Capitalize on Summer with a Bucket List Challenge
Summertime is a booming season for most destination marketing organizations (DMOs). Travel is at an all-time high, kids are out of school, and parents are ready to use their PTO. The answer to maximizing this season: create a Summer Bucket List Challenge.
What is a Summer Bucket List Challenge?
A Summer Bucket List Challenge is a check-in challenge, tourism trail, or digital passport — a gamified list of places or activities where participants check in to earn rewards and explore the destination. They drive foot traffic to local businesses, generate first-party data, and create user-generated content for DMOs.
A standout example: Explore Utah Valley ran the Utah Valley Summer Bucket List Challenge, collecting over 3,000 community-contributed photos from 2,290 participants — proof of how effectively a well-run bucket list challenge drives both engagement and first-party data collection.
How to Create a Summer Bucket List Challenge
Step 1: Define Objectives
Determine what you aim to achieve: increasing visitor engagement, distributing visitors across the destination, gaining visitor insights, or boosting local businesses. Clearly defined goals maximize benefits. Also define your target audience — age range, interests (outdoor activities, culture, food, shopping), and whether you’re targeting locals, visitors, or both.
Step 2: Select Points of Interest and Tasks
Choose varied locations and tasks appropriate for your demographic. Feature small businesses and locally owned establishments if community spending is the goal. Amplify with custom badges like “Small Biz Hero” or “Local Foodie.”
Create an experience-driven digital passport with general activity categories like boating, watching sunsets, or attending happy hours. With 188k+ posts on Instagram under #summerbucketlist, inspiration is everywhere. Organize attractions into categories like “Outdoor Adventures,” “Cultural Experiences,” and “Family Fun” to align challenges with badges and prizes.
Step 3: Choose a Platform
Choosing the right visitor experience platform is crucial. You need flexibility, customization, and the ability to launch quickly to capture seasonal momentum. With Seeker XP, you can build interactive digital passports with check-ins, progress tracking, leaderboards, activity feeds, visitor insights, and notifications — all in a modern, brand-customizable interface.
Step 4: Design the Experience
Include beautiful photos and compelling descriptions for each location. Design visually appealing badges that align with your brand. Select enticing prizes relevant to your audience — exclusive experiences or branded merchandise work well. When Visit Stockton launched their Flavor Fest Challenge, water bottles and beach cruisers on display in the merchandise tent drove sign-ups throughout the event.
Step 5: Launch and Promote
Launch on an SEO-friendly platform to attract organic traffic. Promote through social media, local media, and partnerships with local businesses. Feature the challenge prominently on your homepage so visitors can join before they arrive. Equip participating businesses with informational packets, posters, and QR code postcards.
Step 6: Monitor and Optimize
Track participation and feedback throughout the challenge. Collect and analyze user data — email addresses, preferences, and behavioral patterns — to inform future campaigns. Once complete, consider launching other challenge types. Here are 12 of our favorite digital passports to inspire you this summer.
Create Your Summer Bucket List
Ready to create your summer bucket list challenge? Seeker XP is here to power your summer success. Book a demo today.