Route 66 passport and Trails Passport gain users, but festival sweepstakes entries fall sharply

Discover Flagstaff staff told commissioners the Route 66 passport and the Trails Passport showed measurable growth in April, but that entries in the festival sweepstakes have dropped sharply year over year.

Why it matters: Passport programs and sweepstakes are part of Discover Flagstaff’s consumer marketing to drive attendance and lodging; changes in engagement affect promotion plans for festivals and partner businesses.

Sabrina Beard, marketing specialist for Discover Flagstaff, reported that the Route 66 passport — launched in September — saw a 4 percent increase in sign‑ups in April compared with March and a 40 percent increase in total check‑ins. She said downtown sites were the most popular check‑in locations, though the passport was designed to reward farther‑out sites with higher points to encourage broader visitation.

Staff also reported a 23 percent increase in Trails Passport sign‑ups after more winter‑to‑spring promotion, though actual trail check‑ins were down in April because of late winter weather.

By contrast, staff said entries to the organization’s festival sweepstakes declined about 76 percent year over year. The sweepstakes link was the top click in a master email to about 30,000 recipients, but staff and commissioners discussed concerns that users may hesitate to enter third‑party forms; staff are reviewing the sweepstakes platform and testing partnerships — including hotel package giveaways with partners such as Embassy Suites — to drive entries.

Staff emphasized continued promotional tactics: targeted email drips, segmented campaigns for events and outdoor topics, and paid digital retargeting. They said they will test changes to sweepstakes presentation and may move or change vendors if the drop in entries persists.

No formal actions were taken; staff will continue to test sweepstakes formats, share more detailed entry data and report back to the commission.