How Food Trails and Coupons Can Inspire Autumn Exploration

It’s that time of year when the days get a little shorter, the air gets a little crisper, and your to-do list seems to get a little longer.

As a BIA manager or tourism coordinator, you’re scrambling for new, engaging ideas for the fall season, but you're short on time and resources.

What if you could inspire people to explore your community and support local businesses, all with one easy-to-use tool?

The secret is in a simple, seasonal food trail combined with a clever coupon management app.

Why a Food Trail Is the Perfect Fall Campaign

Thinking about autumn tourism often brings to mind beautiful leaves and scenic drives.

But what if we focused on another huge part of the fall experience: comfort food and cozy vibes?

A food trail isn't just about eating; it's a cultural tourism experience that helps people connect with your town's unique culinary scene. It’s a low-effort, high-impact campaign that taps into something everyone loves.

For example, you could create a "Harvest Hot Chocolate Trail" or a "Pumpkin Spice Passport" that guides people to different local cafes, bakeries, and restaurants. Each stop could have a unique fall-themed treat. This type of campaign turns a simple activity into a guided, interactive journey, creating an immersive travel experience for visitors.

Using a Coupon Management App to Drive Foot Traffic

Here’s where it gets really interesting and where a coupon management app becomes your secret weapon. Instead of just listing places, you can give people a reason to visit each one.

By integrating digital coupons or rewards into your food trail, you're creating an incentive-based journey. You're also supporting local businesses, and tap into something everyone loves: a digital rewards or coupon management app.

The Driftscape digital tourism platform makes this simple. Take the Crescent Heights BIA in Calgary, for example. They used mobile gamification and digital coupons to highlight local businesses during Asian Heritage Month. They didn’t just save thousands of dollars on printing costs, but saw over 5,000 user interactions. That's a huge win! It shows how powerful a small, digital incentive can be in driving foot traffic and engagement.

Think about it:

• Instead of a stamp card, use a digital coupon that unlocks when they check in at a location.

• Offer a prize for completing the entire trail (a gift card to a local business, maybe?).

• Give a small discount at each stop to encourage purchases and explore more.

• Track which coupons are used most often to see which businesses are getting the most love.

Quick Wins for Launching Your Own Tour

Ready to get started? Here are a few simple, actionable steps to build your tour using a self-guided tour app like Driftscape:

1. Partner with Local Businesses: Reach out to local cafes, restaurants, and bakeries. Ask them to create a special fall-themed item for the trail.

2. Keep it Simple: Don't over-complicate it. You can start with just 5-10 businesses and a simple reward for completing the trail.

3. Go Digital: Use a platform with a built-in coupon management app. This saves you from printing costs and gives you valuable data on what’s working.

4. Market the Story: Don’t just promote the trail, promote the story behind it. Share photos of the delicious food and the people who make it on social media. (A little bit of storytelling goes a long way!)

This fall, don't let the stress of planning overwhelm you.

Lean into something simple, fun, and delicious. By creating a seasonal food trail and using a smart coupon management app on a platform like Driftscape, you can get visitors exploring your streets, supporting local businesses, and falling in love with your community all over again. It’s a powerful way to promote your shop local message.

Start building your community tour...book a demo now and see how easy it is to create your own digital coupon management app.