CASE STUDY

Visit Panama uses immersive advertising to re-engage tourists

The destination marketing organization (DMO) collaborated with our Media Studio team to create two unique and separate awareness campaigns to attract tourists post-pandemic.


Live for More results


79%

increase in tickets booked YOY*

80K+

increase in room nights booked*

130K

page views of "The Next Turn" video series*


The Next Turn results


34K

video views generated from the campaign

50%+

of traffic came from Facebook

130K

page views generated from the campaign


Challenge: Attracting more tourists


Like many DMOs, Visit Panama was struggling to attract tourists after the pandemic subsided — the country's usually robust tourism trade was eerily quiet.
 

The destination knew it had a lot to offer travelers, including unique cultural experiences and activities that would satisfy more adventurous tourists.
 

Panama’s storied culture and natural attractions are drawing cards for their larger target audience, while their inclusion and sustainable tourism practices would attract others. It was only a matter of coming up with engaging and immersive ways to get the word out.


Solution: Create dual awareness campaigns with Media Studio


The first campaign, Live for More, launched with the goal of broadening interest in Panama by highlighting the country’s unique history, culture, and natural attractions. A Travel Spotlight and co-branded listicle were used to showcase the interesting experiences the country had to offer, including the world’s first biodiversity museum, a tropical rainforest minutes from the capital of Panama City, whale watching and scuba diving, and the Panama Canal.
 

The second campaign, The Next Turn, promoted Panama as an inspirational destination to attract tourists who were interested in sustainable tourism practices. A video series of three episodes was created to showcase Panama’s epic experiences and its support for sustainability and inclusion initiatives. The series followed three visitors as they immersed themselves in the different experiences Panama has to offer: its culture and customs, historical sites and natural attractions, and the exotic surrounding islands. The videos demonstrated the beauty of Panama, so travelers could imagine their trip before booking. Through links to Panama’s featured experiences and accommodations, booking was made easy so visitors wouldn’t have to leave the page. 

“The Next Turn Panama campaign successfully generated significant awareness and engagement by featuring content to inspire travelers to consider Panama as their next holiday destination. Using highly engaging content, this initiative encouraged visitors to explore beyond Panama City, resulting in an increase in the length of their stay, while simultaneously promoting sustainable tourism practices.”

Lorena Correal W.

Strategic Alliances Manager, Visit Panama

Results: A surge of renewed interest


The campaigns drove awareness and conversion among two distinct audiences.
 

The Live More campaign inspired a broader target audience by sharing Panama’s variety of unique experiences, rich history, and diverse culture to appeal to those looking to book their next vacation. This campaign resulted in a 79% increase in tickets booked year over year (YOY) and an increase of more than 80K room nights booked.*
 

The Next Turn website built by Media Studios successfully promoted Panama as an inspirational destination in a three-episode video series. The videos generated over 160K page views and 34K video plays, and attracted 133K active users.*
 

“The joint marketing campaign between Visit Panama and Expedia proved to be a key initiative in the post-COVID recovery phase,” said Lorena Correal W., the Strategic Alliances Manager for Visit Panama. “The campaign succeeded in driving a substantial surge in tourist arrivals from our target markets, as well as extended stays among visitors, owing to its strategic promotion of our country's natural attractions, cultural experiences, and adventure activities.”



Ready to get started?

Find out how our advertising solutions can help drive awareness and conversion for your business.



*Expedia Group Media Solutions, Promtur Panama Campaign Performance Review, March 14, 2023

Was this page helpful?

Tell us how we did so we can improve our site.