08/21/2026
Updates 08/21/2026: Ohio's Travel Industry and Current Travel Research
ATTENDANCE ALONE DOES NOT TELL YOU WHETHER VISITORS WERE ACTUALLY ENGAGED.
Attractions, museums, fairs and festivals traditionally report how many people came through the door or gate. New benchmarking of physical experiences argues for a second question: what did visitors actually do once they arrived? Dwell time, movement and interaction can identify experiences that hold attention and areas visitors simply pass through.
Key findings from Exposure Analytics’ Physical Engagement Index 2026, released in August:
- The benchmark draws on measured behavior from 43.8 million visitors across multiple countries and sectors, providing a large dataset on physical engagement.
- Average dwell time among visitors classified as engaged was 13 minutes and 50 seconds.
- The report identifies a 20-fold difference in engagement between the top and bottom 10% of measured physical spaces, suggesting similar attendance can mask dramatically different visitor behavior.
- Engagement also changed by location and season, reinforcing that placement, programming and environment can influence whether visitors stop and participate.
- For Ohio visitor organizations, the practical lesson is to supplement attendance with dwell time, participation, repeat use, movement between areas, conversion and satisfaction, especially when evaluating new exhibits, festival zones, activations and capital investments.
HERITAGE VISITORS WANT TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER, AND SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR HERITAGE EXPERIENCES BLEND HISTORY WITH THE OUTDOORS.
Ohio's historic sites, parks, scenic communities, trails and museums should not think of heritage as a stand-alone attraction category. Recent research shows overlap between heritage, outdoor experiences and social recreation. For Ohio, this supports stronger packaging among museums, historic sites, parks, wineries, downtowns, restaurants and lodging. Short drive trips are particularly important because many travelers are building itineraries around several different experiences.
Key findings from the U.K. Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Community and Engagement Survey 2025/26: Heritage Report, detailed report published Aug. 14:
- 59% of heritage visitors said spending time with family or friends motivated the visit, slightly ahead of general interest in the subject at 53%.
- The leading heritage experience was a park or garden with historic or artistic features at 39%, followed by historic cities or towns at 36% and historic landscapes or habitats at 34%.
- Physical heritage participation declined to 62%, while digital participation remained at 25%, reinforcing the importance of giving audiences fresh reasons for an in-person visit.
- Among people who said heritage did not interest them, 43% said heritage places did not match their personal interests or preferences. Connecting history with transportation, sports, nature, industry, music, food and personal stories may help broaden relevance.