Making people feel welcome when they visit your community is essential to creating a positive first impression.
When they’re designed properly, destination signage systems have the power to attract and inform travelers, provide direction and wayfinding, and improve the overall tourist experience.
Here are some of the many benefits that effective destination signage can offer visitors, local businesses, and the community at large.
1. Extend a warm greeting.
Gateway signage serves an important purpose. It’s displayed to promote a ‘welcome’ and/or ‘thank you’ message for travelers, creating an inviting vibe as well as informing tourists of their location. Gateway signs are typically positioned on the approach to state/territory borders, local tourism regions, town boundaries, or at the beginning of themed tourist areas. They give a sense of the place by incorporating thematic elements and visual branding.
2. Lead the way to points of interest.
Once you get visitors off the main drag, well-branded signage can direct them to other appealing places and things to do in the area. It can direct them to attractions, and can be used to promote local landmarks, special events, and festivals that add to the visitor experience.
3. Make wayfinding a breeze.
Navigating unfamiliar territory can be challenging and stress-inducing to weary travelers. Signage is an essential tool in safely guiding them to their destination and orienting them upon arrival. The interactivity offered by digital signage is particularly helpful, making it easy for travelers to determine the most direct route to their destination and other area attractions.
4. Facilitate interaction between tourists and local businesses.
In recent years, travelers have lost interest in boring cookie-cutter restaurants, lodging, and entertainment. Instead, they want to take in the local ambiance, savor regional cuisines, enjoy area attractions, and connect to the lifestyles of residents. Use signage to share this kind of local sought-after information with visitors. By connecting tourists to local shops, accommodations, and restaurants, it encourages them to explore the area and helps generate revenue for merchants.
5. Share news and important local information.
Digital signage allows visitors to learn more about their destination and make educated travel decisions. Keep them updated by posting real-time information regarding the weather, traffic, news, and upcoming events. You can even incorporate live data streams, such as those from social media networks or local broadcast stations.
Follow the principles of tourism signage design.
Signage takes time and money to design, manufacture, and install, so of course you want to get the most from your efforts. Your destination signage should:
- Be consistent with the area’s branding to support recognition and promotion
- Be legible at the prevailing traffic speed
- Be uncluttered to facilitate comprehension
- Work together as a signage system to provide coherence
- Be conspicuous and placed in logical, visible locations
By focusing on the traveler experience, you can create a welcoming, enjoyable environment for everyone who visits. For more than 80 years, the friendly professionals at Adler Display have been creating destination signage solutions that work. Please contact our knowledgeable team to learn more.
About Adler Display: Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, Adler Display brings more than 80 years of experience to its clients in need of recognition displays, lobby and corporate interiors, custom exhibits, historical timelines, trade show displays, and signage and graphics. For more information about Adler Display, please visit the website at https://adlerdisplay.com/ or call 855-552-3537.