Case Study: Gatlinburg CVB achieves $6M in incremental visitor spending and 1,000+ trips with Bluebridge mobile app

Study Finds App Responsible For 1,000+ Trips and $6m in Incremental Spending

Gatlinburg, TN — the gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a destination that hosts over 11 million visitors a year — needed a single, brand-compliant, easy-to-update tool to centralize events, dining, lodging and directions for both visitors and front-line hospitality staff. The CVB’s challenge was to create an “official” app that front-line teams could use in training and visitors could rely on for current information without making content management a chore.

They partnered with Bluebridge to build and promote an official Gatlinburg app (Events Calendar, Near Me & Directions, Eat/Stay/Play Guide) that staff use in training and visitors download from a dedicated landing page and print materials. The app earned a connectivity award, reached 100K downloads, was rated “excellent” by 77% of respondents, and—per a SMARInsights study—helped generate 1,000+ trips and nearly $6M in incremental visitor spending (about $662K in incremental tax revenue).

Gatlinburg CVB

Chad Netherland

Director of Marketing