These days travelers who want to revel in the wines, spirits, local brews and libations of a destination seem to be as much about the craft as they are about the party. And between winery tours, brew passes and ale trails, it can even downright look like agritourism with a side of something in a glass.
What’s great about that, is that while alcohol will always be a fun, enticing aspect of dining, exploring and nightlife, the other side of that coin connects travelers with a sense of place and community in a different, even literal way.
Traveling to a cadre of micro breweries, vineyards or distilleries just to try and taste what’s different, unique and delicious, inevitably includes talk of soil, weather, growing seasons, fermenting processes and other things that connect people to the land, to a place, and to the art of making something other people love.
One could claim that following an ale trail, for example, is perhaps the best way to get to know a place. From the ground to the people who live on it, what you find in the fizz is connected to it all. Whatever the case, Ale trails and other similar expressions are among the most popular among the Bandwango DXE, and for good reason. They’re a win for the traveler and win for the destination.
Guiding visitors and locals through the spirited scene of your destination has never been easier than it is with Bandwango. Once your merchants are on board with the offers they’d like to extend—and that can be a tour, a discount, a giveaway, a tasting, anything—and the pass is operational, all customers have to do is to “buy” the pass, which is then instantly delivered to their phone via text and email.
We put “buy” in quotes because some destinations may want to offer the trail/passport for free, like we’ll see with Go Great Lakes below.
Then customers simply present the pass at participating wineries, vineyards, distilleries, tap rooms, breweries (wherever!) along the Trail, where they can redeem the benefit, access the tour and experience the fun of what makes these trails so popular.
Anchored by Saginaw and Midland, Go Great Lakes Bay in Michigan wants visitors to enjoy exclusive discounts at wineries, bars and restaurants. More than that, they promote their “Drink Your Way Passport” by “calling you to craft your perfect Pure Michigan experience.” Now there’s a challenge few can refuse.
This free pass comes to visitors as described above straight to their phone and it’s good for a year, featuring $100 of savings redeemable at 10 locations including a brewery, multiple award winning wineries, attractions and even an art center. Nothing gets you more “tapped” in to the community quite like an Ale Trail or Wine Passport.
When it comes to wine, Virginia is quickly becoming the ”East Coast Napa” and this despite the challenging climate and growing conditions, making the triumph all the more impressive. It’s no surprise, then, that tasting trails follow as vineyards and vintners step onto a larger stage and receive wine-specific travelers to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Offering both a 3-day and an annual wine pass, Northern Virginia’s Loudoun County (LoCo, hence) bills itself as DC’s wine country. And with a wine pass that offers “Free Tastings, Exclusive Offers, and Discounts at 22 Loudoun County Vineyards and Wineries” it’s pretty apparent why.
Of course, a Bandwango-powered wine pass or ale trail is only effective if people know about it. It helps when the description of the experience that awaits is as wondrously enticing as how Visit Loudoun describes it: “Sip on a glass of vino with family or friends while you enjoy all that Loudoun’s Wine Trail has to offer from boutique style wineries where you can see the winemaker walking through the vines to Napa-Style tasting rooms that will take your breath away.” We’ll be right there!
A lot of destinations already feature wine trails and brew passes as part of a fully fleshed out itinerary or as a visitor guide for libation-enthused tourists. With content like that already existing on DMOs website, integrating Bandwango is really just a matter of putting a button on it.
That button, though, is really a catalyst for more reciprocity between destination visitors and destination marketers. By capturing rich data, trackable trends, and provable ROI for the marketer, the instantly accessible, easy-to-use (and easy to update) passport makes it easy to give visitors all they need right on their phone in a mobile app they don’t have to download.
Want to learn more about setting up an Ale Trail or other brewed/distilled/fermented experience for the locals and visitors in your destination? Request a demo below.
