How Oxnard and Ventura, California, Appeal to Tourists

• As per information available in the public domain, we provided the required details regarding how Ventura compares to Oxnard in rows 3-7, columns C-D of this attached spreadsheet.

Research Strategy:

Summary of findings

• Santa Barbara receives about 7.2 million visitors annually. Visitors are drawn to this destination by the lure of climate, beaches, arts and culture, food, and wine available in the city. 61% of visitors of Santa Barbara are females, with 47% of the total tourists aged between 25-44 years and spend a daily average of $520.78.
• Visitors of Camarillo are primarily attracted to the destination by the offer of discount shopping available at Camarillo Premium Outlets which receives about 10 million visitors annually. Camarillo Public Library, Camarillo Premium Outlets, and Institution Ale Company are three of the top tourist attractions in the city.

Research Strategy

Huntington Beach, California

Visitor perception

• Generally, visitors enjoy touring the Huntington Beach because of the beautiful sight-seeing attractions. Boasting of a comfortable climate and temperatures throughout the year, Huntington Beach offers several outdoor activities including the longest piers which transcend through the long Huntington beach.

• The sight and sound of the waves crashing on the pier also create a soothing feeling that makes many visitors return to the beach. Huntington’s Dog Beach also welcomes many visitors who experience the wonderful view of a long stretch of dogs.

• During the summer, large crowds transverse the recreation system to watch the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, US Open of Surfing, and other sporting events.

Visitor demographics

• As per visitor reviews by Trip Advisor, significant tourists to Huntington Beach include families, couples, solo visitors, business people, and friends.

• The city of Huntington Beach hosts approximately 16 million visitors annually, out of which the attractions of Huntington Beach draw 11 million visitors.

Top attractions

• The top five attractions of Huntington Beach, Oregon include Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Dog Beach, Downtown Huntington Beach, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, and Pacific City.

San Diego, California

Visitor perception

• Visitors enjoy touring San Diego, California because of its enchanting natural beauty accompanied by mild temperatures and pleasant sunny climate. Those who have visited the USS Midway Museum praise its unending amazement and fun resulting from the fantastic aircraft carrier on display.

• In most of the attraction sites including the museum, Coronado Island, and the San Diego Zoo, visitors have praised the wonderful staff and guards who are always on call.

Visitor demographics

• As per visitor reviews by Trip Advisor, significant tourists to San Diego include families, couples, solo visitors, business people, and friends.

• Being the top US travel destination, San Diego hosts about 35.8 million visitors every year, which results in revenues of $940 million.

Top attractions

• The top five attractions of San Diego, California include San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego, USS Midway Museum, Balboa Park, and La Jolla Cove.

OUR RESEARCH TEAM APPLIED THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH STRATEGY:

OXNARD, CALIFORNIA DIGITAL MARKETING TACTICS

•  Oxnard Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCVB) is a non-profit organization that leads the city of Oxnard towards attracting visitors and increasing tourism revenue. The organization promotes tourism through the generation of industry insights and information, making connections between the city’s tourist attractions and visitor needs through the provision of quality tourism guide and services.

How they promote the region to tourists

• In 1974, OCVB established a tourism promotion website, visitoxnard.com which is currently used to promote Oxnard as a premier travel destination with diverse attractions. As a digital marketing strategy, CVB produces and publishes Oxnard Visitor’s Guide on the website which is available for both residents and visitors.

• The Visitor’s Guide is a magazine-type format highlighting several elements of Oxnard’s attractions including the best beaches, the region’s picturesque islands, its water activities, and other hidden ventures. The online guide also has a great focus on national parks within the area as well as insider’s perspectives on the best time to visit the tourism destination.

• OVB ensures that potential visitors access the guide through different digital marketing channels including social media, the official website, and through online ads.

• Apart from the guide, Oxnard has a blog where top tourism trends and insights surrounding Oxnard’s tourism attractions are presented. The blog contains information on the best attractions in the region, best places to shop in Oxnard, different accommodations available, top food options, and even wedding venue guide.

Marketing Channels Used

Social media

•  Facebook — On its Facebook page, Visit Oxnard has 31,515 likes and 31,612 followers. On the page, there is a tour guide video that showcases different attractions in Oxnard including beaches, golfing points, cuisines, real estates, and boat riding. The video also includes family events which evoke a sense of pleasure and calm among target consumers. On the Facebook page, OVB has included a “Book Now” button which interested visitors to book their preferred destinations. There are also options of sending messages, liking, sharing, and following the page which increases awareness of the destination among prospective visitors.

• Instagram — Oxnard has about 1,450 posts and 14.5k followers on its Instagram page. Several posts on the page have photos of tourist attraction sites in Oxford. On the recent post, Visit Oxnard has presented the Channel Islands National Park which has 533 likes.

•  Twitter — Visit Oxnard uses its Twitter page to interact with prospective tourists. With 1,576 followers and 343 likes, the page engages visitors daily by uploading pictures showcasing the existing tourism sites in the city of Oxnard. When a visitor accesses the page, the 2019 Visitors’ Guide appears first on the page to allow exploration of the existing tourist attractions. The page also engages visitors by presenting potential outdoor activity options when visiting the region including kayaking, yoga, and hiking. 

•  YouTube — On its YouTube page, VOB has presented several interesting videos that showcase the several tourist destinations in Oxnard. The most recent uploads showcase videos of the types of weddings to hold in Oxnard, fun things to do in the region, and a fascinating view of Oxnard’s sunset.

Advertising websites

• OVB has several online ads which it updates on several occasions. The ads contain several features of interesting tourism sceneries in Oxnard including families and children having fun on the beach.

Messaging and Taglines

• On the online ads, OVB uses the message: Take Time to Meet on the Coast! to motivate visitors towards exploring the city’s tourism destination. With the tagline: Oxnard Has it All, the city has been able to reach a large population.

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA DIGITAL MARKETING TACTICS

•  Ventura Visitors & Convention Bureau is responsible for promoting Ventura as a coastal destination which offers visitors beautiful sight-seeing attractions in a historic and cultural setting. The non-profit organization organizes digital marketing events to attract new visitors to the region every year.

How they promote the region to tourists

• Ventura created an online website, visitventura.com which portrays the city as a rich travel destination with several attractions. As a digital marketing strategy, the city has outlined different activities on the website that visitors can explore in the region including shopping, music and nightlife, arts and culture, Ventura harbor activities, beaches and surfing, hiking, and biking.

• Ventura also has a Visitor’s Guide published on the Visit Ventura website as well as other online platforms. The guide contains elements of Ventura’s attractions such as wildlife, butterflies, birds, landscapes, and other hidden ventures. The city ensures that target consumers access the guide through different digital marketing channels including social media, the official website, and through online ads.

• In addition to the guide, Ventura also allows visitors to sign up for its newsletters via the official website. With the “Subscribe” button, visitors are able to sign up for the area’s newsletters which provide more information on the existing tourism attractions.

• Ventura City also engages in online display advertising; this is evident from a sample of its online ads which as available on Adbeat. Most of the ads showcase families and friends having fun in different destinations in the region.

Marketing Channels Used

Social media

• Facebook — On its Facebook page, Visit Ventura has 115,668 likes and 117,068 followers. On the page, the city has uploaded a video which showcases different attractions in Ventura including beaches, sea creatures (dolphins), golfing points, walking trails, boat riding, and other water sceneries. Visitors to the page have the option of signing up to Ventura’s guide via the “Sign Up” button. There are also options of sending messages, liking, sharing, and following the page which increases awareness of the destination among prospective visitors.

• Instagram — Ventura has about 4,445 posts and 42.8k followers on its Instagram page. Several posts on the page have photos of tourist attraction sites in Ventura. On the recent post, the city has showcased its beaches which have over 5,000 likes.

• Twitter — Visit Ventura has 12.7k tweets, 5,594 likes, and 6,453 followers on its Twitter handle. The page engages visitors daily by uploading pictures showcasing the existing tourism sites in the city of Ventura. Its recent post is a picture of the beach during sunset with the message, “Got to catch those sunset waves.”

•  YouTube — On its YouTube page, Visit Ventura uploads several interesting videos that showcase the several tourist attractions in Ventura, particularly the beaches. The most recent uploads contain fascinating contents such as natural landscapes in Ventura, family fun moments, and Ventura wineries.

• Pinterest — On Pinterest, Ventura has about 4.1k monthly unique viewers. Most of the pins discuss the existing natural sceneries and interesting things to explore in Ventura. Most of the pins contain images of whale watching, surfing, bird watching, and other sightseeing attractions.

Advertising websites

• Visit Ventura has several online ads which it updates on several occasions. The ads contain several features tourism sceneries in Ventura including families and children having fun on the beach and in the park.

Messaging and Taglines

• Ventura uses several messages to its digital ads including Choose Your Adventure, This is The Point, and From Tacos to Topa Topa. With the tagline: Venture Out, the city has been able to reach a larger tourist population.

How Camarillo and Santa Barbara uses Digital Marketing to Promote their tourist attractions

• As requested, we have provided a thorough overview of the digital marketing channels and tactics employed by Camarillo and Santa Barbara, California to market themselves as tourist destinations in rows 8-9, columns E-F of this attached spreadsheet.

Research Strategy:

Huntington Beach

• They call the city of Huntington Beach “Surf City USA.” This is the consistent advertising theme through all resources researched about the city. There is even a dedicated website with this domain name and title.
• Strengthening the image portrayed of a surfing mecca, USA Today voted the Huntington Beach as best beach in California, and the newspaper, The Telegraph, calls it the ultimate beach. All year-round sunny weather and surfing contribute to its appeal as a surfing mecca.
• This laid-back city is one of the ten happiest cities in the United States, a fact displayed on the website.
• The city also points out it is central to many of the surrounding attractions like Disneyland, Legoland, Hollywood, amusement parks and more. The tourist attractions are almost all reachable in day trips.
• Huntington Beach uses Facebook extensively to promote the city. Through Facebook, one may gain access to the city’s events, YouTube page, Pinterest page, Twitter feed, fan feedback and more.
• The city consistently displays photos and videos around similar themes. The common themes displayed in all the city’s advertising are surfing, beaches, sunsets, sunrises, whale watching, fishing, and events.
• By following the link from Facebook to YouTube, one may view the Huntington Beach channel. Huntington Beach uses YouTube to display the many events held in its city. There are also interviews with both tourists and residents. As per the previous point, the regular themes, like surfing, are also on display on the channel.
• By following the link from Facebook to Twitter, one can view the Huntington Beach page. Twitter displays various types of media around its regular themes. However, what becomes apparent when first looking at the Twitter site, is the number of positive tweets about the city.
• By following the link from Facebook to Pinterest, we can view the Huntington Beach page. The city focuses the Pinterest page around the city’s main themes.
• The “#surfcityusa” on Instagram Reveals a page dedicated to the themes as previously mentioned. A few happy faces are added with the city’s attractions in the background.
• Huntington Beach’s catchphrase, “Surf City USA”, appears in many of their reports and articles about the city.
• The city tourism board uses banner advertising. As of April 2019, they are advertising whale watching for the whale watching season which is just beginning.

San Diego

• San Diego’s promotional theme centers on happiness. For instance, the banner advertising for the tourist destination uses the tagline “I (picture of happy people) S D.” The tagline, “happiness is calling”, is used in the introductory video on the website and in the write-up for the city in “Visit The USA”.
• San Diego’s introductory video describes itself as one of the coolest cities in the United States, the “buzziest beach town”, a world-class beer city, one of the best cities for foodies, an active and athletic city, and a “Best of the World” destination. The city backs all the claims in the video with the companies who assigned those awards to the city.
• In a more somber description of itself, the San Diego Facebook about section describes San Diego as “A world-class city for all that values integrity, service, people and excellence.”
• From the sources analyzed, two contrasting styles are used to describe the city. The city tourism board is trying to appeal to both the young and mature. On the one hand, San Diego describes itself as a happy-go-lucky city full of beaches, surfing, zoo, parks, and craft beer. On the other hand, San Diego describes itself as a world-class city with high values, steeped in history with 17 museums to visit, the birthplace of California, gardens and theaters.
• San Diego uses social media tools like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to put across its message, a happy place to visit. The main drawcards advertised on each social media site are its beaches, surfing, Legoland, world-famous San Diego Zoo, museums, theaters, craft beer, food, and parks.
• San Diego’s first section on the YouTube channel is entitled “Something To Smile About”. This is in keeping with the city’s main theme. As mentioned, we see the two focuses for the young and mature clearly defined on YouTube. There are separate sections appealing to the different age groups.
• The “#visitsandiego” hashtag on Twitter reveals a mix between San Diego’s features, events and positive comments.
• San Diego’s Instagram page focuses on the main places to visit with no underlying theme mentioned.
• The San Diego’s Pinterest page also focuses on the main places to visit with no underlying theme mentioned.