Destination Cleveland Initiative To Enlist Clevelanders To Encourage Visitors

Destination Cleveland, which is the convention and visitors bureau for Cuyahoga County, plans to enlist Cleveland natives to help boost the city in the eyes of the world, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The role of Destination Cleveland is to promote the region as a destination to out-of-towners.

The marketing campaign will be an unusually granular one. The goal is not to have Destination Cleveland say what a fine place Cleveland is to visit or relocate to, though the organization says that all time. Rather, the idea is to help other organizations and individuals say that, and mean it — the best sort of word-of-mouth.

The exact nature of the effort is still being formulated. Destination Cleveland is working out what kind of tools residents (and former residents) need to help promote the city by conducting a series of surveys and focus groups that should be completed later this year.

Then the organization will reach out to local businesses, college admissions counselors and neighborhood associations. The initiative will make sure those kinds of groups have what they need to promote Cleveland to would-be visitors, potential employees, prospective college students and future residents.

Destination Cleveland already has initiatives underway to promote Cleveland, including the script Cleveland signs, erected at scenic spots throughout the city, and the #ThisisCLE hashtag on social media.

As a destination, Cleveland has gotten something of a boost from Downtown development, last year's Republican National Convention and success on the playing field by the Cavaliers and Indians.

According to Destination Cleveland, 18 million people visited Cuyahoga County in 2016 for business and leisure travel, surpassing the previous record of 17.6 million set in 2015. Since 2009, visits to the region have grown by an average of close to 800,000 per year.