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Knox County CVB reports visitor growth, pilots digital passes and trail-focused marketing
Summary
The Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau told commissioners it recorded a 7% rise in overnight trips, about 650,000 visitor-nights, and is piloting data-driven tools — including Placer.ai and Bandwango digital passes — to steer visitors to downtown businesses and trails.
Olivia, representing the Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau, presented the CVB’s annual report to the Knox County Commissioners on Dec. 4, highlighting visitor growth, new digital tools and partnerships aimed at lengthening stays and increasing local spending.
The CVB reported a 7% increase in overnight trips this year, equivalent to roughly 650,000 visitor-nights, and an average stay of about two-and-a-half to three nights. “Our vision is to always promote Knox County as this attractive place to live and work, go to school, but mostly visit as well,” Olivia said, framing visits as the first step that can lead visitors to relocate or invest locally. She said the CVB relies on state data and purchases Placer.ai datasets (cellphone foot-traffic and aggregated credit-card transactions) to estimate direct, indirect and induced spending and where visitors go after events.
Why it matters: The CVB stressed that visitor spending circulates through lodging, restaurants and local suppliers, supporting wages and tax revenue that offset local taxpayer burdens. Olivia cited targeted regional markets — notably Cleveland and Dayton — and said Cleveland-area visitors contributed about $2.9 million in visitor spend during the period reviewed.
The bureau described several pilots and events the CVB supported this year. A Bandwango digital-pass pilot tied to the Middle Earth March produced about 70 pass signups and more than 700 downtown check-ins, giving merchants actionable feedback and marketing leads. The CVB also promoted new events such as Knox County Biktoberfest (nearly 300 registrants, more than half aged 60+, roughly 15% from out of state) and partnered with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, noting Knox County’s location on the Ohio to Erie Trail raised the county’s profile at a national trail summit.
Olivia described a new active-transportation initiative, “Happy Spokes,” in partnership with United Way, Mobility Management and Knox Public Health, which secured three tri-shaws to expand cycling opportunities for seniors and others. She said the CVB’s visitor guide and marketing channels are performing well — the website saw about 28,000 blog sessions and 73% organic search traffic — and that the bureau is funded entirely through the bed tax.
What’s next: The CVB plans to launch its next visitor guide in March and continue piloting digital passes and data-driven marketing to encourage repeat visits and send more visitors into downtown businesses and trail assets.
