1A: VFR Engagement Program

Value to the Community

Having friends and relatives visit often gives us a reason to be a tourist in our own backyard, exploring attractions and neighborhoods and local shops and restaurants we might not visit every day. While serving as tour guides, we see the strengths of our city with pride but also notice its challenges in ways that can motivate improvement. And because our friends and relatives often have similar demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, focusing on VFR helps ensure visitors to our city reflect the diversity of people who live here and support the places that matter to them. Stronger engagement of local residents also allows Visit Indy to ensure its work is aligned with community desires.

Value to the Hospitality Industry

Like most destinations, visiting a friend or relative is the number one reason visitors come to Indy, representing more than 45% of all trips and nearly 25% of all paid overnight stays in 2019. On a per-resident basis, Indy already outperforms nearby competitors. Encouraging more VFR trips can increase attendance at attractions, increase spending at shops and restaurants, and increase overnight hotel stays without having to invest a dime in any new infrastructure, all while building resident pride. It can also help stabilize the peaks and valleys of visitation caused by expected gaps in a convention calendar.

Updates

• August 2021. VFR Marketing Program. In 2021, Visit Indy launched its first targeted VFR marketing program, using local tv, print, radio, streaming audio, and social media to inspire residents to invite friends and family to the city.