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Feedback from Route 66 Passport participants
We are publishing the feedback from Route 66 Passport participants about how the passport helped their place to rise numbers of visitors.
The Route 66 Passport has been a wonderful addition to our gift shop at the Launching Pad this year for the reasons that itgives travellers a memento to enjoy using along the Route as well as we have benefited from the increase in revenue.
Holly Barker and Tully Garrett, Wilmington
I started as the director of the Carthage CVB early March 2019. As a long time resident of Carthage I knew there were travelers thru our city but never really knew how many. In April, Debbi at the Boots Motel told me about this crazy idea for a Passport book. I said sure, why not. Early June comes and since then, nearly day, we have travelers come into the office looking for their passport stamp. We are in southwest Missouri near Joplin, a majority of our travelers coming in are NOT from the USA and are traveling east to west. A majority are coming thru headed to Tulsa or Oklahoma City so they aren’t necessarily staying the night but maybe they’re getting fuel for their cars or for their bodies and enjoying all that Carthage has to offer.
Our visitors have increased more than 50 percent since the passports have been made available.
Gregg Conn, Vega
Every year we get visitors to our family business, Texas Ivy Antiques, from the US and around the World. With the introduction of the Route 66 Passport for all 8 states we have seen an increase of visitors to Texas Ivy Antiques. A large number of the visitors are stopping in at Texas Ivy Antiques with a Passport to be stamped. I truly believe that without the Passports many visitors would not have visited us.
The combination of Jerry’s Route 66 EZ Guide and the Route 66 Passport have helped make a reality of what we have worked for many years to achieve, Getting travelers OFF of I-40 and onto Route 66!! Having Lile Art Gallery & Texas Ivy Antiques listed in Jerry’s Book as a stop and as a stamp location in the Passport, in my opinion, is responsible for the increase.
I know there have been lots of places/businesses who did not pay to be a stamp location that have also benefited greatly from the Passport and I hope they see the value and will “pay to play this year”. I know that Texas was included under special circumstances and I truly appreciate that kindness!!
Texas Ivy Antiques has given away more than 350 pins so far this season, and most of those were to travelers who presented Passports to be stamped. I have seen on Facebook posts that we have missed a great many when we were closed, so had we not missed them our total would be much higher!
Thank you very much!!
Dora Meroney, Amarillo
Every month since the launch in June, the number of travelers with passports has increased. We’ve stamped 477 passports to date (88 days). Thank you for including us in the national Route 66 passport program!
Josh Noble, Kingman
About nine out of ten foreign tourists only want the stamp and the free pin and do not even care if they see or experience anything or not…..most seem to be always in a hurry. A lot of them are driving the interstate and missing most of 66.
Bob Lile, Amarillo
We saw 14.95% increase in walk-in traffic specifically requesting info on Route 66 over FY18 YTD – between January 1 and October 16th 2019. Our Visitor Center representatives interacted with people from 35 states and 26 countries.
For the period directly related to the release of the Passport Program:
We saw a 24.37% in walk-in’s specifically related to Route 66 between June and October over FY18 for the same time period. 32% of the stops were passport related, 30% of the stops having multiple passports (2-3 in the travel party having their own passports). Travelers that had their passport’s stamped represented 31 states and 25 countries. Comparing the time period of June-Oct FY18, we met with 36 states and 17 countries.
For the first year of this program we extremely pleased to see the significant increase in International travelers that stopped by our Center allowing us to assist those travelers. We are as excited to meet them, as they are about meeting us.
The Pulaski County Visitors Center is located approximately .25 miles to the north of 66. We appreciate this marketing opportunity to entice the Route 66 travelers to stop at the Pulaski County Visitors Center. This gives us an opportunity to engage more travelers, assist them with questions, share information about our turn-by-turn directions, audio tour, key attractions and activities along our beautiful section of America’s Mother Road.
Thank you Marian for this much needed opportunity to reach more Route 66 travelers. I have appreciated this program and I know the Passport holders are lovin’ it!
Beth Wiles, St. Robert
A huge increase of ROUTE 66 enthusiast! Sales are up 40%
Mark Cockrum, Springfield
A day doesn’t go by without someone coming in for a Passport stamp. Some days, there are quite a few and they are fun to visit with.
Vicki Ashcraft, Albuquerque
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