Travel Guide Evaluation

The Kentucky Department of Travel & Tourism (KDT) is charged with developing marketing programs that encourage visitation to and spending within the state. This takes a variety of forms, including paid advertising, website development and production and distribution of printed materials, including the state’s official publication, the Kentucky Visitor’s Guide. As a major component of KDT’s marketing program, the agency wanted to ensure the resources being dedicated to the publication were providing what consumers wanted and needed when planning a trip and visiting Kentucky. To that end, KDT contracted with SMARInsights to conduct a qualitative evaluation of the Visitor’s Guide.

SMARInsights designed and implemented a research studie to help KDT understand consumers’ usage of the travel publications; evaluate how Kentucky’s guide fared when compared to other states’ products; assess specific features of the current guide, including editorial content, regional structure and industry listings; and provide recommendations for any improvements moving forward. SMARInsights conducted a series of focus groups in our Indianapolis facility and provided KDT with data, analysis and specific recommendations for maximizing the effectiveness of its published Travel Guide.