Visitor Information Centers: Is the future still bright for an age-old destination staple?

As Visit Sarasota County works to connect with potential visitors around the globe, we constantly refine our social media. Most recently, we decided to expand our social media programming to include LinkedIn. Our sales team works to attract meetings and groups to the area, and this social platform allows us to efficiently connect with industry professionals daily.

Our group sales coordinator, Allison Jones, leads our LinkedIn initiative and as a millennial, she was surprised by a recent statistic shared with her by our visitor experience manager, Sandrina McCloud, who oversees VSC’s various Visitor Information Centers.

Between January through March of 2019, high season in Sarasota, the VSC visitor services staff and volunteers interacted with 17,671 visitors — a 46 percent increase compared to the same months in 2018.

As LinkedIn is the ideal platform to discuss such industry topics, we decided to use this statistic as a discussion topic with other destination marketing organizations like VSC about whether Visitor Information Centers are still useful and valuable in today’s digital landscape.

We also wanted to share our thoughts locally since data shows that visitors and locals alike can benefit from information centers. As a traveler, you most likely find value in stopping by a visitor information center. But, have you considered that as a local, you can gain some insightful knowledge about things to do or places to “staycation” in Sarasota County at our Visitor Information Center?

VSC attributes some of its visitor center influx to the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport’s increased flight services and the new joint welcome center at the airport’s baggage claim area. Additionally, the VSC’s Visitor Information Vehicle (VIV) has attended more events throughout the county, and the recently renovated downtown center’s location (in the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Building) has quickly become a hot spot for knowledge seekers.

In an interview with McCloud, she shared her highly recommended items in Sarasota County’s centers that can be mirrored in other visitor centers, too — and best yet, enjoyed by all!

• Destination brand ambassadors: to offer insider tips and informative interactions while providing a personalized touch to make visitors feel welcome.

• Maps: for on-the-go reading or for a detailed route planning session in the center.

• Visitor guides: to represent the area’s tourism industry in an easy-to-read fashion.

• Free Wi-Fi & power outlets: to allow visitors to recharge, check emails and search restaurant reviews, find attractions and other recommendations.

• Events list: to help visitors feel like locals and experience the one-of-a-kind events of the area.

• Restrooms: to provide relief to travelers who have been on the road for a long time.

• Printer access: to buy and print boarding passes or tickets to area attractions.

McCloud said these items paired with other experiential items have helped VSC to expand its reach.

Visitor Information Centers: On the move

John Sims, a Sarasota County resident for 42 years, is a visitor services specialist who takes Sarasota County’s mobile visitor center, better known as the VIV, to major sporting events, festivals, and farmers markets throughout the destination to inform locals and visitors about all there is to see and do in our area. Sims, who joined VSC in 2012, said, “Last year, we interacted with about 13,000 people just with the VIV. I love this area, so I truly enjoy educating people all over the world about my home.”

The mix of the VSC-branded VIV paired with a passionate visitor services specialist is the perfect recipe for Sarasota County. Portable visitor centers add another traveler touch point and reaches people, that normally do not visit a center, in a unique way. As a local, have you seen the VIV out and about?

Staffing Visitor Centers: Are they worth the hassle?

"Visitors of community-based centers are more likely to engage in informational materials and are more likely to change trip plans based on the information obtained,” according to a study published by Travel and Tourism Research Association in 2016.

McCloud said that she sees firsthand how personal interactions can shift the length of a traveler’s stay. In Sarasota’s high season, the downtown Sarasota visitor center assists on average of 100 visitors per day; and those visitors are educated by staff and volunteers and quickly become VSC brand advocates. She said they are also accustomed to seeing residents who are stopping in to gather ideas for visiting family and friends. Even though the new VSC Visitor Information Center located within the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce has only been open a few months, it is also seeing similar traction.

“We notice that, because of our personal interactions with visitors and the amount of information we provide them that many tend to extend their stay, become repeat visitors, and share their wonderful experience with their loves ones quicker who, in turn, then are tempted to visit our area too,” said McCloud.

Though VSC has seen growth, some destinations have eliminated physical visitor centers in order to increase funding toward other marketing endeavors such as improving an online presence. According to New York City DMO’s website, two official visitor centers in New York City have closed. Despite the closings, NYC & Company maintains a co-branded physical center at Macy’s Herald Square Store and promotes its free Wi-Fi hotspots available at kiosks throughout the city.

McCloud shared that knowing your area’s traveler profile plays a large role in the success of a center. She said the travelers going to New York likely differ than the ones visiting Sarasota County. “Our largest group of visitors (encompassing the retired, snowbirds and relocators) still like to have interactions with an expert of the area in person and pick up physical materials,” said McCloud. Our locals are a similar demographic and their preferences are not far off.

While tending to the needs of a DMO’s target audience is a top priority, McCloud understands the need to have a holistic approach when creating a center. The future enhancements of the VSC visitor centers will also look to continue satisfying the preferences of other audiences like millennials and Gen Z travelers who are more inclined to engage with augmented reality and selfie stations. VSC is also looking at creating a summer discount card with the participation of DMO tourism partners to fill a void during the off season and have a “key” person educate travelers in person about the award-winning beaches.

Proving Value

The value of a visitor center may fluctuate for every destination based on the different demographics of the travelers. Despite the variances, visitor centers that are up to date with experiential technologies and those that maintain a strong sense of their destination and its happenings will maintain as valuable assets to their DMOs.

“We make our visitor centers interactive, so they become destinations and experiences in their own,” said McCloud. “The role of the visitor center continues to evolve as the No. 1 local brand representative and has become a great tool to tell the many stories of our beautiful area, to whomever is asking.”

Virginia Haley is the president of Visit Sarasota County. She can be reached at 941-955-0991 or vhaley@visitsarasota.org.