'Quaint Villages' earns Kent County millions in tourism revenue

Ambassadors for Kent County tourism don't want to be known anymore as the county stuck between two others offering a plethora of tourist attractions.

So with few marketing dollars but a big idea, a plan was hatched to make sure those traveling through Kent County stay in Kent County.

The Quaint Villages branding effort was launched last year after visitor spending in Kent County saw a slight decline of less than 1 percent in 2015, while the state as a whole saw an increase of 4.1 percent to reach $4.4 billion, a new record high.

Wendie Vestfall, executive director of Kent County Tourism, said her organization not only wants to reverse the trend but also to provide an identity for Kent County and give people a reason to come and stay a little while longer.

"Not a lot of people really knew what Kent County had to offer before the marketing campaign was launched," she said. "We're not just the county you go through to get to the beaches."

STORY: Local liquor, gourmet snacks on the menu at new Milford brewpub 

STORY: Female paratrooper takes military lessons to the real world

Vestfall said the new effort is working. Kent County has seen a $4.5 million windfall in tourism spending since Jan. 1 and is well on its way to its $12.4 million goal by the end of June 2018.

The tourism director says Kent County is never going to be the beaches, but she wants tourism here to have a different appeal. 

Kent County tourism has seen a 2.6 percent increase in occupancy and 3 percent increase in room revenues since launching the marketing plan and its "Delaware's Quaint Villages" website on Jan. 1. That is slightly higher than the U.S. domestic travel industry growth of 1.9 percent.

The Quaint Villages concept is simple, Vestfall said. Kent County offers an uncommon collection of towns that have rare kinds of food and drink, festivals and events, and an eclectic selection of things to do.

Vestfall says these small pieces build on each other to create something unforgettable in Kent County.

"Kent County has small, quaint towns with historic reasoning and when we put them together, we are giving things here a personality," she said. "Little by little we're making headway."

Kent County Tourism hired a Washington, D.C., marketing firm to assist in the research and marketing effort. Vestfall says Travel & Tourism Practice at Streetsense (formerly Delucchi Plus) is one of a couple of tourism marketing organizations nationwide that will guarantee measurable economic impact.

The county has so far invested $300,000 into its Quaint Villages website, ads and marketing campaigns and Vestfall believes it is money well spent. The funding comes from Kent County's portion of the public accommodations tax.

In Delaware, there is an 8 percent excise tax or lodging tax on every room or rooms occupied in a hotel, motel or tourist home within the state. Only 1 percent of the annual public accommodation tax goes to the convention and visitors bureau in each county.

Of that, Vestfall said 12.5 percent to 14.5 percent – $415,028.55 in FY 2017 – goes for marketing tourism in Kent County, which in turn drives economic impact for the area through increased visitation.

"We plan to continue to market Kent County aggressively," she said. "I can’t really say right now how much will be spent moving forward but we will always spend money to market the county. The amount spent on the program really will depend on the results from this first go around. If the program is successful, we will see more visitors coming to town and staying in Kent County. That in return will increase the public accommodation tax collected."

Because Kent County Tourism Corporation is its own 501c3 non-profit organization, the appropriations did not need to be passed by Kent County Levy Court commissioners. However, Vestfall said she went before the commissioners three times to keep them informed of the plan.

"We were given their blessing to move forward with the brand last October before we debuted it," she said. "We also held meetings with officials from Dover, Smyrna and Milford during the planning process."

Kent County is targeting three groups in its campaign: those who like history, culture, wineries, and restaurants; those who like a slower pace and enjoy Delaware's tax-free shopping but still enjoy gambling and attending music festivals; and nature lovers.

From the Monster Mile, Air Mobility Command Museum and Dover Downs to Bombay Hook and other nature trails and the state's music festivals, Kent County's tourism boss believes there is plenty of opportunities to attract tourists and keep them coming back.

Ralph Thompson, executive director for Travel & Tourism Practice at Streetsense, agrees and also believes the county has the biggest potential for growth as New Castle and Sussex are saturated.

He said that while consumers weren't fully aware of all the experiences available in Kent County a year ago, more and more people are visiting the Quaint Villages website and following the marketing blitz more closely, which equates to more visitors and more tourism dollars.

Streetsense's first (and current) campaign guarantees a 30:1 return on marketing investment and that has resulted so far in $4.5 million in incremental spending in Kent County since Jan. 1, Thompson said.

For fiscal year 2018, there is a guarantee of a 35:1 return on marketing investment, resulting in incremental spending of about $7.9 million, bringing the total guarantee from Jan. 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018, to about $12.4 million.

Thompson said of the 45 million people within a 250-mile radius of Kent County, research shows that 26 million would be interested in what Kent County has to offer and those are the folks Streetwise and the county are targeting. 

He believes the potential in tourism spending for Kent County is $110 million annually, but because the county's portion of the public accommodation tax is so small, funding isn't available to reach everyone needed to get to that point.  

Thompson said that to adequately fund a campaign that markets Kent County as a tourism destination, anywhere from $1 million to $2 million would be needed annually. That is why he believes it is important for Kent County to find other funding sources, as well as explore applying for different tourism-related grants.

Despite the current funding shortfall, Thompson is encouraged by what he sees so far.

"We're beginning to see the fruits of our labor," Thompson said. "We know what the potential is but we need to find public/private funding sources. Kent County is not full of people that come back each year, so we need to attract them first. If we can get the funding, this place is a gold mine."

Verification of Streetsense's guarantee will be provided by two conversion studies concluded by Texas A&M Department of Recreation Parks and Tourism Sciences – one on the email database and the other on website traffic.

Vestfall said the goal is to reach $12.4 million in economic impact. The first go-around will be to set benchmarks for future campaigns.

"It's great for Kent County," she said. "There aren't a lot of guarantees in life, but this seems to be one of them. We're making great progress. It's time for Kent County to have an identity."

Reach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.