Four ways destinations can use Google Trends to inform marketing

colorful Google Trends bar graph

1. You can compare your destination’s popularity to other destinations over time.

The above data shows that the Lake George region outperformed its competitors during Covid of 2020. Speculation based on the data:  Lake George marketing partners & hotels touted that they were “open for business” with a safety-first approach as early as May 15th while competitors actively promoted “dream of visiting us” into July due to community pressure. A hotel marketing commission focused on safety, PR, and communications while the county adjusted to spend occ tax on an early summer ad spend when competitors were not advertising. This proves a well-known concept that one should always market during a recession giving you first movers advantage.

2. Destinations can use Google Trends to discover emerging markets

Lake George – Search Trends by Metro Area or State:  Using this link you can sort by counties to see growth patterns and declining interest by a geographic target.  Use the filter by counties to see searches by counties or states or even countries to discover trends & emerging markets.

3. Destinations can research competitors with stronger demand growth to inform planning & strategy

Use this link to use Google Trends for your region.

4. Where are your visitors coming from compared to other destinations

The below map shows that all states except Vermont have more searches for Myrtle Beach than Lake George.  Myrtle Beach (like other growing destinations) shows steady growth in searches from 2004-2017 with a little loss from 2018-2020.  Whereas Lake George shows little growth in searches for our brand over time.US Map shows interest in Myrtle Beach