Transforming a Beloved Passport Program into a Scalable Digital Engagement Platform

Client Overview

GO Laurel highlands is the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the 3,000 square-mile Laurel Highlands region of Southwestern Pennsylvania, covering Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland countries.

The region is a four-season destination known for:

• Outdoor recreation and ski resorts
• Iconic landmarks like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater
• Cultural attractions and historic sites
• A thriving craft beverage scene

One of its most popular visitor programs is the Pour Tour — a self-guided craft beverage trail featuring 62 breweries, wineries, cideries, meaderies, and distilleries across the region.

Originally offered as a physical booklet, the Pour Tour became a signature engagement program driving exploration and repeat visitation.

Challenge

GO Laurel Highlands wanted to modernize the Pour Tour without losing what made it successful.

The physical passport program was beloved—but operationally limited.

Key Challenges Included:

Manual administration

Processing paper passports for prize redemption required significant staff time and limited real-time visibility into participation.

Limited data insight

With paper passports, meaningful visitor behavior data could only be inferred after program.

Rising visitor expectations

Today’s travelers expect mobile tools that help them plan, navigate, and check in digitally while in-destination.

GO Laurel Highlands needed a solution that would:

• Preserve the excitement and reward structure of the Pour Tour
• Increase participation
• Integrate with existing systems
• Provide measurable economic and engagement data

After an exclusive search for a platform that could meet these requirements, GO Laurel Highlands selected Local Explorers.

“We did a pretty extensive search of apps that were out there that really could perform and do what we needed them to do.” said to Laura Argenbright, senior director of creative strategy and marketing for GO Laurel Highlands

Solution

Local Explorers developed a custom-branded Explorer App that brought the Pour Tour into the digital age — while expanding it into a comprehensive destination engagement tool.

Digital Passport & Gamification

Visitors can:

• Browse 62 participating craft beverage locations
• Digitally check in at venues
• Earn points toward prizes
• Participate in leaderboard competitions

The digital passport mirrors the physical experience but adds real-time tracking, convenience, and shareability.

Seamless CRM Integration (Simpleview)

The app integrates directly with GO Laurel Highlands’s existing Simpleview CRM, allowing partner business data to sync seamlessly from the website into the app.

“Our database went straight from our website onto the app, and it was a pretty seamless process.” Argenbright said.

This eliminated duplicated data entry and streamlined operational workflows.

Expanded Destination Platform

The GO Laurel Highlands app is more than a passport program.

It also serves as a full visitor guide featuring:

• Restaurants, hotels, and attractions
• Themed trails and curated experiences
• Trip planning tools and mapping
• Real-time updates and featured events

Program Expansion: Coffee Trail & Challenge Pass

Building on the success of the Pour Tour, GO Laurel Highlands expanded the platform with a new Coffee Trail powered by interactive Challenge Passes

Visitors can:

• Digitally check in at participating coffee shops
• Earn points
• Unlock badges and prizes

This demonstrates how a digital platform enables scalable themed campaigns without rebuilding infrastructure.

“Working with Local Explorers has been a tremendous asset to our destination…They consistently deliver value for our organization, our partners, and our visitors.” said Jennifer Benford, Senior Director of Marketing for GO Laurel Highlands

Measurable Results

62 Craft Beverage Locations Featured

$94,680 Estimated Economic Impact

App users participating in the Pour Tour generated nearly $95,000 in regional economic activity following launch.

Seamless CRM Integration

Partner data synchronized directly from Simpleview to the app.

Scalable Expansion to New Trails

Coffee Trail launched using existing platform infrastructure.

Strategic Outcome for DMOs & Tourism Agencies

The GO Laurel Highlands app demonstrated how a DMO can:

• Modernize a legacy passport program
• Increase operational efficiency
• Capture real-time visitor engagement data
• Generate measurable economic impact
• Expand into new themed trails without new development cycles
• Turn one campaign (Pour Tour) into a scalable engagement ecosystem

For Destination Marketing organizations, Chambers, and tourism-focused nonprofits, this case proves:

A digital passport platform is just a promotional tool — it is a scalable, data-driven visitor engagement strategy that supports long-term economic development.