounce it? are now showcased on their home page with the video color themes flowing throughout the website.

More importantly, the website is full of helpful information to visitors. The depth of content – blogs, videos, event calendar and listings – offers a much broader sense of the destination and what visitors can experience.

While the website is geared to serve tourists, research also shows that visitors have usually visited a city where they choose to relocate. As such, a section of the site addresses relocation and highlights nearby communities.

To learn more about this and other case studies, contact Flying Compass today.