12 Digital Passport Ideas To Get People Out This Summer

Summer is here, and there’s no better time to get people outside and exploring. One of the best ways to do that is with a digital passport experience. Our passports turn exploring a destination into a game (with prizes!). Visitors and locals alike can check in at businesses, landmarks, events, etc., to unlock rewards. The best part? Your destination sees more foot traffic, longer visits, increased community engagement, and greater spending in your local economy. At Vibemap, we’ve already helped destinations, tourism organizations, business districts, and cultural organizations like yours to create meaningful and effective digital passports.

From cocktail crawls to art walks, here are creative digital passport ideas you can still launch this season.

People already love restaurant weeks. They’re a crowd-pleaser. Adding a passport takes the experience to the next level. For example, our partnership with the Oakland Restaurant Week Challenge encouraged diners to visit participating restaurants, earn badges, and compete for prizes as they explored Oakland's culinary scene.

Beverage trails also remain one of the most successful passport formats. With these passports, destinations can feature local breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries, and cool cocktail bars. The Gaslamp Cocktail Crawl is a great example of how a themed beverage experience encouraged participants to explore nightlife districts while supporting local businesses.

Put down your plate and pick up a paintbrush (well, at least metaphorically). Art walks and open studio tours are another perfect fit for passports. Instead of simply handing visitors a map, a passport encourages them to actively explore, discover new artists, and engage with creative spaces throughout a district or city. One of our favorite examples is the Art-A-Whirl Passport Challenge. Over the course of the three-day festival, more than 775 participants checked in thousands of times across more than 100 locations.

We all loved scavenger hunts as kids, so let's meet up with our inner child with a scavenger hunt passport. With Vibemap at your side, you can create citywide scavenger hunts that feature riddles, hidden landmarks, photo challenges, check-ins, and more. Our 207 Day Scavenger Hunt in Portland is one example of how scavenger hunt experiences can encourage participants to engage with local businesses and attractions.

Passports don’t just have to be for shopping. They can be a one-of-a-kind tool to inspire civic engagement in your community. A great example is Vibemap's #HarlemNeatStreets Challenge that we created in partnership with the 125th Street Business Improvement District in New York City. 

The initiative combined community beautification, local business support, and gamification into a single digital experience. Participants used Vibemap to explore businesses along 125th Street, check in at local establishments, share tips, add vibes, and earn challenge points that increased their chances of winning prizes. The campaign's goal went beyond driving foot traffic. It encouraged participants to pledge to help keep Harlem clean, share their cleanup efforts on social media, and take pride in their community.

Leave the car at home! Summer is the best time to encourage people to travel by public transit. Yes, even public transit can and has been turned into a fun-filled digital passport experience. For example, Vibemap regularly partners with BART in the Bay Area to create seasonal public transit passport challenges. Your passport can include fun-filled challenges such as visiting five transit-accessible neighborhoods, attending a festival by public transit, and collecting station-specific badges.

Another great option is to focus on family-specific adventures in your destination. Parents are always searching for creative activities during summer break that keep their kids off screens a little longer. A family adventure passport can highlight check-ins and challenges around local zoos, children’s museums, playgrounds, aquariums, libraries, and other family-focused activities. Participants can complete kid-friendly missions and earn prizes for finishing multiple activities throughout the summer. We all know that kids love prizes!

Nothing says summer like ice cream. Sticky hands as your treat melts down your cone under the warm sun is a staple of every summer experience. Create a passport to feature your favorite ma-and-pa ice cream shops, bakeries, donut shops, candy stores, etc. This is an easy activity, perfect for all ages, and something most folks can make time for after work when they’re craving a quick sweet treat or a pick-me-up.

Summertime means eating outside. Build a passport that encourages visitors to explore patios, rooftop bars, breweries with backyards, and outdoor cafés. This passport helps distribute traffic across multiple businesses while showcasing the best spots for grabbing a meal outside.

We all need more nature in our lives. As the kids say, it's good to get outside and “touch grass.” 

Encourage outdoor recreation by creating a passport centered around your best parks, trails, beaches, swimming holes, nature preserves, picnic areas, and any other scenic areas. Participants can unlock rewards for completing hikes, visiting multiple parks, or checking in at outdoor destinations throughout the season.

A digital historic tour passport encourages visitors to explore museums, landmarks, heritage sites, and cultural attractions at their own pace while learning the stories that shaped your destination. Our work with Clermont County, Ohio, for example, launched a History & Museum Passport that connects multiple museums and historic sites into one cohesive experience. By making history interactive, destinations can increase visitation to cultural attractions, support local nonprofits and museums, and create memorable educational experiences for visitors of all ages.

Everyone loves discovering a great deal. A digital savings pass gives visitors exclusive discounts at participating restaurants, retailers, attractions, and entertainment venues while encouraging them to explore more of your destination. Instead of promoting businesses individually, a savings passport creates a destination-wide incentive to visit multiple locations. Clermont County's Discover Savings Pass is one example, offering a free mobile pass that delivers discounts across local businesses while making it easy for visitors to check in and redeem offers as they explore.

‘Tis the season to get outside. A digital passport gives people a reason to get out and explore their community. Remember, the most successful passports aren’t just about folks winning rewards and prizes. Rather, they’re about creating a connection between users and their community. Sometimes all we need is a little push to try something new, and that's exactly what Vibemap was built to do. Let’s start planning your summer passport challenge today.