PURPOSE
Launched February 2024, the Explore the Bruce Rewards app aims to enhance the ways visitors explore Bruce County. The innovative app provides incentives to encourage visitors to explore destinations, attractions, tourism operators/businesses and experiences. We want adventure seekers and explorers to find niche Bruce County experiences that they cannot find anywhere else in Ontario.
EFFECTIVENESS & OBJECTIVES
The app has been highly effective in achieving its objectives. It has attracted 415 unique visitors from 41 different postal codes, driving significant traffic to curated tours like the Lighthouse and Hiking Tour. Social media engagement has been strong between both organic and paid campaigns. The success of the app can be shown through other factors, including exceeding the goal of 750 app downloads by the end of 2024, which was accomplished by the second quarter.
The app’s objectives are to incentivize visitors to explore all communities in Bruce County by:
CHALLENGES & CHANGES
Results
TARGET AUDIENCE
Residents of Southwestern Ontario who are:
TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION
The app fosters engagement and interaction between visitors, local businesses and the project team. This dynamic interaction is key to creating a responsive, engaging and effective tourism experience.
SUSTAINABILITY
The app promotes responsible tourism. A sustainable approach includes incentivizing visits to a wide range of attractions and businesses, encouraging exploration across all seasons and promoting hidden gems to reduce congestion at popular tourist destinations and working to spread the environmental load more evenly. The incentivization plans intend to grow with the app. Visitors earn points for redeemable rewards through GPS when visiting listings. Redemption includes promotional gear such as t-shirts, hats and toques. Overtime, the app will include redemption options from participating listings including discounts, free swag and products.
The app tours and listings can be toggled on and off to reflect seasonality or the creation of special tours alongside local events. The app highlights the unique cultural and historical aspects of Bruce County, fostering a deeper appreciation among visitors. The app encourages visitors to engage with attractions and support local businesses.
Additional Supporting Materials
1. Digital Ad Campaign with Aber Creative
3. Website Link: https://explorethebruce.com/rewards/
4. App Link: https://driftscape.app.link/BruceCounty?a=s&o=2091&m=m