Self Guided Experiences: How to Keep Visitors Engaged Without Staff On-Site
- Andrew Applebaum
- il y a 2 jours
- 3 min de lecture
It’s a scenario we’ve all faced: a visitor pulls up to your downtown at 5:15 PM, just as the last volunteer is locking the visitor center doors. You want them to explore your local shops and learn about your history, but you can’t be there to hand them a map. This is exactly where a self guided strategy saves the day. It allows your destination to stay "open" and interactive 24/7, providing a high-quality experience without the overhead of extra staffing.
What is the best way to keep visitors engaged without staff?
The most effective way to engage visitors without staff is to provide interactive, mobile-first content like digital scavenger hunts, rewards programs, or audio tours. By using a self-guided tour app like Driftscape, you provide a 24/7 digital concierge that guides visitors through your community's unique stories and local businesses on their own schedule.
Driving Results through Cultural Tourism
Visitors today are looking for more than just a list of facts; they want an immersive travel experience. We’ve seen that when you digitize your heritage tours, engagement doesn't just stay steady—it spikes. For example, the Downtown Carleton Place BIA launched a digital scavenger hunt based on the Hardy Boys (did you know the author was born there?). They recorded over 1,300 completions in just 30 days, all without needing a single staff member on the street to hand out clues.
Staff-Free Success Stories:
Engagement Peak: Visit Thunder Bay saw a 1,000% increase in engagement by turning local Halloween house displays into a digital tour.
Print Savings: Crescent Heights Village BIA saved $6,850 in traditional print costs by moving their business directory to a digital tourism platform.
Economic Impact: The Town of Riverview generated over 2,300 interactions in a single month by encouraging visitors to shop local via their "Business Bee" scavenger hunt.
How do digital rewards support local businesses?
Digital rewards support local businesses by gamifying the visitor's journey and incentivizing physical "check-ins" at storefronts. When a visitor reaches a specific point on a self guided tour, they can unlock a digital badge or a discount at a nearby cafe. This bridge between a digital story and a physical purchase is a cornerstone of modern cultural tourism, turning passive strollers into active customers.
Traditional Method | The Digital Shift | The Result |
Paper Brochures | Mobile POIs | Information stays updated without reprints. |
Guided Walks | Audio-Enabled Tours | Visitors enjoy an immersive story at their own pace. |
Physical Signage | Geo-fenced Notifications | Pings the user's phone when they are near a "hidden gem." |
Pro Tip: Start by digitizing your "Top 5" most popular stops. Once you see the analytics on where people are actually going, you can expand your route based on real visitor behavior.
FAQ: Staff-Free Visitor Engagement
Q: What is the best way to create a self-guided tour app for a small town?
A: The most efficient way is to use a proven digital tourism platform like Driftscape. Building a custom app from scratch is often too expensive for small BIAs and DMOs to maintain. Using an existing platform allows you to focus on your local stories while the tech updates are handled for you.
Q: Can self-guided tours work in areas with poor cell service?
A: Yes, provided you choose a platform that supports offline maps. This allows visitors to download the tour data via Wi-Fi at their hotel or a local cafe before heading out into remote or low-signal areas.
Q: How do we get local businesses to buy into a digital tour?
A: Show them the data! When businesses see that a self-guided tour app can drive hundreds of "check-ins" and offer digital coupons to visitors, they usually see the immediate value in being a featured stop.
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