CASE STUDY
Tourism website highlights beauty of Port Hope
Port Hope's mission was to develop a tourism-specific website that would attract and engage new visitors to their community. Here's how they did it.
About Port Hope
A stone’s throw away from many metropolitan areas, the Municipality of Port Hope is a historic gem located along the glistening shores of Lake Ontario. Spanning over 200 acres of parkland, Port Hope is a prime spot to adventure. From harbour views and downtown local entertainment, to treetop trekking and farm workshops, Port Hope has it all.
The challenge
Staff at the Municipality of Port Hope wanted a refreshed tourism website to reach an expanded audience, boost the local economy and help website users digitally find the perfect picnic spot, bike trail and best places to stay, dine, adventure or relax. But with so many competing projects across the city, and limited time to design, build and manage a new website, the Town of Port Hope knew it would need to partner with an experienced website development company that would be able to satisfy all their needs. Coupled with the need for a visually stunning website that would showcase all that Port Hope has to offer, the town also needed a platform that was fully accessible, and a partner that truly understood Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requirements.
“eSolutions was the perfect partner to help us strengthen our digital presence. It was refreshing to hear so much optimism and positivity. Each member of their team provided such attention to detail, it is evident that they love what they do. Our website now gives us the flexibility to be as creative as we want - we are thrilled with the end product!”
The approach
The Town of Port Hope sought out the help of eSolutionsGroup to bring their community to life online. Working with their experienced team of professionals, eSolutionsGroup collaborated to deliver an attractive design and sitemap that best fit the needs of Port Hope, and their prospective tourists.
To start, eSolutionsGroup worked directly with Port hope to identify the top attractions and desired outcomes that the website needed to have. The team also worked directly with Port Hope to support with valuable add-ons, including writing for the web training so staff could write content that related directly to potential tourists, and accessibility support to ensure the site, and staff, were fully compliant with strict Ontario guidelines.
The solution
Leveraging eSolutionsGroup easy to use content management system, the new visitporthope.ca now clearly communicates the adventure, experience and vibrancy that the Municipality has to offer.
With an attractive web design, captivating videos that give potential tourists a glimpse at everything the city has to offer, photo and enabling users to view up close all that the area has to offer, the city has been well positioned to attract both day trippers from nearby cities, as well as overnight tourists.
To make trip planning even easier for visitors, an intuitive itinerary planner was added to the site, giving visitors the ability to build a trip that was right for their needs. From finding the perfect accommodation and wellness activity to the right brewery to unwind at over a frosty pint after an action-packed day, the new website provides any potential visitor with a plethora of options. And best of all – local businesses are able to draw visitors and profile their stores in one central location, making it easier to increase bookings.
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