In an interview with Invest:, Andy Clinton, president and CEO of Visit York County, shared the significant economic impact from tourism events and a revamp in digital marketing strategies. Visit York County aims to continue its development trajectory, prioritizing innovative digital outreach, and supporting the region’s infrastructural growth to enhance its standing as a destination for living, working, and leisure, he said.
What were Visit York County’s biggest milestones this past year?
Last year marked a significant growth period for us. As we are further removed from the pandemic, we’ve seen a continuous progression in attracting more visitors and hosting larger events, Visit York County in partnership with Rock Hill Parks, Recreation & Tourism hosted over 200 events in 2023 surpassing $100 million in direct economic impact for the first time. Another milestone has been our evolving marketing strategies. Our approach to digital engagement has dramatically shifted — our website and social media usage have been optimized to better track and reach visitors. For instance, we’ve increased our website’s page views from 800,000 to 1.8 million in 2023, which underscores our need to continuously adapt as an organization.
How do you envision enhancing York County’s profile as a premier destination?
Our vision involves a collaborative effort with many organizations including higher education institutions, local governments, chambers of commerce, and economic development. These partnerships help us create a comprehensive destination appeal. It’s similar to a Venn diagram — while Visit York County’s primary focus is tourism, we also support aspects of living and working in the area. This includes improving the quality of life through better parks, hiking trails, and vibrant downtown areas with restaurants, attractions, and hotels. These elements are crucial not just for tourism but also for local economic development and the chamber’s efforts. We aim to ensure all of our community organizations work in harmony to elevate York County’s overall appeal as a destination.
How does Visit York County leverage partnerships to enhance tourism?
Our efforts are primarily funded through the hotel accommodations tax, which underscores the importance of partnerships not only with the York County government but also with all municipalities within the county. In the private sector, we collaborate with major players like Carowinds and the Anne Springs Close Greenway, among others. Our initiatives include the Taste Trail Week and a Brew Trail with a passport system specifically for York County breweries. We aim to creatively support local hotels, restaurants, and attractions through these partnerships.
How is digital marketing and social media transforming visitor engagement?
Over the past year, we’ve honed our digital marketing strategies significantly, which is evident from our metrics — our social media impressions increased by 109%, and followers by 18%. We utilize mobile location data to geofence areas such as hotels and downtowns, helping us understand where our visitors come from and their spending habits. This data informs where we place ads, like targeting the Atlanta market for the restaurant district in Fort Mill based on visitor demographics. We’ve shifted our focus to more digital content, including videography, blogs, and influencer partnerships. For example, rather than listing numerous farms, we feature a blog on the best places to pick strawberries in York County to attract more clicks and engagement.
How does Visit York County balance its diverse promotional efforts?
There’s a delicate balance in our promotional strategy. Recently, we revised our mission statement to better reflect our dual focus: catering to visitors and engaging our local stakeholders, including government bodies. Our promotional activities, such as our social media channels, website, and weekly email blasts called YOCO Buzz, are designed to appeal to both tourists and residents. This approach helps ensure that we’re not only supporting tourism but also enriching the community’s experience.
In today’s economic climate, how is Visit York County adapting its strategies to attract visitors?
Adapting to economic challenges involves close collaboration with local chambers and economic development bodies. As a marketing agency, our goal is to attract visitors through various channels like advertisements, influencer partnerships, and events. We’re also involved in more strategic efforts, such as advocating for new hotel constructions despite the challenges of construction costs and regulatory limits. Our focus extends to the workforce, particularly in the hospitality sector, where we partner with educational institutions and the chamber to boost customer service skills starting from a young age. This holistic approach ensures that we not only attract visitors but also provide them with a memorable experience in York County.
How is Visit York County preparing to meet the changing needs of travelers?
We’re constantly seeking new opportunities to adapt to changing visitor profiles. The shift is evident from our personal preferences too; instead of trips focused on high activity levels in major cities, there’s a growing interest in more relaxed, scenic, and local experiences, such as visits to local farms in York County or our quaint downtowns. Additionally, we’re engaging with niche sports and activities, from disc golf to esports, leveraging local businesses and events like the National Disc Golf Championships and esports tournaments at Winthrop University. These partnerships help us cater to specific interests and bring significant events to our area, enhancing our tourism appeal.
What are your top priorities for Visit York County over the next three to five years?
Our key focus is to foster development, which is inevitable. A major priority is to enhance our accommodations revenue, which constitutes 80% of our funding. This involves attracting more visitors and events. We’re also committed to staying innovative, updating our website, and integrating digital strategies, such as quality imagery, engaging videos, and interactive stories that direct traffic back to our site.
Specifically, there’s considerable development potential with York County Parks and Recreation Catawba Bend Park’s 1,900-acre site, which is in its early stages. They are working on creating infrastructure like roads, electrical systems, and plumbing, as well as permanent amenities like restrooms and parking. There’s also an opportunity to develop a national-level cross-country course there, elevating it to compete with renowned locations like Terre Haute, Indiana.
Another area of focus is our partnership with Winthrop University’s esports program and the city of Rock Hill’s robust sports tourism initiatives, including the City of Rock hosting the BMX World Championships. Plans are underway to expand existing sports facilities, which will soon include additional courts for basketball, volleyball, and pickleball.
Furthermore, we see opportunities for growth with new real estate developments throughout York County. This will likely lead to more hotels and restaurants, enhancing the county’s appeal as a destination. Ensuring the quality of life is paramount, with efforts to keep our downtown areas vibrant and our parks and walking trails well-maintained. Ultimately, our goal is to make York County an excellent place to live, work, play, and visit.
