Tourism Flourishes as Currituck County Tourism Wins State Award for Summer Internet Marketing Campaign

For Immediate Release

June 16, 2009 – As the summer rental season on the Outer Banks of North Carolina jumps into full swing, Currituck County’s Department of Travel and Tourism is celebrating the recent first-place platinum awards it received at the annual conference of the Destination Marketing Association of North Carolina. Beating large city destinations such as Raleigh, Charlotte, and Wilmington, Currituck County won the award for the Best Destination Marketing Initiative, owing this award to the successful implementation of a large-scale marketing campaign managed by the Virginia-based internet marketing agency Ciniva Systems.

In January, with Currituck experiencing the results of the nationwide recession and home owners expressing their discontent about reduced vacation rental spending, Currituck Tourism Director Diane Nordstrom approached the Currituck Board of Commissioners with a lofty request of $300,000 in additional funds for tourism marketing. Extra funds in hand, Nordstrom’s team and Ciniva Systems collaborated to develop an internet marketing campaign aimed at attracting visitors to the website and ultimately securing vacation rentals in the county.

“We used a variety of online marketing tools such as pay-per-click advertising, email marketing, search engine optimization, and social media marketing to maximize campaign exposure and gain the best return on investment for Currituck,” states Ciniva President Steve Van Leeuwen. With over 20 million text, image, and interactive ad impressions, the campaign was able to bring in an average of 3,500 visitors per day during its peak, with about 70% of visits coming from first-time visitors. Boasting a conversion rate of over 50%, Currituck received more visitor’s guide requests than previous years, and the campaign is regarded as a huge success.

Homeowners and rental companies on Currituck’s Outer Banks have taken notice too. Ross Twiddy, marketing manager for Twiddy & Associates Realty, remarked in a recent Currituck press release, “We saw a pretty good correlation between our bookings and their campaign.” This is a great boost of confidence for Currituck County’s Department of Travel and Tourism, which traditionally has some stiff competition from other regional vacation destinations.

Based on the success of the spring 2009 campaign, Nordstrom anticipates using existing funding for a supplemental fall campaign to keep the area in the tourism spotlight. “What I’m hearing from the (tourism) industry is that our efforts are working; they’re noticing a big increase in interest,” said Nordstrom in a recent Daily Advance article.

Currituck County Travel & Tourism
Currituck is one of the fastest growing counties in North Carolina. Beautiful, clean beaches, a high quality of life, and the perfect blend of history have made this part of the Outer Banks a popular destination for visitors and locals alike. The tourism website can be reached at www.visitcurrituck.com.

Ciniva Systems
Founded in 1998, Ciniva Systems is an internet marketing, web design, and site hosting company located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. They have designed over 450 websites and currently manage search marketing campaigns for many businesses, non-profits, and government organizations across the United States.

Press Contact:
Robbie Foglia
robbie@ciniva.com
757.499.1990