A couple of months ago I wrote a post about Foursquare and how the travel industry could use it to their advantage. It has taken nearly five months, but a DMO has stepped up to the Foursquare plate in a major way.
VisitPA, the DMO for Pennsylvania, have partnered with Foursquare to create three custom badges:
These badges are unlockable by travellers following the many road trips available in the trip planning section of the site. VistPA have even taken the time to fill out the “Tips” section in the Foursquare app, meaning that travellers get tips and travel ideas directly from the DMO instead of from random travellers that have come through in the past.
VisitPA have had the foresight to see that travellers are using Foursquare while travelling through their state and instead of ignoring it, they have partnered with Foursquare to create unique badges, adding value to the trip planning module on VisitPA.com. More importantly, they have taken control of their destination by adding their own quality checked tips, rather than leaving the experience to chance.
By jumping in the deep end and accepting a new medium, VistPA have stayed relevant with a larger audience, but more importantly they have reclaimed their brand. Other DMOs will need to take note- this is the future of destination marketing.
VisitPA use Foursquare to its full potential
VisitPA, the DMO for Pennsylvania, have partnered with Foursquare to create three custom badges:
These badges are unlockable by travellers following the many road trips available in the trip planning section of the site. VistPA have even taken the time to fill out the “Tips” section in the Foursquare app, meaning that travellers get tips and travel ideas directly from the DMO instead of from random travellers that have come through in the past.
VisitPA have had the foresight to see that travellers are using Foursquare while travelling through their state and instead of ignoring it, they have partnered with Foursquare to create unique badges, adding value to the trip planning module on VisitPA.com. More importantly, they have taken control of their destination by adding their own quality checked tips, rather than leaving the experience to chance.
By jumping in the deep end and accepting a new medium, VistPA have stayed relevant with a larger audience, but more importantly they have reclaimed their brand. Other DMOs will need to take note- this is the future of destination marketing.