If you are a hotelier in the United States, there are many benefits to interacting with your state and city’s local travel websites. Although this article focuses on The United States, most governments have dedicated travel websites and you should use them as a resource. Discover America, a public-private marketing entity, works with the travel industry to maximize benefits for both travelers and the hospitality community. They have created many resources for travelers looking to research American travel destinations. Discover America is the large umbrella that each state’s websites fall under. Hoteliers can and should take advantage of these resources.
Image: Phillip Capper
Discover America helps travelers explore, research and plan with their extensive tools and information library. They list official links to federal agencies, transportation services, and tourism organizations. Every state, most cities, and some regions have dedicated tourist authority websites. These websites offer travelers even more specific information than Discover America’s. They help travelers discover the best locations and hotels, just like yours!
It is beneficial to take a look at these travel websites and the tourist associations they represent for many reasons. They can offer your property and your guests a lot of value.
5 Ways to Leverage Local Tourism Authorities
Property Listings. Each state’s website aggregates hotel listings differently. For example, California lists hotels in their downloadable booklet, whereas Montana has a dedicated search function for hotels. First, you should identify how your state lists hotel properties. And second, once you find your listing, ensure that it is accurate. Let these free tools work for you by making sure potential guests can properly research and book your rooms. If your property is listed incorrectly, navigate to the bottom of the website. Look for a ‘Contact’ link and there should be an option to message the tourism authority. At the bottom of this post we have included a full list of the state’s websites.
Local tourism websites tend to rank well on Google for long-tail keywords. It is a good idea to get listed and get content written about your property because they will rank so well.
Brainstorming. These websites are packed with great content. Use this location specific content to brainstorm articles you can write for your website. You can also use state, city, or regional website content as a research tool. They are generally up-to-date and you may even discover something new about your city or region. Ideas for content to create include: “best of” lists, reviews and recommendations from your staff, and guest stories. You can see California’s spotlight series below, for example.
Social Content. Tourism organization websites also offer great shareable content for your social media platforms. Finding credible content sources can often be tricky, but tourism authority websites are credible and well researched. Articles are often linked with official tourist maps and phone numbers so your guests will not be led astray. Montana’s lists of bike trails is a great example of the type of content you can share.
Promotion. Often, you can also use these types of websites to release a press release or big announcement. Most government local tourism websites allow properties and other venues to promote their business or an event. Each state’s policies and practices will be different, but generally you can inquire about media opportunities in their contact section. If the tourism association decides to run your story or you promote content on their website, the added exposure for your business will be great.
Benchmark. Use your state, city, and regional websites to benchmark your own website. You should look at both your state’s and other state’s websites to determine if your website is up to par, both in terms of aesthetics and content. We don’t encourage copying their websites, but because their business is about sharing the most useful information, they are a good way to measure your own efforts.
There are many destination tourism websites out there. We suggest looking for your official state and city websites and then eventually look to other popular tourism websites. Don’t be afraid to reach out to these sites, they are designed to help both travelers and industry related businesses.
U.S. Local Government Tourism Sites
We have included a comprehensive list of United States tourism websites below. Search for your state or region in the top right hand search bar, or click through the list with the arrows on the bottom right hand side.
Alabama Tourism Department
http://www.alabama.travel/
Alaska Travel Industry Association
http://www.travelalaska.com/
America Samoa Vistors Bureau
http://www.americansamoa.travel/
Arizona Office of Tourism
http://www.visitarizona.com/
Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.visitphoenix.com
Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
http://www.arkansas.com/
California Tourism
http://www.visitcalifornia.com/
Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau
http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/
San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.sandiego.org/
San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.sanfrancisco.travel/
Colorado Tourism Office
http://www.colorado.com/
Denver Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.denver.org/
Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism
http://www.cultureandtourism.org/cct/site/default.asp
Delaware Tourism Office
http://www.visitdelaware.com/
Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation
http://www.visitflorida.com/en-us.html
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/
Visit Orlando
http://www.visitorlando.com/
Georgia Department of Economic Development
http://www.exploregeorgia.org/
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.atlanta.net/
Savannah Area Convention & Vistors Bureau
http://www.visitsavannah.com/
Guam Visitors Bureau
http://www.visitguam.com/
Hawaii Tourism Authority
http://www.gohawaii.com/en/
Idaho Division of Tourism Development
http://www.visitidaho.org/
Illinois Office of Tourism
http://www.enjoyillinois.com/
Chicago Convention Center and Tourism Bureau
http://www.choosechicago.com/
Indiana Office of Tourism Development
https://visitindiana.com/
Iowa Tourism Office
http://www.traveliowa.com/
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism
http://www.travelks.com/
Kentucky Department of Tourism
http://www.kentuckytourism.com/
Louisiana Office of Tourism
http://www.louisianatravel.com/
New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.neworleanscvb.com/
Maine Office of Tourism
http://visitmaine.com/
Maryland Office of Tourism
http://www.visitmaryland.org/
Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association
http://baltimore.org/
Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism
http://www.massvacation.com/
Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.bostonusa.com/
Travel Michigan
http://www.michigan.org/
Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://visitdetroit.com/
Explore Minnesota Tourism
http://www.exploreminnesota.com/index.aspx
Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association
http://www.minneapolis.org/
Mississippi Division of Tourism Development
http://www.visitmississippi.org/
Missouri Division of Tourism
http://www.visitmo.com/
Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association
https://www.visitkc.com/
St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission
http://explorestlouis.com/
Montana Office of Tourism
http://www.visitmt.com/
Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism
http://visitnebraska.com/media/press
Nevada Commission on Tourism
http://www.travelnevada.com/
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
http://www.visitlasvegas.com/
State of New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development
http://www.visitnh.gov/
New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism
http://www.visitnj.org/
New Mexico Tourism Department
http://www.newmexico.org/
Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://santafe.org/
New York State Division of Tourism
http://www.iloveny.com/
NYC & Company (New York City)
http://www.nycgo.com/
North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film, and Sports Development
http://www.visitnc.com/
North Dakota Tourism Division
http://www.ndtourism.com/
Ohio Office of Tourism
http://www.discoverohio.com/
Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department
http://www.travelok.com/
Oregon Tourism Commission
http://www.traveloregon.com/
Travel Portland
http://www.travelportland.com/
Pennsylvania Tourism Office
http://www.visitpa.com/
Visit Philadelphia
http://www.visitphilly.com/
Puerto Rico Tourism Company
http://www.seepuertorico.com/
Rhode Island Tourism Division
http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/
South Carolina Department of Parks & Tourism
http://discoversouthcarolina.com/
Charleston Convention Vistors Bureau
http://www.charlestoncvb.com/
South Dakota Department of Tourism
https://www.travelsouthdakota.com/
Tennessee Department of Tourist Development
http://www.tnvacation.com/
Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.memphistravel.com/
Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.visitmusiccity.com/
Texas Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism
https://www.traveltex.com/
Austin Visitor Center
http://www.austintexas.org/
Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.visitdallas.com/
Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.visithoustontexas.com/
United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism
http://www.visitusvi.com/
Utah Office of Tourism
http://www.utah.com/
Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing
https://www.vermontvacation.com/
Virginia Tourism Corporation
http://www.virginia.org/
Washington Tourism Alliance
http://www.experiencewa.com/
Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau
http://www.visitseattle.org/
Destination DC (Washington D.C)
http://washington.org/
West Virginia Division of Tourism
http://gotowv.com/
Wisconsin Department of Tourism
http://www.travelwisconsin.com/
Wyoming Travel & Tourism
http://www.wyomingtourism.org/
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