It’s been one full year since we relaunched CTvisit.com and results have been amazing, for visitors and partners alike. Site page views are up 38%, and the number of hotels, attractions and restaurants on the site continues to grow.
Almost 1,000 partners from 170 Connecticut towns have been specifically named in our content marketing, with nearly 1,000 more named in Public Relations efforts — resulting in 2.6 million referrals in the form of clicks to partner websites, calls or emails.
This has truly been a team effort, with so many of you playing an active role in helping us sustain this momentum and attract visitors to our beautiful state. I thank you once again for all you do for Connecticut tourism.
Tourism “On The Road” Again
The tourism team continues to be out and about working with partners and organizations in every corner of the state. Last month’s outreach included presenting marketing workshops to the Chester Merchant Association and the CT Farm Wine Development Council. The team also met with individual businesses to share no-cost tourism programs that can further promote their market reach. To find ways your business can leverage the efforts of the state tourism office, or set up a one-on-one meeting, contact rosemary.bove@ct.gov.
The Office of Tourism is now posting a CTvisit.com Key Metrics report on cultureandtourism.org by the 15th of each month. The full report will share top statistics such as total visits to various page categories and number of referrals to partners. In May, CTvisit.com sent an average of 7,201 referrals to partners, largely due to Open House Day. It’s a great reminder why it’s so important to keep your listing updated on the site where thousands of potential new customers will find you. For more information on this report, please contact robert.damroth@ct.gov.
Thanks to many of you, Open House Day was a huge success. We had 227 participants — a 20% increase over 2016. Over 41,000 people viewed OHD partners on CTvisit.com. And we garnered 494 media placements — in print, online and broadcast (TV, radio), generating millions of impressions. The event was promoted on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with over 33,000 engagements (comments/likes/shares) driving 9,700 clicks to the event page, which in turn generated over 131,000 referrals to OHD partners’ websites. Questions? Contact rosemary.bove@ct.gov.
You could be a Connecticut Travel Counselor at the Tourism Booth at the 2017 Big E! Join the fun, hand out brochures, share your favorite places to visit in our great state and meet people from all over. It’s a great way to help showcase our beautiful state and promote Connecticut tourism. This year, the Big E runs Friday, September 15 through Sunday, October 1, 2017. Admission tickets and free shuttle passes will be provided. Email rosemary.bove@ct.gov for details.
We are always writing new content for CTvisit.com to attract Connecticut visitors and locals alike. We invite you to share your story ideas for the topics below. It’s a great way to increase your chances of being featured in any one of the articles.
Topics include: Renting Your Own Boat, Made in CT, Lighthouses of CT, End of Summer Experiences for Kids, CT Shopping Experiences and Traveling Mindfully.Pleasesend your thoughts to rosemary.bove@ct.gov.
There’s definitely a buzz about us…thanks in part to the Office of Tourism’s active, ongoing PR outreach.
Recently, we partnered with the Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments to coordinate a press trip for the Huffington Post. The resulting article featured 20+ area partners, including hotels, attractions, shops, and restaurants.
See more great hits from Smithsonian Magazine, Good Housekeeping and Country Living at the link below!