DI Launches Website Impact Calculator

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new website impact calculator from Destinations International is designed to help destination marketing organizations gauge the impact of their web presence on local economies.

Destinations International, in partnership with Tourism Economics, has launched the Website Impact Calculator (WIC), a new tool designed to help destination marketing organizations (DMOs) measure the impact of their websites on local economies. The idea behind the calculator is to crunch DMO website data into actionable economic impact insights they can use to improve how they market and promote the destination. Other benefits the tool is expected to provide are a way to help DMOs demonstrate their value in a real-life way, as well as strengthen their relationships with local businesses and the community.

“Destination organizations are increasingly relying on digital platforms to promote their destination and attract visitors, but until now there has been limited understanding of how website traffic translates into tangible economic benefit,” said Don Welsh, President and CEO of Destinations International, an association that represents DMOs and convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs). “The Website Impact Calculator empowers destination organizations by providing the data they need to optimize marketing and promotion efforts, demonstrate value and foster stronger relationships with local stakeholders.”

How It Works

The data engine of the Website Impact Calculator comes from Tourism Economics, a division of Oxford Economics that provides economic research and analysis for the global travel, tourism and hospitality industries. The calculator uses Tourism Economics’ Symphony Intelligence Platform, which provides centralized, customized dashboards DMOs can use to gain insights into how visitors are using their websites so they can optimize their digital assets, from a DMO’s owned media to website contents to how they generate traffic. The tool also can calculate how much those who use a DMO’s digital presence spend on lodging, dining, retail, transportation and entertainment, based on localized economic impact modeling. It also calculates gains on a broader canvas, measuring everything from job creation to tax revenue associated with DMO websites.

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“Today’s travelers are more likely than ever before to research destinations online before visiting. The Website Impact Calculator enables destination organizations to better understand how their websites attract visitors and drive local economic growth,” said Adam Sacks, President of Tourism Economics. “The WIC provides an essential connection between owned marketing investments and tangible outcomes.”

DMOs can use the calculator’s traffic data results not only to enhance and increase the effectiveness of their websites and online presence overall, but also to justify their marketing budgets and attract new investments, according to DI.

This new calculator joins the Event Impact Calculator (EIC), which more than 350 DMOs around the world already are using to measure the economic value of an event — net new revenues gained in specific communities due to meetings and events that come to town — and calculates an event’s return on investment to local taxes. DMOs use the EIC, which is updated annually, to generate data they can use to lobby for investment in the development and growth of the meetings and events sectors in their locale.

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