Tourism director urges ‘Bath, USA’ branding, touts GEO-focused marketing and $275,000 annual spend

Dustin Martin, introduced by the council as the executive director of Travel [Berkeley] Springs, told the Bath Town Council that the organization has spent $275,000 on marketing this year to promote Berkeley Springs and the town of Bath as a single, integrated visitor brand. He said the investment produced “over 1,700,000 impressions via traditional advertising” and that the redesigned website — described as GEO-optimized for generative engines — is due to launch imminently.

Martin framed the effort around the town’s mineral-spring heritage and wellness identity, saying Bath’s historic baths and a compact, walkable downtown give the community a competitive advantage. “So our goal is to integrate the town of Bath as part of the Berkeley Springs brand,” he said, adding that the marketing push has supported a 6.6% year-over-year increase in lodging performance in town and helped sustain regional visitation.

He described new digital tactics intended to help artificial-intelligence travel tools surface Bath for short, cost- and distance-constrained weekend trips. The strategy includes accessibility filters and curated itinerary content for niche searches — for example, wheelchair-accessible lodging and dog-friendly itineraries — and backlinking to credible sources to strengthen search signals. “We’re training the AI,” Martin said, describing blogs, itineraries and accessibility information that will be published on the new site.

Council members and staff noted the potential benefits and local partnerships. The council agreed to follow up on opportunities Martin raised, including exploring historical markers, banner placements for events and continued collaboration on the upcoming International Water Tasting event.