Carson City Tourism Authority marketing staff presented September DataFi visitor and transaction estimates and described how the authority intends to use those directional metrics to refine outreach to out‑of‑state visitors and targeted audiences such as golfers.

Lede details and methodology caveats
Marketing staff said they adjusted DataFi search parameters to exclude major through‑highways and to omit a ZIP code (which includes a big retailer and Costco) from visitor‑spending estimates to reduce cross‑county noise. Staff emphasized DataFis figures are device‑based estimates and are best used to track trends rather than to provide exact spending per person.

Key figures (DataFi, preliminary)
- Estimated trips to Carson City: about 1,400,000 trips (staff reported a 7.9% year‑over‑year increase).
- Estimated visitor days: ~4,000,000.
- Average length of stay: 2.9 days (down ~0.3 days year‑over‑year).
- Day trips accounted for about 70% of visits; out‑of‑state visitors drove about 91% of visitor days.
- Repeat visitors: ~61%.
- Reported spend per trip (credit‑card transactions captured by DataFi): roughly $273; staff stressed that this figure only reflects captured card transactions tied to devices and may omit prepaid bookings, cash or other unlinked transactions.

Why it matters: staff said the DataFi numbers help identify trends (peaks in June–July, strong feeder markets such as Sacramento and Bay Area) and audience segments (45–65 age cohort, higher income). They cautioned that some metrics — especially per‑trip spending — should be treated as directional and supplemented by later managed‑panel visitor profile research run through TravelNevada.

Marketing actions discussed
Staff said they will run a refreshed digital ad campaign ("act 3") beginning in January, extend nostalgia‑themed advertising on DataFi that went live in early October, and continue public relations outreach for fall and winter attractions. Board members also discussed targeted outreach to Southern Nevada residents and the golf market as opportunities to drive shoulder‑season visitation.

Board questions and data limitations
Board members asked whether DataFi spend figures include prepaid room charges; staff answered that DataFi credit‑card transaction capture may not record prepaid bookings or cash transactions and will not capture all spending. Staff proposed using managed‑panel visitor profile data next month to obtain a more complete spending picture.

Ending: Staff framed DataFi as a useful but imperfect input and said they will combine it with managed‑panel research and event data to guide targeting of advertising and partnerships, including golf packages and Southern Nevada event promotions.