Community Corner
Visit Dana Point Launches New Website & Brand Strategy
Visit Dana Point researches and reports on why visitors come to Dana Point.
What makes Dana Point unique and why do visitors love to come here? These were the core question answered last week by Visit Dana Point (VDP), a consortium of local resorts, working with the City, County and Visit California. And what could be more unique to Dana Point than the presentation’s chosen venue, the Ocean Institute? It's meeting hall, outfitted with comfortable leather couches cozily arranged around numerous extra large screens for viewing ease, enabled attendees to watch and learn from what felt like the comfort of a living room.
Executive Director Jonny Westom began with some interesting facts. 1.8 million people visit Dana Point each year, spending $600.5 million and generating $35.3 million in local and state taxes. No surprise then that 39.3%, or 1 in 3 Dana Point jobs are supported by tourism.
Drilling down to what makes this coastal city different from all others was the challenge VDP took on. After all, don’t all destinations claim the friendliest people, the best restaurants, the best shopping, and stunning natural beauty? Don’t they all tend to market themselves with romantic pictures of loving couples embracing on picturesque beaches, or depicting couples walking by clear blue waters carrying their happy children? And of course, let’s not forget the ubiquitous picture of the mermaid like bathing suit clad beauty, back to the camera, waist deep in water, arms akimbo.
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Based on 50 stakeholder sessions, and surveys of 800 past and potential travelers, DVP learned that Dana Point visitors love feeling like a local, not like a tourist on yet another vacation. The comfortable elegance of Dana Point means strolling into local places or the Ritz, wearing flip flops and everyday clothes. No need to impress. Just be yourself and bring your passion to experience everything the ocean has to offer, like whale watching, paddle boarding, surfing, kayaking, sailing or just sunning on beautiful beaches.
The new website is found at https://visitdanapoint.com. It is a one stop shopping site for Things to Do, Places to Stay, Food and Drink as well as being able to plan and book a trip.