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Need a Last-Minute Tourism Boost? Launch a Discovery Passport in 30 Minutes
Need a quick fix for low visitor engagement? Forget pricey print runs and months of planning. A digital discovery passport to savings is your solution. DMOs and BIAs can launch this fun, gamified rewards program in under an hour to instantly drive foot traffic to local businesses. Learn the simple 3-step action plan and see how groups like Bruce County achieved 18,000+ visits without extra staff. This is how you turn an engagement gap into an immediate, measurable win.

Andrew Applebaum
3 days ago4 min read


A Passport to Savings: How Holiday Shopping Campaigns Can Drive Foot Traffic (and Fun)
Ready to turn holiday shoppers into local explorers? Discover how digital rewards and a passport to savings can boost foot traffic and sales for your BIA or town centre. Instead of paper cards, a mobile-based system encourages people to visit multiple businesses by gamifying the experience. This low-friction, high-fun approach drives measurable engagement, as seen in examples like Downtown Brampton's 3,000+ check-ins. Focus on mapping out the fun, and using a simple reward st

Andrew Applebaum
Nov 204 min read


Winter Driving Tours: How to Turn Your Region Into a Self-Guided Holiday Adventure
The winter season is a prime opportunity to launch a self-guided driving tour, turning scenic routes into high-engagement adventures. This how-to guide shows DMOs and tourism managers how to curate safety-conscious, interactive itineraries (like holiday light tours) using digital check-ins and gamified rewards. This strategy not only supports local businesses during the off-season but also provides invaluable visitor data on travel patterns.

Andrew Applebaum
Nov 185 min read


Tourism Marketing That Works: How to Launch a Holiday Rewards Campaign
It’s time to solve the budget panic caused by untrackable, old-school advertising. Stop draining funds on campaigns that don't prove their worth.
The most effective solution for driving spending and engagement is a digital rewards campaign. By gamifying experiences—like a "Shop Local" scavenger hunt—you turn passive activity into measurable action. This strategy provides the hard data and verifiable ROI you need for stakeholders.
Get started easily!

Andrew Applebaum
Nov 64 min read


10 New Holiday Self Guided Walking Tour Ideas for BIAs
The holiday season is a massive opportunity for small towns and BIAs, but the pressure to drive foot traffic is real. The solution isn't a bigger budget—it's a smart, self guided walking tour that leverages your existing charm. We’ve collected 10 fresh, engaging ideas—from 'Elf Hunts' to 'Ugly Sweater Showcases'—to help you launch a rewarding, low-staffing campaign that gets people shopping local and exploring your main street this winter.

Andrew Applebaum
Nov 45 min read


Seasonal Tourism Marketing That Works: 7 Real Ideas from Towns Like Yours
Ever feel the pressure of the changing seasons, wondering how to keep your town buzzing year-round, not just during peak times? As a small-town tourism marketer or a BIA communications manager, you know that visitors often have specific interests tied to the time of year. But translating that into concrete, engaging tourism marketing strategies that actually work can be a real head-scratcher, especially with limited time and resources.

Andrew Applebaum
Oct 314 min read


Behind the Magic: How One Festival Created a Living Digital Experience with Driftscape
As an event coordinator or festival planner, you pour your heart into creating unforgettable moments. You dream of every attendee feeling truly immersed, discovering new artists, and staying connected long after the last curtain call. But how do you extend that magic beyond the physical event space, especially when your audience is on the go and hungry for more? (It’s a real challenge, making an ephemeral event leave a lasting digital footprint!)

Andrew Applebaum
Oct 224 min read


How Food Trails and Coupons Can Inspire Autumn Exploration
Looking for a new way to get visitors exploring this fall? Learn how a seasonal food trail and a smart coupon management app can drive foot traffic, boost local business, and create an immersive culinary experience. This guide will show you how to use digital coupons to turn a simple activity into a profitable community campaign.

Andrew Applebaum
Oct 33 min read


Your 3-Step Guide to a Spooky-Themed Coupon Campaign
Spooky season is a huge opportunity for local businesses, but how do you turn the festive spirit into tangible sales? Learn how a coupon management app can create a spooky-themed trail with digital rewards and coupons, driving foot traffic to local shops and providing valuable data to measure your campaign's success.

Andrew Applebaum
Sep 294 min read


Why a Museum App Isn’t Just for Exhibits: 6 Ways to Extend Visitor Engagement Outdoors This Fall
Don’t let visitor engagement end at your museum's doors! Learn how to use a museum tour app to create self-guided, outdoor experiences that connect your institution to the community. From seasonal scavenger hunts to historical walking tours, discover six creative ways to leverage the autumn season and keep visitors engaged with your stories long after they've left your exhibits. It's a simple, powerful way to extend your reach and show that the best stories are found right ou

Andrew Applebaum
Sep 244 min read


How to Build a Self-Guided Cycling Tour With an Audio Guide App
It's a crisp autumn day, and visitors want to get out and explore, but a staffed event is too much work. Learn how an audio guide app can help you create a low-cost, high-impact self-guided cycling tour. This guide shows you how to capture stories with your phone, map your route, and promote the tour to make it an unforgettable seasonal adventure.

Andrew Applebaum
Sep 224 min read


How to Boost Tourism This Halloween: 20 Self-Guided & Spooky Ideas
Looking to attract more visitors this Halloween? This guide shows how to boost tourism this spooky season by using a self-guided tour app. Get 20 creative ideas for spooky tours and scavenger hunts that engage both locals and visitors, while also supporting local businesses and generating valuable buzz.

Andrew Applebaum
Sep 194 min read


How to Create a Haunted Walking Tour With Spooky Audio (No Tour Guide Needed)
Looking to create a spooky Halloween experience? This guide shows how a walking tour audio app is the perfect low-cost solution for a self-guided haunted tour. Learn how to transform your community's spooky folklore into an engaging, self-guided adventure that drives visitor engagement and provides valuable data.

Andrew Applebaum
Sep 174 min read


How to Create a Fall Farm Tour with an Interactive Tour Guide App
It's a huge opportunity for local farms and businesses this fall, but how do you make it all feel like one cohesive event? Learn how an interactive tour guide app can connect farms, local shops, and visitors into a seamless, self-guided tour that boosts foot traffic and celebrates the best of the season.

Andrew Applebaum
Sep 153 min read


Fall Strategies for Helping Visitors Shop Local and Stay Longer
The busy summer season is over, but fall is a huge opportunity to keep the momentum going. A local culture app helps you create engaging campaigns that inspire visitors to explore your entire town, supporting local businesses and extending their stay. Learn how to launch a themed tour with gamification and rewards to drive foot traffic and track your success.

Andrew Applebaum
Sep 123 min read


How to Boost Fall Tourism: 20 Self-Guided Tours, Hunts & Ideas That Work
Looking to attract more visitors this Halloween? This guide shows how to boost tourism this spooky season by using a self-guided tour app. Get 20 creative ideas for spooky tours and scavenger hunts that engage both locals and visitors, while also supporting local businesses and generating valuable buzz.

Andrew Applebaum
Sep 104 min read


Create a Fall Heritage Walk: A Self-Guided Tour to Explore History, Foliage, and Local Shops
Fall is the perfect time for a heritage walk! Learn how a digital app for heritage sites can help you create a seasonal self-guided tour that drives visitor engagement and supports local businesses. This guide covers everything from mapping your route to adding scavenger hunt elements and using a mobile tour platform to bring history to life.

Andrew Applebaum
Sep 84 min read


The Fall Tourism Playbook: 10 Digital Ways to Boost Visitor Engagement This Season
As summer winds down, you're probably already thinking about the next season. The big question is: How do you keep the tourism momentum...

Andrew Applebaum
Sep 43 min read


Back-to-School, Back to Exploring: How Travel Guide Apps Can Inspire Local Fall Adventures
The post-summer lull is a perfect time to inspire local exploration! Learn how a customizable interactive travel guide app can create engaging, self-guided tours that motivate residents and visitors to support local businesses. This guide helps you create themed adventures, gamify the experience with rewards, and promote the story to boost engagement.

Andrew Applebaum
Sep 23 min read


How Driftscape and 17th Ave Made Halloween Spook-Tacular with an Interactive Trick-or-Treat Trail
17th Ave BIA & Driftscape Success!
The app-powered trick-or-treat trail transformed Halloween on Calgary's 17th Ave, doubling foot traffic (up 100% to 56,000 visitors) and boosting local sales by 50%. The Driftscape platform provided an interactive, map-based tour, guiding visitors to undiscovered businesses. This showcased the power of smart tourism to drive economic growth and enhance visitor engagement. A proven blueprint for DMOs/BIAs.

Andrew Applebaum
Dec 5, 20245 min read
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