Advertising Impact on Economic Development Beyond Tourism: “Halo Effect”

Longstanding research has demonstrated that tourism advertising and the visitation it inspires have a positive impact on consumers’ image of a destination as a place for leisure travel and recreation. 

In 2014, Longwoods pioneered the groundbreaking “Halo Effect” research that expands on this by measuring the impact of tourism marketing and visitation on a destination’s image across major economic development indicators. By quantifying the impact, the “Halo Effect” study helps destinations understand how tourism advertising not only attracts visitors and revenue but also enhances the destination’s image for residency, employment, entrepreneurship, and education. 

Longwoods International’s “Halo Effect” research evaluates how tourism marketing and visitation influence perceptions of a destination in areas including but not limited to: 

• “A good place to live”
• “A good place to start a business”
• “A good place to start a career”
• “A good place to attend college”
• “A good place to retire”
• “A good place to purchase a vacation home”

Ultimately, it empowers Destination Organizations to establish themselves as the brand leader for their destination. 

The methodology is straightforward – by incorporating several image rating statements that cover the economic development objectives listed above, we analyze the impacts of advertising recall, recent visitation, and the combination of ad awareness plus visitation on your destination’s image in these areas. 

Download the “A Perfect Combination”