Seasonal Tourism Marketing That Works: 7 Real Ideas from Towns Like Yours
- Andrew Applebaum
- Oct 31
- 4 min read
Ever feel the pressure of the changing seasons, wondering how to keep your town buzzing year-round, not just during peak times?
As a 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.
The Year-Round Engagement Challenge
Towns and local business areas (BIAs) face a unique hurdle: how do you consistently attract visitors when your main draw might be a summer festival or a winter wonderland?
The problem isn't a lack of charm or local gems. It's about effectively communicating your seasonal offerings and guiding visitors to those unique experiences.
You want to avoid the "off-season slump" and make every month an opportunity for discovery, ensuring consistent visitor flow and support for local businesses.
Transform Your Off-Season into a "New Season"
Imagine if you could turn those quieter months into themed adventures, drawing visitors eager for a specific experience.
That's the transformation effective seasonal tourism marketing strategies can bring. It’s about leveraging technology to re-theme your destination and highlight timely activities.
Think about North Perth's Leprechaun Hunt, which brought families out for a specific, fun, seasonal quest, boosting local engagement. This type of targeted, dynamic approach keeps your community vibrant no matter the calendar.
7 Impactful Tourism Marketing Strategies for Every Season
Here are some proven tourism marketing strategies tailored for small towns and BIAs, using examples you can relate to:
Themed Digital Walking Tours: Create a new self-guided tour app experience for each season. Imagine a Fall Foliage Photo Walk, a Winter Lights Festival Tour, or a Spring Bloom Stroll. Evergreen Brickworks saw over 1500+ tour views on their app, demonstrating the power of seasonal content to create an immersive travel experience.
Holiday Scavenger Hunts: Gamify the experience during festive periods. North Perth's successful Leprechaun Hunt is a perfect example, getting people out and exploring businesses for clues. Offer small rewards or entries into a local draw to encourage participation and help visitors shop local.
Local Business Seasonal Showcases: Use smart notifications or a digital directory to promote seasonal specials or products from local businesses as visitors explore. This could be a Pumpkin Spice Latte Trail in autumn or a Holiday Gift Guide Tour in winter.
Historic Re-enactment or Storytelling Trails: Tie your town's history to relevant seasonal dates. A Spooky History Tour for Halloween (like Thunder Bay's Haunted House Tour with 25,000 views) or a Pioneer Christmas Traditions tour can drive cultural tourism.
Nature & Outdoor Activity Guides: Highlight seasonal outdoor pursuits. A Best Sledding Hills Guide in winter, or Hidden Waterfall Hikes in spring (think Bracebridge's popular waterfall tour). Use stunning visuals that truly capture the season's beauty.
Event-Specific Activation Tours: If you host a major festival, create a tour that acts as a digital program guide. The Toronto Fringe Festival partnered with a digital tourism platform for a podcast tour, allowing attendees to navigate the festival grounds, learn about artists, and find vendors seamlessly.
Seasonal Art & Culture Walks: Curate a Summer Sculpture Walk or a Winter Art Installations Tour. Downtown Guelph BIA successfully ran a virtual "Art on the Street" event, allowing discovery and engagement even when physical access was limited.
Seasonal Re-theming is Key
The core idea here is seasonal re-theming. You're not just throwing up a "Happy Holidays" banner; you're creating a whole new layer of experience that invites people to see your destination through a fresh, timely lens.
This maximizes your existing assets and keeps your community feeling dynamic year-round, converting seasonal interest into consistent engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: My town is small. Do we have enough content for seasonal tours?
A: Absolutely! Every town has unique stories, local businesses, and natural beauty that change with the seasons. Focus on what makes your place quirky and authentic – that's your unique selling proposition.
Q: Is it hard to manage multiple seasonal tours?
A: Not with the right digital tourism platform. Many are designed for easy content creation and scheduling, allowing you to activate and deactivate tours with a few clicks, saving valuable staff time.
Q: How do we get people to know about our seasonal offerings?
A: Promote your tours through local media, social media, visitor centres, and by partnering with local businesses to amplify the message. Leverage your existing networks for maximum reach.
Make Every Season Your Peak Season
Effective tourism marketing strategies for seasonal engagement don't require massive budgets; they require creativity and smart use of available tools.
By embracing seasonal re-theming and offering unique, timely experiences, you can consistently attract visitors and keep your community thriving throughout the year.
It’s about building lasting excitement and ensuring your town is always on their mind, no matter the weather.
Ready to transform your seasonal challenges into visitor opportunities?
Book a demo to explore how how Driftscape can help you implement these seasonal tourism marketing strategies and bring your town's unique stories to life.
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