Research
Visit Williamsburg's third-party research partner is Strategic Marketing and Research Insights (SMARI), an Indianapolis-based full-service research firm with a focus on travel and tourism. The organization has more than 33 years of proven experience, having worked with 20 state tourism organizations, 38 convention and visitors bureaus, and 23 attractions.
SMARI is responsible for the development and execution of a comprehensive research program, including consumer perception, ad effectiveness/return on investment, monthly trend newsletter, consumer sentiment, and more.
Traveler Focus Group Summary
Visit Williamsburg’s research partner, SMARI, and advertising agency, Connelly Partners, conducted nine focus groups in May of 2020. The objectives were to explore the behaviors and underlying emotions that drive domestic destination considerations, identify common journey points, sources and sequences, and explore the effects that COVID-19 has had on anticipated travel plans. Read the full summary here.
Black Traveler Research Report
There is a growing societal interest in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and it is one of many important trends in the travel and tourism industry. Visit Williamsburg is interested in understanding how the destination is perceived among different audiences to potentially inform marketing strategies the destination may develop for a variety of minority audiences and travelers who identify as LGBTQ+. Read the full report here.
Advertising Effectiveness & Return on Investment (ROI) Study
2022
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Visit Williamsburg’s advertising (January – October 2022) ultimately influenced approximately 432,000 trips to the region, resulting in $832 million in visitor spending, and a return of $73 in visitor spending for each $1 invested in the media buy. Read the full summary here
- Additional media investment from May to June led ad awareness to grow from 51% to 52%, equating to about 300,000 additional ad-aware households. Read the full summary here.
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In Jan. through April 2022 advertising generated 51% awareness, reaching 8.6 million target households. Read the full summary here.
2021
- The fall-themed, holiday-themed, and other advertising that ran during the 2021 fall and holiday seasons each reached about a third of target households. Combined, 45% of target households recall seeing any of this advertising. Read the full summary here.
2020
- The 2020 “Life.at your pace” advertising campaign included linear TV/CTV, digital banner, social, and influencer content advertising. The digital banner and social ads included summer, fall, and holiday executions. Read the full summary here.
- The 2020 advertising campaign reached 46% of target households, or 4.4 million people. Read the full summary here.
2019
- Visit Williamsburg influenced more than 350,000 trips to the destination in 2019 with its paid promotions. This resulted in more than $400 million in influenced visitor spending, or $86 for every $1 spent on marketing. Read the full summary here.
Travel Trends Newsletter
2023
2022
2021
2020
Third-Party Resources
U.S. Travel Association Business Travel Tracker 2023 Q1 Executive Summary
Expedia Group Q2 Traveler Insights Report
Expedia Group Sustainable Travel Study
U.S. Travel Association Q2 Consumer Insights
Expedia Group Inclusive Travel Report
Longwoods International American Travel Sentiment Study (Wave 73)
Northstar Meetings Group Cvent Meetings Industry Pulse Report
U.S. Department of Commerce Forecast of International Inbound Visitor Arrivals to the United States
U.S. Travel Association Economic Impact Report: Virginia
Bureau of Labor Statistics Report
Expedia Group 2023 Traveler Value Index
Longwoods International American Travel Sentiment Study (Wave 72)
U.S. Travel Association 2023 Policy Priorities
U.S. Travel Association Global Meetings Industry Day Toolkit
U.S. Travel Association 2023 Strategic Priorities Framework
U.S. Travel Association March Messaging Guide
Adara Pulse Spring 2023 - Domestic and Outbound Travel Trends for the U.S.
Longwoods International American Travel Sentiment Study (Wave 71)
StackAdapt Advertiser Perception Contextual Advertising Report
Expedia Group Media Solutions 2023 Q1 Traveler Insights Report
Longwoods International American Travel Sentiment Study (Wave 70)
Sports ETA and Longwoods Sports Study
Destination Analysts 2023 State of the American Traveler
U.S. Travel Association 2022 Election Results Freshman Profiles
Expedia 2022 Q4 Traveler Insights Report
American Hotel & Lodging Association Tax Study 2022
Expedia 2022 Q2 Traveler Insights Report
U.S. Travel Association August 2022 Messaging Guide
U.S. Travel Association September 2022 Messaging Guide
Skift Research State of Travel 2022
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