Case Study Resort DMO

Maximum Reach Make Every Season Count

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Transforming a High-Profile Resort Destination into a Year-Round Travel Hub

A high-profile resort-based DMO faced significant challenges:

• Accessibility Issues – The destination was hard to reach, limiting its visitor pool.

• Seasonal Imbalance – While winter was strong, summer visitation was minimal.

• Perception Problems – The resort had a reputation for being elite and expensive, discouraging budget-conscious travelers.

• Branding Disconnect – The major lodging providers were located in an adjacent town with no brand recognition, creating a disconnect in visitor perception.

To address these issues, the DMO was created to represent the entire local region, bringing together stakeholders to build a strong, unified destination brand.

Strategy & Execution

✅ Custom SEO-Friendly Website Development:

• Many off-the-shelf web platforms (especially those built for business directories) fail in SEO.

• We worked closely with the web development team to build a custom, fully optimized site designed to dominate search results.

✅ Strategic Content Creation for Brand Positioning:

• Developed content that compared the destination to other high-end resorts, strategically positioning it as an affordable alternative while maintaining its luxury appeal.

• Created seasonal content focused on mountains, lakes, hiking, fishing, camping, mountain biking, festivals, and concerts, highlighting summer offerings beyond winter sports.

✅ Leveraging Local Investment in Summer Infrastructure:

• The local area was aggressive in building summer event infrastructure (festivals, concerts, outdoor activities).

• We aligned marketing campaigns to support and promote these growing summer attractions.

✅ Launching a Comprehensive, Unified Events Calendar:

• Built an integrated events platform to centralize all regional activities, helping visitors easily find reasons to visit in non-peak seasons.

✅ Targeted Advertising & Audience Interception:

• Focused on intercepting potential travelers in the discovery phase through Google Ads, paid social, and strategic native advertising.

• Used data-driven targeting to reach travelers researching high-end destinations, showcasing affordable alternatives.

✅ 7X Growth in Website Traffic & Summer Visitation Domination:

• Over seven years, traffic grew 7X, with summer visitation surpassing winter numbers, reversing the traditional seasonality imbalance.

✅ Short-Form Video Advertising to Reach New Markets:

• Launched short-form video ads on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts to expand audience segments.

• Focused particularly on direct flight co-op markets, ensuring daily flights reached full capacity.

✅ Expansion into New Drive Markets:

• Developed drive market itineraries, creating compelling road trip content that encouraged visitors to explore multiple destinations.

Results

✔️ 7X Website Traffic Growth – Over seven years, website traffic skyrocketed, driving unprecedented visibility and engagement.
✔️ Summer Visitor Numbers Now Exceed Winter – What was once an off-season is now a peak season, proving the success of the summer-focused strategy.
✔️ Search Dominance for Key Travel Terms – The destination now owns a huge swath of resort and outdoor travel-related search terms, ensuring continued organic growth.
✔️ Increased Flight Capacity Utilization – Targeted short-form video advertising helped fill direct flights from key co-op markets, ensuring sustained airline partnerships.
✔️ Expanded Regional Drive Market Reach – Road trip itineraries successfully attracted more visitors by integrating multiple destinations into compelling travel plans.

Timeline: 7 Years

Through SEO dominance, strategic content marketing, digital advertising, and destination branding, this resort DMO overcame seasonality challenges and positioned itself as a year-round travel powerhouse. 🚀