Goleta Tourism Spotlight

April – June 2019

GOLETA ONLINE

To encourage visitation, Goleta was included in three pieces of premium website content on SantaBarbaraCA.com, featuring things to do, places to try and inspiration on where to pedal through paradise. This content was also promoted through Visit Santa Barbara’s social media and consumer newsletter channels.

  • “Guide to Easter Events” generated 3,000+ page views and included Easter-themed events held at Santa Barbara Gift Baskets and The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara
  • “New Restaurants in 2019” features upscale, modern-Mexican restaurant Vicentas and has generated 4,800+ page views
  • “Popular Bike Trails” highlights bike trails in Goleta. The page launched in June 2019 and has generated 1,000+ page views to date.

TOP PERFORMING GOLETA ‘GRAMS

Throughout Q4, wanderlusters found Goleta at the top of their Instagram feeds with five dedicated posts featuring area hotels, restaurants and activities in the destination. Top performing posts reached a total of 83,005 Instagram users and generated 5,499 likes and 66 comments. Posts included:

SANTA BARBARA VACATIONIST GOES GOLETA

The Santa Barbara South Coast has long been a top destination for social media influencers looking for digital bragging rights. This year, Visit Santa Barbara used a non-traditional approach to reach influencer and creator communities for its social media influencer program, and Goleta businesses received premium placement throughout. Instead of a typical recruiting process, VSB put together the “Santa Barbara Vacationist” influencer contest for a chance to win one of three trips to the Santa Barbara South Coast. To entice entries, the contest was promoted with eye-catching social ads directing contestants to a landing page that outlined details of each customized itinerary. Participating Goleta businesses included: The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara, Angel Oak, The Kimpton Goodland Hotel, and Outpost at The Goodland.

After a selection process, two of the three influencers were paired with a Goleta lodging property and a pillar-specific (Wellness and Food & Libations) itinerary to explore and discover the destination. During the trip, influencers shared content to their followers, while a video team captured video and photo content. Recap videos were leveraged based on each influencer’s itinerary and highlighted participating local partners. Long-form articles were created for SantaBarbaraCA.com, shared across Visit Santa Barbara and Visit California’s social platforms and distributed to 805 Living’s opt-in subscriber database.

Goleta specific results included:

  • 630,434 Impressions
  • 14,567 Completed Video Views
  • 6,700+ Page Views

Click the links to view itineraries for Wellness and Food & Libations.

LIKE A LOCAL: GOLETA

Home to good beer and good people: Goleta was highlighted as a must-visit neighborhood in Visit Santa Barbara’s latest “Like a Local” content series. Visit Santa Barbara partnered with M. Special Brewing Company to tell an emotionally-compelling story that highlights why its brewery and Goleta should be on everyone’s travel list. The content was posted across Visit Santa Barbara’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube Channels. Additional promotion for Like a Local: Goleta will continue in the 2019/2020 Fiscal Year.

“Like a Local” Goleta has garnered the following results to-date:

  • 244,046 Impressions
  • 19,656 Completed Video Views

GOLETA HOTELS ATTEND IPW

Goleta hotel representatives from Ramada Santa Barbara and The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara joined forces with Visit Santa Barbara in Anaheim for U.S. Travel Association’s IPW – the leading international inbound travel trade show.  The team, along with other South Coast tourism partners, met with over 125 tour operators and agents from around the world in VSB’s booth, promoting visitation to Goleta and the Santa Barbara South Coast. Following the six-day event, VSB hosted a FAM at home for over 20 planners and international media who had attended the trade show, placing attendees at the Ramada Santa Barbara and The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara.

 

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

The Communications Department has been pursuing media coverage of the South Coast and Goleta through press trips and pitching efforts, generating the following stand-out coverage in Q4:

  • The Kimpton Goodland Hotel was in the spotlight this quarter. The editor of Irish Daily Mail’s glossy YOU Magazine (60,000 Circulation) had a whale of a time (literally) in Goleta providing a first person account of her Gaviota coast kayak trip and stay at The Kimpton Goodland Hotel, including dining at Outpost. The June story, “Riveting Riviera” appeared in print spanning two double page spreads. U.K. blogger Bridges and Balloons (52,260 UVM) wrote “The Best Things to Do in Santa Barbara: A Handpicked City Guide” adding the hotel to her round-up. Alex in Wonderland has a “hotel crush” sharing in a recent post how the property’s pet-friendly amenities won over her canine companion.