Discover Newport reports voucher pilot and ad campaign drove bookings and local engagement
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Summary
Discover Newport told council its holiday voucher pilot signed 34 businesses, distributed 450 vouchers (54% redeemed by visitors) and its ad campaign delivered about 584 room nights with an estimated $12 cost to bring a visitor and a reported 9:1 return on ad spend.
Discover Newport staff gave a marketing and program update at the Feb. 2 work session, reporting early results from a holiday voucher pilot and a recent digital advertising campaign.
Kayeyn (Discover Newport) said the voucher pilot invited shoppers to spend $100 at participating businesses and redeem receipts for a $10 voucher. "We had 34 Newport businesses that signed up… we printed 500 vouchers," the presenter said, adding the pilot exceeded expectations. She reported 450 vouchers were distributed and said 54% of redeemed vouchers were used by visitors rather than local residents.
Josh, a Discover Newport marketing presenter, summarized digital ad performance and attribution methods. "It cost us $12 to then bring someone to Newport," he said, and reported the campaign produced approximately 584 room nights and an estimated 9-to-1 return on ad spend. He explained that tracking uses a combination of a pixel that links ad impressions to devices and aggregate payment‑card signals to attribute visits and spending.
Councilors raised questions about the 584 room‑nights figure and asked for breakdowns between new and repeat visitors; Discover Newport staff said they can provide more detailed analyses later. Presenters said lookalike audience targeting performed strongly for family audiences and that the campaign also increased the share of overnight stays compared with typical visitation patterns.
Discover Newport described outreach and partnerships that supported the pilot and marketing work: the chamber of commerce and a local business email list helped recruit businesses; the aquarium and local ocean partners promoted surveys and initiatives; and the DMO plans to publish an industry newsletter and an expanded outreach plan for the voucher pilot.
Staff said future work will emphasize marketing grants with lodging partners, event-focused campaigns (seafood and wine), and regional collaborations with neighboring DMOs to increase stays and support local businesses. Presenters said they will send the slide deck to council and follow up with more detailed data on the ad campaign’s attribution and the Bayfront visitation figures.
Discover Newport’s presenters asked councilors for connections and feedback and said they will iterate the voucher pilot. The council thanked the presenters and accepted the update.