How the Columbus Attractions Pass Helped Contribute to an Increase of Two Million Visitors

The Problem

Columbus, Ohio has an amazing marketing team and does a great job of attracting visitors, but about 80% of those are day trippers. Kari Kauffman, Chief Destination Experience Officer at Experience Columbus explained why Columbus has historically seen only about 20% of visitors staying overnight. “We’re right in the middle of the state,” she said. “And we have all these major metropolitan areas around us like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, Toledo. There's a huge population that’s a quick drive to Columbus, so we’re ripe for day trips.” Like most destination marketing organizations, they wanted to find a way to increase heads in beds and they were challenged with finding a way to get visitors to stay overnight. 

The Solution

Several years ago, Experience Columbus launched a paper pass called the “Roar and Explore” ticket which granted admission to multiple attractions. The idea of a multi-ticket attractions pass has been important to them even prior to their relationship with Bandwango. 

Kauffman explained their strategy for the bundled pass, saying, “We’re trying to provide potential visitors with all there is to do. And I think when they buy something and see they cannot do this all-in-one day, they see they need to also book that hotel room and stay a couple of additional days.” She added,

“You can give them all the ideas, and a suggested itinerary. We do that as well, but they could adapt that however they see fit, depending on whether they wanted to spend a night or just make a day trip. I think once they make that purchase, then it's highly likely they're going to book a hotel and spend the night – because now you've given them a reason.”

Going Digital 

Dealing with a paper ticket was a tedious and cumbersome process, so when Kauffman learned of a digital platform that offered a more efficient and customizable option for paid attractions passes, she jumped on it. That’s when the current version of the Columbus Attractions Pass was created. There are four attractions included on the ticket- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus Museum of Art, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. 

By bundling multiple attractions into one ticket, it gives visitors a reason to stay longer. Kauffman says the goal with it was simple, "We wanted to turn day trips into overnights.” With the digital pass, they were able to easily customize and distribute it. Their passes are set up in a way that they must be used within 90 days of purchase. When someone purchases a Columbus Attractions Pass, their pass is sent to them via email and text. They then use their mobile device to be granted admission to each attraction. 

The Columbus Attractions Pass is available in one- and three-day options. The one-day pass grants admission for 24 hours, so even that option helps with overnight stays. For example, a family could spend an afternoon at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, stay overnight and then go to the Columbus Museum of Art the next morning. 

Marketing the Columbus Attractions Pass

Experience Columbus has created an easy-to-navigate marketplace that has all of their passes and trails. Kauffman feels that is important, as the marketing directs visitors to that page where they can see all of the things they can experience in one place. 

This page includes other free successful trails, as well as the Columbus Attractions Pass. It also includes individual tickets and tours that can be purchased through their website. Kauffman said, “All of our passes and trails are a huge part of our messaging. When appropriate, we are constantly pushing it out within our marketing.” Some examples of marketing include:  

• The attractions pass and other trails are included in relevant blog posts.
• They distribute press releases for their passes and trails in an effort to garner earned media coverage.
• Passes are promoted and sold at the Experience Columbus Visitor Center. The staff has a QR code and visitors can purchase it right there on their phone.‍
• Gifting campaigns for paid passes can be beneficial, and Experience Columbus has included their attractions pass in their annual holiday gift guides.   
• The Columbus Attraction Pass is also sold on third-party sites such as Groupon and Get Your Guide. Bandwango did all the work to get that set up and continues to maintain that initiative. Kauffman said this serves as an additional form of marketing for the pass, and she attributes a large spike in sales to third-party distribution. 

The Results

• The destination is meeting their goal of increasing overnight stays. Kauffman excitedly shared, “Last year we had an increase of over two million visits. That's the first time we’ve had that significant of an increase. Is it solely related to the pass? No-it’s everything we’re doing. But I’m certain the attractions pass is a piece of it. If you give them plenty of things to experience in your destination, then they need to stay overnight.”

• The local attractions are making money. Over $130,000 has been made from the Columbus Attractions Pass and money is being paid out monthly to the local attractions. Experience Columbus doesn’t have to manage that. One of the services Bandwango provides is managed accounting. Experience Columbus is making money from sales of the pass, too, and Bandwango is distributing payments to them monthly as well. 

• Visitors are getting a great deal and visiting more attractions. The pass is packaged in a way that allows the visitor to save money. Instead of paying for individual admission onsite at the attractions, they are saving more than 20% when they purchase the Columbus Attractions Pass. They also have multiple options (one-day, three-day, child, adult) which allows them to get the appropriate reduced-price ticket for their needs. The multi-ticket pass is also introducing them to other attractions that may not have been top-of-mind for them. 

Conclusion

Kauffman says their team is really pleased with sales. Equally as impressive is the staggering increase in adding two million additional visits, and she feels the Columbus Attractions Pass is one of the contributing factors to that success. Their other free trails are a part of the success as well, and she said, “All of our passes and trails are a huge part of how we curate the experience for our visitors and residents. It gets them out in the community to go to places they might not necessarily go – both small businesses and big attractions.” 

When asked about future goals, she said, “We definitely want to do more paid passes. I think there’s a big opportunity there.” 

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Experience Columbus’ Three Tips for Building a Successful Attractions Pass

• If you have multiple trails (free and paid) build a landing page that includes all of them in one place. 
• Use Bandwango’s third-party distribution partners to help sell more passes. 
• Work with Bandwango to host a webinar for your attractions to help explain the idea of the pass, how they get paid, etc. 

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