These are the ‘Live’ statistics for Mechtraveller. They show the numbers and trends for the last 30 days from today.

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Statistics 

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Social Media (as at 11/01/2024)

 

Work with me

In particular I’m looking for “partners”, such as accommodation providers/hotel chains and car manufacturers/vehicle rental companies, that can help me reach some of the many sites I want to cover.

I’m happy to supply posts, articles and other copy into brand publications.

I’ll take guest posts/sponsored posts if they are absolutely on topic, in style and declared as sponsored.

I’ll take banner advertising & affiliate links when suitable.

I’ll be happy to create a solo blogger campaign or a campaign with my colleagues at Captivate Digital Media with multiple strands (eg. food, family, adventure).

See my Code of Ethics

Why is ‘niche’ important?

Well, many brands and their agencies are focusing on niche content creators because they have authenticity and engagement. 

Why is the Mechtraveller niche important for destinations?

Example – Historic battlefields

In October 2018 the Kentucky Civil War Sites Association published a study that illustrates the economic and tourism benefits the state’s Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefields & war-related historic sites have on state and local economies.

Key points of survey (conducted April to October 2017)

• Visitors to Kentucky battlefields and historic sites contribute more than $10 million annually to local economies. Also, out-of-state tourist spending boosts the state’s GDP by $7.1 million and generates more than $1 million in state and local tax revenue.
• Six out of 10 visitors were not from Kentucky. They came from 43 other states and five countries.
• The majority of visitors travelled more than 200 miles to the site.
• The typical traveller spent an average of $258.30 in the local area of the site, with lodging and food accounting for about half of the total amount spent. Overall, nearly half of all visitors paid for one or more room nights in the area during their visit.
• Overnight out-of-state visitors to Kentucky battlefields and related historic sites add about $7.45 million in spending to the Kentucky economy.
• Overnight visitors who live in Kentucky add roughly $2.09 million in spending to those particular communities economies due to the presence of these battlefields and related historic sites.
• Kentucky residents who visit battlefields and related historic sites who stay overnight in paid lodging have an economic impact by supporting 42 jobs with labour income totaling $1.1 million and value added of $1.8 million.
• Out-of-state day trippers add about $485,000 in spending at the areas around the sites.
• For more than half of all visitors, visiting the specific historic site was one of the main reasons for coming, including three out of 10 who said it was the primary reason they came to the area.
• Visitors were relatively affluent, with 42 percent having an annual income of $75,000 or more, including 22 percent with an income in excess of $100,000. Overall, site visitors were well-educated, with the majority having at least a four-year college degree, with more than 20 percent having studied beyond college.
• Civil War and Revolutionary War sites in the Commonwealth were nearly universally enjoyed by visitors according to the survey. Ninety-eight percent had a positive experience at the site they visited, and more than nine out of 10 would likely recommend a visit to the site to friends and family.
• Of Kentuckians surveyed, 65 percent strongly support the use of tax dollars being spent to preserve Kentucky’s battlefields and related historic sites in the state.

Source: The Advocate Messenger (local newspaper)

 

Example – Technical Museums

For Alabama, technical & military sites are among their best attractions.

In fact, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville was Alabama’s leading attraction in 2018, and again in 2019. Tourism officials have confirmed that where 849,981 people visited the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in 2018, ranking it first among state attractions that charge admission, that figure rose to 1,050,958 in 2019 – twice the number of the state’s 2nd most visited attraction.

What else do you notice in the Alabama Top 10 Admission Charged Attractions in 2019?

1. Huntsville Space and Rocket Center – 1,050,958 visitors
2. Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – 577,338 visitors
3. Birmingham Zoo – 565,087 visitors
4. Equal Justice Initiative Museum – 500,000 visitors
5. USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park – 451,601 visitors (an increase of 24% on 2018)
6. Talladega Superspeedway – 436,000 visitors
7. Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum – 379,083 visitors.
8. Huntsville Botanical Gardens – 376,526 (6% up on 2018).
9. McWane Science Center – 340,000.
10. Point Mallard Park – 274,703.

… and among Alabama’s Top 10 Free Attractions?

#6 Army Aviation Museum – Fort Rucker – 2018 & 2019 attendance:100,000

Sources: WTVY 2019 and 2020 (Local TV)

For Michigan, The Henry Ford’s attractions and events have a direct impact on the Michigan economy and bring many unique visitors to the state.

In 2018, The Henry Ford’s visitors spent more than $203 million in the Detroit area, contributed more than $181 million to the statewide economy and more than $298 million when secondary effects are added. The calculations for 2019 haven’t been done yet but visitor numbers were at near record levels with more than 1.8 million guests visiting the institution’s campus. The Ford Rouge Factory Tour recorded its 2nd highest attendance to-date with more than 150,000 visitors. 

Source: Benzinga.com

 

Example – Air Shows

Wisconsin’s tourism industry created $21.6 billion in economic impact last year, up $1 billion from 2017, Deputy Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers said during a visit to the Experimental Aircraft Association Aviation Museum, kicking off National Travel and Tourism Week, May 5-11, 2019.

Tourism directly supports more than 199,000 jobs in the state, Sayers said. Around 112 million people visited Wisconsin in 2018, an increase of 2 million people from 2017, and EAA’s annual AirVenture fly-in convention in Oshkosh is part of the reason why Wisconsin sees such high tourism numbers, she said.

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is an annual gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA.

Source: Oshkosh Northwestern (Local News)

 

Example – Heritage Rail

A December 2023 report into the Isle of Man Heritage Railways concluded: “Looking at the overall impact of the heritage railways on the economy, the consultants found that for every £1 spent in subvention and capital investment there was an economic benefit of £2.88.”

Source: BBC Isle of Man