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Marketing Connecticut Tourism Online
Savvier site savored by increasingly discriminating visitors
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Business New Haven
2/17/2003
By: Jim McLaughlin
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With more and more people using the Internet to plan their vacations and quick weekend getaways, it takes a strategic approach and a little on-line savvy to give Connecticut the edge in a competitive New England tourism marketplace.
But the more Internet savvy consumers become, the more your Web site must respond to what people are looking for. Judging from the numbers, the state Office of Tourism has paid close attention to the evolving nature of the internet by repositioning its Web site, www.ctbound.org, to reflect the wants/needs/desires of its audience.
Since its redesign last January, ctbound.org has attracted more than 1.3 million visitors. That's a 27-percent increase over 2001, and a 185-percent increase over 1999, the first year the state originally launched its own independent tourism site.
What changed? First of all, the overall marketing message had to be integrated into the site. Potential visitors will always ask what there is to do once you get to Connecticut. The overall message is that there's a lot to do, so the site offers a list of 52 getaways, based on specific interests, family activities and fun for couples. The getaways list five or six places of interest, links to those sites and a unique feature for picking and choosing destinations, and then developing an itinerary online.
We also know that more people than previously are planning their vacations closer to the trip date. They might plan a couple of weeks in advance for an extended trip, but for a weekend away, they may make a decision within a day or two. The 52 getaways focus on that two- to three-day consumer market, and the response has been astounding, to say the least.
Based on tracking data released last month, the state's new tourism Web site has had a direct impact on its usefulness to consumers since its launch on January 17, 2002:
- The number of overall visitors to the site in 2002 exceeded 1.3 million, a 27-percent increase over 2001, and a 185-percent increase over 1999, when there were 458,000 visitors to the site.
- The average number of visitors per day for 2002 was 3,575, a 18-percent hike over 2001, and up 185 percent from 1999, when the average number of daily visitors was 1,254.
- The average amount of time a user spent on the site per month in 2002 was ten minutes, 54 seconds, up 39 percent from 2001. In 1999, it was an average of eight minutes.
- The number of web pages viewed in 2002 exceeded 8.4 million, a 222-percent increase over 2001.
So not only did more people discover Connecticut via the Internet last year; more people stayed on the site longer. One site feature that may have kept their attention appeals to personalized service: a unique vacation planner option allows visitors to create a personal vacation itinerary online.
The other is a list of special discounts offered by the tourism industry for lodging, nearby restaurants and local attractions. To keep the site fresh, specials are automatically updated when they expire.
Plainly, more people are looking for information about Connecticut, and they're finding it online. What's even more significant, though, is that they're spending nearly 11 minutes on the site looking at about seven pages per visit. In the world of corporate marketing, that's almost an eternity, and it's a sure sign that people are engaged by the new services offered.
Refined search capabilities now allow a person to find progressively more specific categories of information. The redesign also integrates graphics and themes from print, radio and television advertising, so there's a genuine continuity in the look of the site, the official tourism map, the vacation guide, the statewide resource manual and other tourism materials, from color schemes to logos and copy message.
The site's consumer features evolved from a comparative analysis of tourism sites in 49 other states, and more changes are coming. For example, lodging reservations can already be made from many site links, and that capability will increase. Through a link being developed with the state restaurant association, a more localized listing of dining establishments will soon be available.
In response to a national demand for rooms by corporate business travelers, there's an opportunity to actively position the state as an ideal site for meetings and conventions of all sizes. The new Mohegan Sun convention center and the scheduled 2005 opening of the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford are already driving evolutionary changes to the Web site - and that's an exciting reflection of Connecticut's future as a tourism destination.
Jim McLaughlin is president of McLaughlin, DelVecchio & Casey Inc., a full service advertising, marketing and public relations firm in New Haven. MDC is the agency of record for the Connecticut Office of Tourism.
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