Destination: Outer Banks, NC

What comes to mind when you think of the Outer Banks? Obvious answers may include the stunning, white shorelines of the North Carolina coast, the tranquil breezes and lush tall grass filled with wildlife. You may think, too, of the wild mustangs that trot along the shore, answering to no master. You may think of history: the flight experiments at Kitty Hawk or the famous Lost Colony outdoor drama, the longest running play of its kind, in Manteo.

How often, though, do you think of Currituck County? This is something that  the county's Department of Travel and Tourism ponders on a daily basis. In order to increase awareness of their region and to tout Currituck County as the state's best kept secret, they decided to boost their online presence with an attractive site design and effective marketing plan as outlined by CINIVA systems.

Where the original site for Currituck County's tourism bureau had been connected to the government site, we decided to offer VisitCurrituck.com as a separate entity, focusing on items of interest to travelers planning vacations. The URL, which had pointed to the government site, now played host to a new home of lively beach imagery and pastel colors, offering a glimpse of an affordable vacation paradise for couples and families. Searchable directories of Currituck vacation rentals and accommodations, restaurants, and shops allows visitors to plan activities in advance. Simple back-end functionality lets the staff at Currituck add events to an interactive calendar and collect data from visitors requesting brochures. E-mail and addresses may be saved for later marketing campaigns.

Within six months of the relaunch of VisitCurrituck.com, monthly site traffic gradually rose, quadrupling by the end of the second quarter. Extensive marketing through Google PPC and select advertising campaigns with popular travel directories increased awareness of Currituck County online, and within the first year of relaunch VisitCurrituck.com saw an increase in Google PageRank from 5 to 6.