Columbus is an Experience Dedicated® Destination. This means, as part of a nationally accredited program, that Columbus is committed to continually researching, evaluating and implementing necessary changes to enhance the visitor experience and ensure every attendee leaves Columbus raving about the customer service they received.

The highly skilled staff at Experience Columbus works closely with planners from start to finish with a goal of attendees having their best experience ever. This is done through offering referrals for the highest quality services and best venues, creating resources to steer guests to top experiences and making experienced Destination Specialists available for hire.

What’s more, all on-site personnel and many service staff at area businesses are trained through the Greater Columbus Certified Tourism Ambassador™ (CTA) program.  This national program works with frontline employees and volunteers at attractions, restaurants, hotels and transportation companies using a specialized curriculum focused on providing a destination-wide culture of quality service. Look for the CTA pin that designates more than 4,000 Columbus residents who have been certified since January 2013. 

Finally, if a less than completely positive experience has been had, we want to know about it and we will do everything we can to remedy the situation for future visits. Guests can let us know anonymously through a visitor survey, from which all comments and ratings are thoroughly reviewed. Now in its fifth year, our visitor survey has yielded 55,000 results, which has led to many new programs being implemented across the city.Cbus Circulator

For example, an actual visitor comment from December 2014 stated, “Columbus needs better transportation options to get around the city other than a taxi service.” Knowing that we in fact had numerous options, this made it clear that they were not easy for visitors to find and learn about, so we created a transportation guide, of which we have distributed 72,500 so far as well as garnered countless views on the website. By February 2016, an actual visitor comment declared, “Columbus is easy to get around, and I’ve lived all over the country. I love the CBUS (a free downtown circulator).”

We are committed to constantly improving and this is one of several examples of actual changes that have been implemented to guarantee the best visitor experience, and it’s working. We were ranked “Highest in Visitor Satisfaction in the Midwest” by J.D. Power* on the first-ever Destination Experience Satisfaction Study and one of the “16 Most Tourist-Friendly Cities You Must Visit” by Expedia’s Viewfinder. When you meet in Columbus, your attendees will feel welcomed by all.

 

 

*Columbus, OH received the highest numerical score among 8 cities in the Midwest in the J.D. Power 2016 Destination Experience Satisfaction Study, based on 26,124 total responses, measuring the experiences and perceptions of travelers who visited a top 50 U.S. destination, surveyed February-July 2016. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com