A key pillar of Hamilton County Tourism’s new strategic plan is a Year-Round Visitor Economy, which means strategically planning and marketing to encourage visitation throughout the year.
To support a traditionally slower period of the calendar, HCT kicked off January 1 with a monthlong wellness campaign. This campaign offered a strategic opportunity to inspire visits during a time when travelers are looking for restorative getaways close to home. Key markets included Champaign, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and Lexington, Kentucky.
Distribution channels included paid and organic social media, earned media, and collaborations with Indy Ignite. It concluded with more than 975,000 social media impressions and strong engagement rates across platforms.
According to data via Tourism Economics, there were nearly 1,000 observed visits between January and February from people who viewed the Visit Hamilton County website and were within the key markets included in the wellness campaign.
Visit Hamilton County’s spring campaign began in February and ran through April 13. The campaign included a multi-market, layered marketing strategy designed to increase awareness and inspire travel to Hamilton County, Indiana. It combined bold storytelling and audience-relevant messaging with a high-impact media approach spanning both digital and traditional channels.
This combination of marketing tactics, as well as sporting events and meetings, have supported a strong start to 2026 for tourism in Hamilton County. Quarter one ended with hotel demand rising 6.3% year-over-year, and the Hamilton County Tourism team is taking this momentum forward into the rest of the year.
