Holiday Pass Ideas That Drive Visitation: Lessons From Successful Destination Campaigns

During Bandwango's webinar, 'Tis the Season for Planning: Ideas for a Fun, Successful Holiday Pass, destination partners shared how they brought these ideas to life. From a Christmas movie-inspired trail in Wisconsin to a collaborative holiday pass in Indiana, their experiences offer practical lessons for destinations planning their next seasonal campaign.

Case Study: Door County's Christmas Movie Trail

What happens when a destination becomes part of a holiday movie? Door County, Wisconsin, turned that opportunity into a campaign designed to attract visitors and generate spending at local businesses.

After the movie Wisconsin Christmas Pie, which later became available on streaming services as A Cherry Pie Christmas, was filmed in Door County, the destination launched the Door County Christmas Movie Trail. The campaign featured 16 locations connected to the movie, giving fans a reason to visit the places they had seen on screen. To encourage participation, Door County offered locally inspired prizes. Visitors who checked in at 10 locations could earn a mug, while those who visited 14 locations received the mug along with a special Door County coffee created for the movie.

The campaign quickly gained traction. Door County promoted the trail through regional press releases, radio, print and television coverage, live news interviews, organic Facebook posts, business signage with QR codes, and a dedicated website. One launch announcement on Facebook generated 127,000 views. The team also introduced a Shop the Trail giveaway after realizing that some participants were completing check-ins without necessarily spending money at the participating businesses. Visitors could submit receipts from trail locations for a chance to win Door County gift certificates. Over two months, the campaign generated $36,000 in submitted receipts. More than 3,000 people from 35 states signed up, and over 1,000 completed the trail.

The impact extended beyond pass participation. A post-campaign survey found that 21% of respondents visited Door County specifically because of the trail, 44% booked overnight lodging, and 92% visited businesses they had never visited before. Door County Coffee also reported growth of 20% to 30% in November and December 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.

What destinations can learn

Door County's experience shows how a timely cultural connection can become a powerful tourism campaign. Rather than creating a generic holiday pass, the destination built on an existing story that already had an audience.

The campaign also illustrates the importance of connecting engagement with spending. Adding the receipt giveaway helped the team demonstrate economic impact to participating businesses, while the locally inspired prizes made the experience feel connected to Door County.

For destinations planning their own holiday campaigns, consider whether a popular film, local tradition, seasonal attraction, or community story could inspire a themed trail. Then look for ways to encourage spending along the way and collect evidence of the campaign's impact.

Case Study: Visit Indy and Hamilton County's Holiday Adventure Pass

Visitors don't always think in terms of city or county boundaries when planning a trip. Visit Indy and Hamilton County Tourism built on that idea by collaborating on a Holiday Adventure Pass that encourages visitors to explore both destinations.

The partners created a shared experience featuring 21 participating locations across Marion and Hamilton counties. The pass included holiday attractions, museums, events, and other experiences, including the popular Christkindlmarkt in Carmel. The campaign used gamification to encourage exploration. Participants earned prizes after three check-ins and could enter to win a getaway prize package after five check-ins.

The organizations also made a deliberate change to their prizes. Instead of relying solely on branded merchandise, they incorporated items from local retailers and vendors, including candle-making experiences, T-shirts, and gifts from local shops. This gave the prize structure another connection to the communities visitors were exploring. The partnership delivered impressive earned media results. In 2024, the pass reached a potential audience of 46.7 million people through earned media, with 96% positive coverage and an estimated advertising value of $432,000. Across the two years discussed in the webinar, the partners reported 47 earned media stories and a combined potential audience of 77 million people, with consistently positive coverage.

The teams also learned from each campaign and made improvements. After initially using GPS-based check-ins, they switched to QR codes at participating locations. The change helped increase check-ins by making participation more visible and accessible to visitors already at those attractions. They also refined their signage strategy, planning to provide partners with different options, including table tents, window clings, and A-frame signs. This allowed each business to display the pass in a way that best fit its space and visitor flow.

What destinations can learn

The Holiday Adventure Pass demonstrates how collaboration can create a stronger visitor experience. By working together, two destination organizations offered a broader range of experiences and encouraged visitors to move throughout the region rather than remain in one area.

It also highlights the value of treating a pass as an evolving program. Reviewing results, listening to partners, and adjusting check-in methods and promotional materials helped the organizations identify ways to improve the experience year after year.

For destinations considering a similar approach, start by identifying neighboring communities or organizations with complementary attractions. Shared promotions, coordinated prizes, and consistent messaging can help create a more compelling regional experience.

More Holiday Pass Ideas From Bandwango's Destination Partners

The webinar also highlighted other campaigns that offer inspiration for destinations looking to create a unique seasonal experience.

Create a Theme That People Remember

A focused theme can make a pass more engaging and easier to promote. Bandwango's team highlighted examples such as Pastina's boba trail, which featured boba tea slippers as a prize, and Visit Fort Wayne's apple trail, which included an apple plushie.

For the holidays, a destination could build a pass around hot chocolate, peppermint treats, festive window displays, or a series of seasonal experiences. The key is to make the concept immediately understandable and carry the theme through the pass, marketing materials, and prizes.

Bring a Community Together With a Window Decorating Contest

Delray Beach, Florida, offered an example of how a seasonal theme can unite local businesses around a shared event. During Valentine's Day, the destination connected the concept of love with tennis scoring and a major tennis tournament in town. Local businesses decorated their windows, creating a visible expression of community excitement throughout the destination.

The same idea could work during the holidays. Invite participating businesses to decorate their storefronts, create a festive atmosphere, and feature the locations in a digital pass that encourages people to explore the area.

Turn Seasonal Displays Into a Trail

Holiday lights can become more than individual attractions. A check-in pass can guide visitors between displays across a downtown, neighborhood, or wider region while encouraging stops at nearby restaurants, coffee shops, and retailers. The webinar also highlighted Discover Denton's Halloween campaign, which used installations throughout town during October to help visitors navigate the destination and discover seasonal experiences.

Destinations can apply the same approach to holiday lights, decorated historic homes, winter displays, or other seasonal attractions. Including participating businesses along the route creates opportunities to connect sightseeing with local spending.

Make It Interactive With Holiday Bingo

Visit Canton in Ohio was highlighted as an early user of Bandwango's bingo format. Its autumn campaign invited visitors to complete activities such as visiting haunted attractions, taking hayrides, and exploring pumpkin patches, with a prize waiting at the end. A holiday version could include visiting a festive market, seeing a light display, shopping at a local business, or trying a seasonal treat. A bingo-style experience provides a clear goal while giving participants flexibility in how they complete their activities.

Think Beyond One City With a Regional Trail

West Virginia's paranormal trail demonstrates how a themed experience can connect attractions across an entire state. By giving visitors paranormal-related experiences to discover throughout West Virginia, the campaign reinforces a recognizable destination identity and encourages exploration across different areas.

For the holidays, regional tourism organizations could work together to create a trail featuring seasonal attractions, local traditions, and participating businesses across multiple communities.

Build a Holiday Scavenger Hunt for Families

A scavenger hunt can give families a reason to explore local businesses together. As discussed in the webinar, participating locations could hide a small holiday figurine or another seasonal item with a QR code for visitors to find.

This approach turns shopping and exploring into an activity for the whole family while creating opportunities to introduce visitors to businesses they may not have otherwise discovered.

Turn the Season Into an Opportunity for Local Businesses

Across these examples, several strategies stand out. The most effective campaigns begin with a clear idea, create a reason for visitors to explore, and make participating businesses an important part of the experience. They also rely on promotion and partnership. Door County combined media outreach with business signage and a receipt-based incentive. Visit Indy and Hamilton County coordinated their efforts across two destinations, worked directly with partners, and improved their campaign based on previous results.

Just as importantly, both examples show the value of measuring more than sign-ups. Receipt tracking, participant surveys, check-ins, earned media, and business feedback can help destinations understand what their campaigns accomplished and identify opportunities for future improvement.

Start Planning Your Next Holiday Pass

A successful holiday pass doesn't have to be complicated. It needs a compelling reason to participate, a thoughtful collection of experiences, and a strategy for connecting visitors with the businesses and attractions that make a destination special.

Whether you're building a Christmas movie trail, coordinating a regional holiday adventure, creating a festive scavenger hunt, or encouraging visitors to explore seasonal displays, a digital pass can help turn holiday excitement into meaningful local engagement.

Ready to bring your next seasonal campaign to life? Connect with the Bandwango team to explore how digital passes can help your destination encourage exploration, strengthen local partnerships, and measure the impact of your next holiday campaign.

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