QUARTERLY REPORT
FISCAL YEAR 2025-Q4
APRIL 1 - JUNE 30, 2025
DESTINATION VALUES
In partnership with the town and in alignment with our community, our destination’s core values support our out-marketing efforts.
GULLAH PRESS TRIP
WHY IT MATTERS
Hosting writers from prominent Black publications to highlight Hilton Head Island’s rich Gullah heritage is a key part of our cultural tourism strategy. These trips help share the Island’s unique story with new audiences and create authentic visitor experiences. By featuring important sites like Mitchelville Freedom Park, we honor this legacy while supporting local businesses and the community. This approach strengthens Hilton Head Island’s reputation as an inclusive destination that values its history and drives sustainable tourism growth.
During their visit, the writers explored a curated selection of venues that highlight Hilton Head Island’s Gullah heritage and local culture. Their tour included Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, a cornerstone of Gullah history, and the Coastal Discovery Museum, which showcases the region’s natural and cultural legacy. They also experienced authentic local businesses such as Gullah T’s N Tings and Binya, all dedicated to preserving and sharing Gullah traditions.
UVPM -Uniquevisitorspermonth
PUBLIC RELATIONS
HILTON HEAD ISLAND MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS APRIL 1 - JUNE 30, 2025
WHY IT MATTERS
PR builds awareness by showcasing our destination through the voice of national media outlets with substantial reach. This third-party endorsement highlights our Island’s appeal and commitment to culture and sustainability, inspiring value-driven travelers.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT US
$6.49M MENTIONS 474
QUARTERLY EARNED MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
“You don’t rush here. You coast. I now understand why the Island seemed deeply uninterested in my need for urgency.”
-Jonathan Giles, Ebony
APRIL
YAHOO! SPORTS (UVPM: 25,285,232)
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER GETS ‘SCOTTIE STYLE’ BURGER AT HILTON HEAD ISLAND RESTAURANT AS RBC CHAMP
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING (UVPM: 37,939,679)
20 BEST BEACH VACATIONS FOR FAMILIES, HAND-PICKED BY TRAVEL EXPERTS
THE POINTS GUY (UVPM: 7,037,880)
8 GREAT FAMILYBEACHVACATIONS TO KICK OFF SUMMER
MAY
TODAY3RD HOUR
(VIEWERSHIP: 2,000,000+) SOUTHERNVACATION INSPIRATION
FORBES (UVPM: 23,770,859)
THE 6 BEST RESORTS ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND
PHILLY MAG (UVPM: 788,283)
WEEKENDING IN HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA
WHAT’S NEXT: MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS
JUNE
EBONY (UVPM: 318,151)
HOW HILTON HEAD ISLAND TOOK MY PHONE, AND GAVE ME A LITTLE PEACE IN RETURN
TODAY
(UVPM: 21,609,991)
SEA TURTLE NEST IN HILTON HEAD DEDICATED TO CRAIG MELVIN’S FAMILY
THE WASHINGTON POST (UVPM: 51,947,502)
AT A JUNETEENTH SLEEPOVER, CAMPERS COMMUNE WITH ANCESTORS
DESTINATION OFFICIAL VACATION PLANNER
WHY IT MATTERS
The 2025 official Vacation Planner brings our destination into the homes of our visitors, further instilling our core values and key attributes while serving as a planning tool for those looking to travel to Hilton Head Island.
TOTAL PRINTED FULFILLED IN Q4
TOTAL YEAR TO DATE FULFILLMENT 65,000 12,114
DISTRIBUTION TOUCHPOINTS
• Online requests
• Phone inquiries
• Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport
• Hilton Head Island Airport
• South Carolina Welcome Centers
• A AA offices nationwide
• Hotel partners
• Tradeshows » Events
• Media 2025 VACATION PLANNER
30,456
WHY IT MATTERS
The combination of website analytics and social media insights empowers data-driven decision-making, ensuring adaptability and responsiveness to digital out-marketing efforts.
HILTONHEADISLAND.ORG WEBSITE PERFORMANCE
546K
3-31.0%YOY USERS
3-27.2% YOY VISITS/ SESSIONS
735K
We continue to face headwinds related to core algorithm changes rolled out by Google, which have been impacting our organic traffic numbers. Year over year, our paid search campaigns have seen improvements and drive considerable amounts of qualified traffic to the site.
Source: Google Analytics and VERB Interactive
3-9.4% YOY PARTNER REFERRALS
372K
HILTONHEADISLAND.ORG WEBSITE PERFORMANCE
TOP LANDING PAGES
TOP REGIONAL WEBSITE TRAFFIC
WEBSITE DEMOGRAPHICS
Based on available data within GA4, we’re able to see women made up the largest percentage of visitation, while users within the 55-64 age range visited the website most frequently.
3-58.9% YOY SOCIAL SESSIONS 92K
2+42.5% YOY SOCIAL REFERRALS
2+1.9% YOY SOCIAL TOTAL AUDIENCE 359K
The top performing posts of the quarter were short-form videos of beach- and sea turtle-related content, supporting our ecotourism and wellness pillars and current video trends, as well as co-op posts referring to our partners.
By continuing to capitalize on short-form video content, focus on historical data for highly engaging posts, and increase our posting cadence on both Instagram and TikTok, we saw notable growth in performance across platforms. TikTok impressions increased 135.9% and engagements increased 73.2%, while Instagram engagement rate increased 20.6%, organic views increased 5%, and reels views increased 17.5%. X engagement also increased 36%, and Facebook organic impressions and engagement increased 32.6% and 103.1%, respectively.
Links for top blog posts and images of top social content to tie back to the values.
Source: Sprout Social
HILTON HEAD ISLAND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT BREAKDOWN
CROSS-CHANNEL TOP PERFORMING POSTS
ORGANIZED BY CONTENT PILLAR
WELLNESS
# of Posts: 140
Total Engagements: 76,382
Total Impressions: 1,482,621
RECREATION
# of Posts: 151
Total Engagements: 29,760
Total Impressions: 874,686
ARTS & CULTURE
# of Posts: 66
Total Engagements: 20,313
Total Impressions: 414,848
CROSS-CHANNEL TOP PERFORMING POSTS
RANKED BY OVERALL ENGAGEMENTS
ECOTOURISM
# of Posts: 158
Total Engagements: 55,636
Total Impressions: 1,154,986
HISTORY
# of Posts: 30
Total Engagements: 11,367
Total Impressions: 205,152
HOTEL, HOME & VILLA OCCUPANCY
WHY IT MATTERS
Our analysis of Hilton Head Island accommodations, Hotel, Home & Villa, for a specific quarter, KeyData provides metrics such as occupancy rates, average daily rates, and revenue per available room. This data-driven approach details actionable insights to inform strategic decisions.
This quarter delivered strong performance in the home and villa sector, supported by the Easter holiday, RBC Heritage, and the onset of peak season. Although hotels experienced a modest softening, we anticipate growth as peak season gains momentum.
Overall, despite a slight dip in occupancy, the rise in ADR and steady RevPAR reflect sustained enthusiasm for Hilton Head Island, even as travelers navigate economic uncertainties that have influenced their travel plans.
Source: KeyData
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
FULFILLMENT
Fulfillment - The number of physical vacation planners distributed from requests throughout multiple platforms: online, media and home inquiries. In addition, we also distribute the planner to state and local welcome centers, airports, along with tradeshows and promotional events.
HOTEL, HOME & VILLA OCCUPANCY
Occupancy - Used within the accommodations industry to gauge the health of tourism. Occupancy percentage is calculated by dividing the occupied rooms by total room supply.
ADR (Average Daily Rate) - Metric widely used to indicate the average realized room rental per day. ADR is calculated by dividing the room revenue by the total rooms sold.
RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) - Used to gauge industry health and is calculated by dividing the total room revenue by total room supply within a specific time period.
MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS
Paid Media - Paid promotional efforts, such as advertising and sponsored content, where payment is made to third parties for placement across various channels.
HHI - Household Income noted in Media Partnership section.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Media Coverage - Refers to the instances when a destination or brand is featured in content without direct payment.
Impressions - This metric quantifies the number of times destination content has been viewed.
WHY IT MATTERS: The importance of earned media is its role as a third-party endorsement for a destination. Integrating both earned and paid media plays an important role in enhancing a brand’s ROI and credibility.
Ad Values - Sometimes known as AVE, or ad value equivalency, it’s a calculation that estimates the value of a story or mention by comparing it to the cost of a comparable ad in the outlet for that coverage.
WHY IT MATTERS: It helps confer the value of content, however it should be used alongside other metrics of understanding with the knowledge that a news article holds different value than a paid ad.
Mentions - Any instance where a brand or individual is discussed in various media, including news articles, social media posts, blogs, and interviews. These mentions contribute to overall visibility and help assess the impact of communication efforts.
UVPM (Unique Visitors per Month) - This metric represents the number of visitors to a media outlet.
WHY IT MATTERS: The higher the UVPM, the greater the likelihood that the destination will be read about by a larger audience.
REPORTING PLATFORMS
2-Source Report - The 2-source report is an aggregated report of both Home and Villa and Hotel data.
Keydata - Keydata is a real time home and villa platform that allows users to view on the books and historical villa data.
STR - Smith Travel Research (STR) is the platformed used to monitor weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually hotel occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Impressions - The amount of times your content was seen across a feed or in search terms.
Engagements - A measurement on how much your audience interacts with your content. This can be measured in likes, comments, shares, etc.
Total Audience - Number of followers across each platform combined.
UGC (User Generated Content) - Content captured by users online, who have given permission to have their content reposted.
Social Sessions - This measures the number of times users visit the website from social media. This includes all visits to the website that originate from social media, regardless of whether its the users first visit or a return visit. It accounts for all the times users engage with the website after coming from social platforms.
Social Referrals - This focuses on the source of the traffic. It tracks how many visits or interactions were initiated by users coming from different social media platforms. This tells us how many time social media has directed users to the website, but not the total number of a users visits.
WEBSITE PERFORMANCE
Visits - A website visit in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) refers to a period of user interaction with a website. Visits help measure user engagement and interactions on a website within a specific time frame.
User - Website users in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) represent individual visitors or devices that access a website within a specified time period. Each user is identified by a unique identifier, allowing GA4 to track and analyze the behavior of distinct individuals or devices interacting with the site.
Partner Referrals - This metric refers to external link clicks to partner websites from ads or partner listings throughout the Hilton Head Island website. This helps quantify how many potential visitors we are connecting to local businesses.