Local economic impact:
How tourism can help local businesses

Women shopping in their local downtown area

In this hub:

Overview

The challenges

Recommended campaign formats

How to plan a campaign

Digital engagement

Where a digital tourism platform helps

Explore topics

Practical examples

Local economic impact for BIAs and tourism teams

Tourism should help visitors move through your community in ways that support local businesses.

For BIAs, DMOs, chambers, downtowns, and tourism teams, local economic impact means turning visitor attention into measurable action: business views, event participation, check-ins, coupon engagement, repeat visits, and stronger visibility for local shops, restaurants, attractions, and services.

This guide shows how to use digital trails, rewards, business directories, coupons, event maps, and clear reporting to help visitors explore locally and help your team show what happened.

Local experiences should create local benefit

Local economic impact starts when visitors have a clear reason to explore beyond the obvious stop.

A visitor may come downtown for a festival, a mural, a market, or a museum. The opportunity is what happens next. Do they find the café around the corner? Do they visit the shops on the next block? Do they follow a trail that leads them to more businesses, stories, and public spaces?

That is where digital tourism becomes useful. Not because the technology is impressive, but because it helps people take the next step while they are already curious.

For BIAs, this can mean helping member businesses get seen during campaigns, events, and seasonal activations. For DMOs, it can mean supporting visitor dispersal, partner visibility, and stronger destination-wide experiences.

Key takeaway

A visitor engagement platform is most useful when it connects attention to action: where to go, what to do, which businesses are nearby, and how participation will be measured.

What local economic impact can look like

Local economic impact is the connection between visitor activity and community benefit.

For tourism and BIA teams, that benefit can show up in practical ways:

More visibility for local businesses
More participation in events and seasonal campaigns
More engagement with shops, restaurants, attractions, and services
Better visitor movement across a district, town, or region
Clearer reporting for boards, members, councils, funders, and tourism partners
Less reliance on printed maps, paper coupons, and one-off promotional materials
Reusable campaign formats that can return each season

On this page, local economic impact is used in a practical campaign sense. It refers to visible actions that can support local businesses, such as business listing views, check-ins, offer engagement, event participation, visitor movement, and repeatable campaign reporting.

Direct visitor spending should be measured separately when point-of-sale data, surveys, or partner sales information is available.

Local impact is already happening in communities like yours

Digital campaigns can help BIAs and tourism teams turn local stories, events, and offers into measurable visitor activity.

Downtown Tempe turned festival specials into a digital trail during Tempe Blooms. The campaign generated 1,948 POI views in 2 days, with 12 participating locations exceeding 100 views.

Crescent Heights BIA used a mobile campaign to spotlight Asian-owned businesses through points, rewards, and digital coupons. The campaign generated over 5,000 user interactions and saved $6,850 in print costs.

Downtown Brampton added digital check-ins to the Party in the Lanes festival. The activation generated 3,000+ digital check-ins in one weekend.

Riverview launched a seasonal Business Bee Scavenger Hunt. The campaign generated 4,087 POI views during the reporting period, with nearly half of engagement tied to the scavenger hunt.

Bruce County used a rewards app to encourage regional exploration. The campaign generated 18,000+ visits and 1,300+ downloads.

These examples do not guarantee the same results for every destination.

They show what becomes possible when a campaign gives people a clear path, a reason to participate, and a way for the team to measure engagement.

The problem: local businesses need visibility, but teams are stretched

Local businesses need to be easy to find while visitors are already exploring.

Most communities already have strong local assets: restaurants, shops, trails, heritage sites, public art, attractions, parks, events, markets, and local stories. The hard part is connecting those pieces in a way visitors can actually use.

A printed map can go out of date. A business directory can get buried on a website. Social posts can disappear quickly. Event promotions often end when the event is over.

BIAs and DMOs need a better middle layer between promotion and action. That middle layer can be a map, trail, digital passport, coupon campaign, scavenger hunt, or business directory. The format matters less than the job it does: helping visitors move from interest to participation.

What BIAs and DMOs need to prove

BIAs and DMOs often share the same goal, but they need to report value in different ways.

For BIAs, BIDs, downtowns, and main street organizations

BIAs usually need to show member value. That means proving that campaigns helped participating businesses gain visibility, connect with visitors, and benefit from district-wide activity.

Useful metrics include participating businesses, business listing views, check-ins, coupon views, offer engagement, print costs avoided, and member participation.

A BIA board may want to know whether member businesses were featured, whether people engaged with the campaign, and whether the activation created a clearer story of value for the district.

For DMOs and tourism offices

DMOs usually need to show destination-wide value. That often means proving that visitors explored beyond one major attraction, engaged with partner listings, or moved across more areas of the destination.

Useful metrics include POI views, tour starts, tour completions, regional engagement, partner listing views, trail activity, and campaign participation.

A DMO stakeholder group may want to know whether the campaign supported visitor dispersal, partner visibility, seasonal exploration, or stronger in-destination engagement.

For chambers and municipalities

Chambers and municipalities often need to show community benefit. That can include support for local businesses, visitor readiness, downtown vitality, and resident participation.

Useful metrics include business participation, local directory engagement, event map views, resident and visitor participation, and campaign reporting.

A municipal partner may want to see whether the campaign helped people find local places, supported community-facing tourism, or made the destination easier to explore.

For event and festival teams

Event teams usually need to show more than attendance. They may need to show attendee engagement, vendor visibility, sponsor value, and movement through event zones.

Useful metrics include check-ins, event map views, specials views, vendor page views, and contest participation.

An event report should help show whether attendees interacted with the experience, found participating vendors or businesses, and had a reason to move through more of the event footprint.

The right reporting starts with knowing which question you need to answer.

Campaign formats that support local economic impact

Local impact campaigns work best when the visitor action is simple.

A focused digital trail, map, or reward can be easier to explain, promote, and report on than a broad campaign with too many moving parts.

Shop local trail

A shop local trail helps visitors move between participating businesses with a clear reason to keep exploring.

Best for: Retail districts, holiday campaigns, summer shopping, downtown open houses

Good visitor action: View a business, check in, claim an offer, or complete a trail

Useful incentive: Prize draw, small discount, limited-time offer, or completion badge

Track: Business views, check-ins, coupon views, completions, top locations

Simple version: Create a map of participating shops with one photo, one short description, hours, and one reason to visit.

Stronger version: Add check-ins, a reward, and a short story from each business owner.

Event-to-business trail

An event-to-business trail helps visitors move from a festival, market, or public event into nearby businesses.

Best for: Street festivals, farmers’ markets, art walks, music events, seasonal celebrations

Good visitor action: Follow the event map, visit nearby businesses, claim specials

Useful incentive: Event-only offer, check-in contest, sponsor prize, or food passport

Track: Event map views, nearby business views, check-ins, offer engagement

Simple version: Add participating businesses to the event map so visitors can see what is nearby.

Stronger version: Create a “before and after the event” route with coffee, lunch, shopping, dinner, and post-event stops.

Quiet street spotlight

A quiet street spotlight helps BIAs and DMOs move visitor attention beyond the highest-traffic blocks.

Best for: Visitor dispersal, side streets, new business clusters, under-visited areas

Good visitor action: Follow a short trail, answer trivia, collect check-ins

Useful incentive: Prize draw or featured local bundle

Track: Views by location, route completions, engagement by area

Simple version: Create a hidden gems map with a focused group of
businesses and local stories.

Stronger version: Add audio stories, public art stops, and a completion reward.

Digital specials trail

A digital specials trail turns limited-time offers into a path visitors can follow.

Best for: Festivals, shopping events, restaurant weeks, cultural months, seasonal activations

Good visitor action: View specials, visit participating locations, claim offers

Useful incentive: Limited-time offer, contest entry, or points-based reward

Track: Special views, POI views, top participating businesses, check-ins, redemptions where available

Downtown Tempe used this format during Tempe Blooms, helping visitors find participating food, drink, and retail offers throughout downtown.

Regional rewards campaign

A rewards campaign gives visitors a reason to explore across more places over a longer period.

Best for: DMOs, counties, regions, multi-community campaigns, shoulder-season travel

Good visitor action: Visit locations, collect points, complete routes, earn rewards

Useful incentive: Branded merchandise, prize draw, local bundle, or digital badge

Track: Visits, downloads, POI views, route engagement, completions

Bruce County’s Explore the Bruce rewards app is a strong example of this approach, with 18,000+ visits and 1,300+ downloads.

How to plan a local impact campaign

A local impact campaign should start with the business or destination outcome, not the technology.

1. Choose the outcome

Decide what you want the campaign to support.

Examples include more visibility for member businesses, more event spillover into nearby shops and restaurants, more exploration of a quieter area, stronger participation in a seasonal activation, better reporting, or less reliance on printed materials.

2. Pick the visitor action

A campaign becomes easier to understand when the action is clear.

Visitors might be asked to view nearby businesses, follow a trail, check in, claim an offer, answer trivia, complete a scavenger hunt, collect points, or visit a set of stops.

Avoid asking visitors to do too many things at once. A simple action is easier to promote and easier to measure.

3. Recruit the right partners

Business participation is easier when the ask is clear.

For a first campaign, ask each participating business for:

One photo
One short description
Hours and location
A website or social link
One offer, story, clue, or reason to visit
A window poster or QR code placement, if useful

A small, focused group of engaged businesses can be stronger than a large list with incomplete information.

4. Build the visitor path

The path should feel obvious from the first screen.

A visitor should understand where to start, what they are being asked to do, which locations are included, why they should keep going, what they receive or learn, and when the campaign ends.

The easier it is to explain, the easier it is for businesses, volunteers, front-line staff, and event partners to promote.

5. Promote where people already are

A campaign needs visible entry points.

Useful promotion channels include BIA, DMO, chamber, or municipal websites, business window posters, QR codes, visitor centre signage, social posts from participating businesses, email newsletters, local media, event programs, partner websites, and onsite signage.

A digital campaign still needs real-world visibility. The map may live online, but participation often starts at a storefront, sign, poster, booth, or event entrance.

6. Measure the campaign

A local impact campaign should be designed so your team can explain what happened afterward.

Useful metrics include participating businesses, POI views, business listing views, tour starts, tour completions, check-ins, coupon or special views, contest entries, top-viewed stops, engagement by area, print costs avoided, and partner participation.

Not every campaign needs every metric. Choose the measurements that match the story you need to tell.

How to choose the right campaign

The best campaign format depends on the outcome you need to show.

If you need to help member businesses get noticed

Use a shop local trail or business directory.

These formats give local businesses a visible place inside the visitor journey. They work well when your goal is to help people find shops, restaurants, services, attractions, or seasonal participants while they are already exploring.

If you need to connect an event to nearby businesses

Use an event map or digital specials trail.

These formats help visitors see what to do before, during, and after the event. They can point people toward nearby cafés, restaurants, retailers, amenities, sponsors, vendors, or participating offers.

If you need to move people beyond busy areas

Use a quiet street spotlight or themed walking trail.

These formats give visitors a reason to explore a specific route, side street, neighbourhood, or business cluster. They work well when you want to support visitor dispersal or bring attention to places that are easy to miss.

If you need to support off-season activity

Use a rewards campaign or digital passport.

These formats give people a reason to participate when demand is softer. They can work well for winter campaigns, shoulder-season trails, food routes, holiday activations, or regional exploration challenges.

If you need to reduce print dependency

Use digital coupons, maps, and directories.

These formats make updates easier and give your team engagement data that printed materials cannot provide on their own. They are especially useful when business details, offers, event information, or participating locations change often.

If you need to report value to stakeholders

Use a campaign with check-ins, views, and completions.

These formats connect visitor activity to measurable engagement. They help you report what people viewed, where they participated, which stops received attention, and how the campaign performed beyond attendance or social impressions.

Start here if you are unsure

Choose one audience, one campaign theme, one visitor action, and one reporting goal.

For example: “We want residents and visitors to visit participating downtown businesses during our holiday campaign. We will use a digital trail with check-ins and track business views, check-ins, and completions.”

That level of clarity makes the campaign easier to build, promote, and explain later.

How to report local economic impact

A strong local impact report connects visitor engagement to business and community value.

Start with the campaign goal

Explain what you wanted visitors to do.

For example, your goal might be to help people visit participating businesses, explore a quieter area, attend an event, claim local offers, complete a trail, or engage with more places across the destination.

Identify the campaign format

Name the format you used.

This could be a shop local trail, event map, rewards app, business directory, scavenger hunt, digital passport, coupon campaign, or specials trail.

Show who participated

Include the number and type of participating partners.

This could include shops, restaurants, attractions, event vendors, sponsors, cultural organizations, public spaces, tourism operators, or local services.

Report visitor activity

Share what visitors did during the campaign.

Useful engagement measures can include views, check-ins, completions, coupon engagement, contest participation, business listing views, tour starts, or POI views.

Highlight business visibility

Show which businesses, categories, offers, or areas received attention.

This can help BIAs speak to member value and help DMOs show partner visibility across the destination.

Explain dispersal

Describe which streets, neighbourhoods, districts, or communities received visitor attention.

This is especially useful when your goal is to move people beyond one event zone, attraction, main street, or high-traffic area.

Include cost savings when tracked

If your campaign reduced print needs or manual updates, include that in the report.

For example, Crescent Heights BIA saved $6,850 in print costs through its mobile campaign, which gives the team a concrete way to discuss operational value.

Summarize what worked

Identify the top-performing stops, routes, offers, campaign themes, or promotion channels.

This helps your team understand what to repeat, refine, or expand in the next campaign.

Note what to improve

Be honest about gaps, low-performing areas, incomplete listings, partner participation challenges, or promotion opportunities.

A useful report does not need to make every result look perfect. It should help your team make the next campaign stronger.

Example board summary

“Our downtown trail featured participating local businesses during a seasonal campaign. Visitors engaged with business listings, followed the trail, and interacted with campaign stops. The results gave us a clearer way to report member visibility, visitor participation, and which locations received the most attention.”

If your campaign includes specific numbers, add them. If it does not, keep the report honest and focused on what you can measure.

What digital engagement data can and cannot tell you

Digital engagement data can show what visitors viewed, followed, checked into, completed, or interacted with during a campaign.

It can help BIAs and DMOs understand which businesses, offers, routes, or areas received attention. It can also help teams compare campaign formats over time.

What it cannot show on its own is direct sales, total visitor spending, or full economic impact. To measure those outcomes, pair campaign analytics with business feedback, sales data where available, visitor surveys, accommodation data, or municipal economic indicators.

Common mistakes that weaken local impact campaigns

Local impact campaigns usually struggle when the visitor path is unclear.

Mistake 1: Listing businesses without creating a reason to move

A business directory is useful, but a campaign needs a stronger prompt. A trail, theme, reward, offer, clue, or event connection gives people a reason to visit more than one place.

Mistake 2: Including too many stops too soon

A large campaign can look impressive, but it may be harder to manage and harder for visitors to follow. Start with a focused theme and expand once the format works.

Mistake 3: Making offers hard to understand

A digital coupon or special should be simple. Complicated rules, unclear deadlines, or long redemption steps can create friction for both visitors and businesses.

Mistake 4: Promoting only the busiest locations

If the goal is local economic impact, include businesses and areas that need visibility, not only the places visitors already know.

Mistake 5: Reporting only attendance

Attendance tells one part of the story. Local impact reporting should also look at engagement with businesses, maps, offers, check-ins, trails, and campaign content.

Where a digital tourism platform helps

A digital tourism platform helps teams connect discovery, participation, and reporting in one place.

Help visitors find more places

Interactive maps
Business directories
Event maps
Local attractions app experiences
Visites autoguidées

Give visitors a reason to participate

Digital coupons
Récompenses
Check-ins
Chasses au trésor
Concours et quiz

Help teams report what happened

POI views
Tour activity
Check-ins
Coupon engagement
Campaign reporting

The value is not in having more features. The value is in connecting the campaign pieces visitors need while giving your team a clearer way to manage and measure the work.

What You Can Do with Driftscape

With Driftscape, tourism and BIA teams can build map-based business directories, create shop local trails, run digital coupons and specials, add check-ins and rewards, feature local businesses inside tours and event maps, and track engagement across POIs, tours, and campaigns.

Driftscape also supports app and browser-based exploration, helping visitors use the experience in the way that works best for them.

The Benefits of Driftscape

Driftscape helps teams make local businesses easier to find, turn events into wider visitor journeys, support repeatable seasonal campaigns, reduce reliance on printed materials, and give boards and stakeholders clearer engagement reporting.

It connects local stories, offers, maps, and rewards in one visitor-friendly experience.

Limits and tradeoffs to consider

A digital campaign still needs local coordination.

The platform can help organize, publish, and measure the experience, but your team still needs to decide which businesses should participate, what the campaign theme is, how partners will promote it, which visitor action matters most, who will review business information, and what stakeholders need to see afterward.

Digital tools can reduce friction, but they do not replace local relationships. The strongest campaigns combine simple technology with clear partner communication, visible promotion, and a practical reporting plan.

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