How the Pros Do It: Travel Nevada Gives Post-COVID Tourists a Transformative Experience

As the largest industry in Nevada, tourism generated $42 billion in visitor spending pre-pandemic, so returning to those levels was critical. To encourage travel in 2022, Travel Nevada worked with integrated communication agency Fahlgren Mortine to launch a campaign with the primary objective of getting visitors to spend more and stay longer.

Data from a Travel Nevada study as well as reports from other industry organizations revealed key audience insights that drove the campaign:

• Consumers were seeking spontaneity, new experiences and unique stays. There was a trend of “transformative travel,” which was defined as “intentionally traveling to stretch, learn and grow into new ways of being and engaging with the world.”
• Travelers wanted authentic local encounters with people and places.
• Consumers were looking for simple, wellness-focused experiences after time spent during COVID resetting goals and priorities.

The planning team saw an opportunity to target audiences with messaging about Nevada’s unusual experiences, quirky culture, true wide-open spaces and inspiring connections.

Messaging for the campaign, dubbed “Silver State Reset,” spotlighted “transformative” experiences throughout the state and invited potential travelers to hit the “reset” button in Nevada through paid, earned, owned and shared media.

A micro-site showed two “Reset Routes,” both starting in one of Nevada’s major metro areas. The campaign ran a trip giveaway on the site where two winners receive an all-expense paid trip through Nevada on those routes. The campaign partnered with micro-influencers who traveled the Reset Routes and talked about their experiences. A partnership with iHeart radio in Portland and Chicago let Nevadans along the routes speak with radio personalities about their transformative experiences to drive traffic to the micro-site. Media outreach to national publications also incorporated the “transformative travel” key messages.

The program resulted in nearly 130,000 contest entries and helped generate an increase in travel spending (+$1,850 per household) and more frequent visitation (2.8 trips vs. 2.2).

Learn more about Fahlgren Mortine’s Travel Nevada campaign.