ritage through its signature Italian Food Trail.
Launched in 2018, the trail gamifies dining with a passport-style app that rewards visitors for sampling regional specialties like wedding soup, hot peppers in oil and greens at spots from the century-old Sunrise Restaurant to Salvatore’s and Leo’s white pizza.
“It’s about stories and local voices,” said Samantha Ensminger, the bureau’s marketing manager. “People think these flavors are everywhere, but they’re not. It’s our heritage, and it draws them back.”
The strategy pays off. An independent study last year by a research firm in Indianapolis pegged the bureau’s two-year marketing expenditure of $500,000 yielded $80 million in incremental visitor spending money. That wouldn’t have flowed into the county without targeted ads on platforms like Google AdWords, Ohio Magazine print features and social media. That translates to a return of $286 for every $1 invested, fueling jobs, restaurants and attractions.
“We ask visitors directly whether they were planning to come here before they saw our ads?” Carmichael said. “The ‘yes’ answers prove we’re influencing real trips.”
But the bureau isn’t just chasing tourists. With a small team including Ensminger, who juggles social media, email blasts and press releases, the bureau said it’s increasingly focused on residents, viewing them as tourism’s unsung ambassadors. Friends and family visiting for holidays count as visitors too, pumping dollars into grocery stores and eateries even without a hotel stay.
“When out-of-towners ask locals, ‘What’s there to do?’ we don’t want shrugs,” Ensminger said. “We’re changing that vernacular.”
At its core, the 2026 theme of “Retention & Quality of Life” is looking to stem the outflow of young talent, particularly 20-year-olds eyeing moves to bigger cities.
On the ground, that means projects like the newly printed Newton Falls Historic Walking Tour Map, a colorful guide to the town’s historical district. Collaborating with local historians and illustrators, Ensminger said she aimed for “personable” storytelling.
“It’s not overselling,” she said. “It’s these intricate buildings from our industrial past, we want people walking, learning and feeling the character.”
Analytics back the approach.
The bureau utilizes tools like Placer.ai to track foot traffic via mobile data, revealing where visitors hail from, how long they linger and what draws repeat trips. Blogs and short-form videos often filmed with partners amplify this on social channels where organic posts build resident buzz.
Challenges persist. Sandwiched between powerhouses, Trumbull must carve a niche without mimicking them.
“We’re not Disney World, and we don’t want to be,” Carmichael said, echoing Cleveland’s Destination Cleveland model, which helped lift resident pride from 30% to 80% over 15 years through campaigns like “This is Cleveland.”
Looking ahead, success won’t hinge on vanity metrics like impressions but on tangible lifts like tracked visitors, sustained foot traffic and, crucially, locals who boast about all there is to do in their hometown.
“Our long-term job is ensuring Trumbull always looks good,” Ensminger said. “That’s how we build the future.”
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