MARKETING

2022 Event Sponsorship Program:

Visit South Walton is now accepting applications for the 2022 Event Sponsorhip Program. This program is intended to support, grow and promote local special events that have the ability to generate overnight stays, strengthen the Visit South Walton brand and enhance the South Walton vacation experience. Applicants whose events are accepted into the program will receive a combination of marketing support and reimbursement for marketing-related expenses.

The deadline for submissions is March 26. For more information about the program, CLICK HERE.

 

February Website Stats:

• Users & Page Views: 
  
  • Users who visited the site in February were mostly female (58%), between the ages 45-54 (20.2%) and new visitors (86.5%). Returning visitors increased by 4.1% compared to January 2021, accounting for 13.5% of all traffic to the website in February. 
  • Traffic to the site increased in both sessions (8.7%) and users (8.6%). Engagement metrics saw an increase in average session duration (11%) and pages per session (5%).
  • Most of the traffic in February came from social media, display and organic search, which accounted for more than two-thirds of the overall traffic to the website. 
• Devices:
  • Consistent with previous months, mobile devices were the primary driver of traffic to the website, making up 74% of total sessions. While mobile devices brought in the most sessions, desktops continued to account for the most engagement in average session duration, the highest number of pages per session and lowest bounce rate.
• Geography:
  • Top Cities: Atlanta, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Nashville and New Orleans.
  • In February, users from Texas, Georgia and Tennessee were responsible for the most sessions. North Carolina accounted for the largest increase in sessions (22%). 
• Most viewed pages:
  • The most viewed pages on the site in February were the Miramar Beach neighborhood page, Rosemary Beach neighborhood page and the Travel Guides page.
  • Of the top 10  most viewed pages, the Travel Guides page (3:19) and the First Timer's Guide to Inlet Beach blog (1:50) had the longest average time on page.
• Online Visitor Guide Data:
  • Our online Visitor Guide page saw a 24% increase in page views in February.
  • Travel guide page views increased (16.8%) while average time on page decreased (.2%) to 3:18. From the travel guides page, the most visited pages were the Visitor Guide page, the Home Page and the Beach and Bay Access page.
  • In February, there were a total of 562 Visitor Guide requests.

 

Book>Direct Accommodations Search Engine: 
Visit South Walton has partnered with Book>Direct to provide accommodation partners with the ability to display real-time rates and availability on visitsouthwalton.com. If you would like to add or update a rental property listing, please email Haley@visitsouthwalton.com.

To view the Book>Direct user interface and its functionality, please visit the STAY page of our website. If you need more information about Book>Direct or signing up as a South Walton partner, contact Lisa Foster, industry relations specialist, at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com or (850) 333-2728.

 

COVID-19 Response:

Visit South Walton is focused on keeping potential visitors up to date on business changes and any applicable regulations related to COVID-19, including steps to ensure visitor and resident safety.

For those already in market, our focus is providing information on how to keep our community safe, as well as updates on local businesses that are offering adjusted services and are open for business. See an ad example HERE: 

Our goal is not only to inform but to also keep South Walton top of mind with our guests by providing up-to-date information, virtual experiences and pertinent news related to our community.

 

COVID-19 Travel Updates Page Stats:

The main VSW COVID-19 Travel Updates page launched on March 18, 2020 and has seen 292,542 page views (Mar 18- Feb 28). Forty-six percent of this traffic originated from organic search. Users spent an average time of 1:31 on the page. Specific sub-pages include:

 

Print Publications:
Visit South Walton is proud to offer a family of publications including VISIT, STAY, PERFECT, FOREVER, EXPLORE and SAVOR. CLICK HERE to see online versions of each guide. 

• VISIT is a revamped version of our Visitor Guide, complete with features on the South Walton culinary scene, lifestyle, events and outdoor exploration.
• STAY showcases our diverse collection of accommodations, in addition to annual events and the different ways you can "stay" in South Walton.
• PERFECT celebrates the businesses and events that were honored as our 2021 Perfect in South Walton Award winners. 
• FOREVER is your guide to weddings in South Walton. Learn about the variety of venues available and all of the ways you can create lasting memories on your big day. 
• EXPLORE is exactly what you need to get out and discover South Walton's abundance of natural beauty, outdoor activities, live music and dynamic arts and culture scenes. 
• SAVOR is our spotlight on all things culinary in South Walton, from waterfront and fine dining to coastal casual eats and full restaurant listings. 

  

We'd love for you to share these free guides with your guests. Please contact Industry Relations Specialist Lisa Foster at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com or (850) 333-2728 to place an order and make arrangements for either pick up at the Visitor Center or delivery to your office or vacation rental.

 

Beach Flag Magnets:

For placement in vacation rentals, VSW beach flag magnets are available in limited quantities in the Visitor Center, which is open seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please email Lisa Foster, industry relations specialist, at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com for more information.

 

CONTACT US

Visit South Walton 25777 US Hwy 331 S | Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 VisitSouthWalton.com | (850) 267-1216