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Case Study

Appalachian Forest NHA

Enhances Trip Planning with Integrated DXP Platform

+950

Business Listings Generated through Automation

The Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area partnered with ITI Digital to create a more connected digital experience that supports visitor exploration, heritage storytelling, and trip planning. As a designated National Heritage Area, their mission extends beyond tourism—focused on preserving and promoting the region’s natural, cultural, and historical assets. Powered by our DXP platform, the result is a more intuitive visitor experience and a foundation for ongoing growth and engagement.

Reasons Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area Incorporated Automated Content

Deliver Real-Time, Story-Driven Content

Enhance the Visitor Journey Through Connected Experiences

Increase Content Visibility and Engagement

Streamline Content Management Across Teams

CHALLENGES

Managing Diverse Content and Limited Integration Between Product Types
  • As a National Heritage Area, the Appalachian Forest needed to organize a wide range of content – from historical narratives to locations and visitor experiences – without losing context or clarity.
  • Events, places, and itineraries were not fully connected, creating a fragmented user experience and making trip planning less intuitive for travelers.
  • Presenting layered historical and cultural information in a way that remains accessible and engaging for a broad audience added further complexity.
 

Disconnected Systems, Manual Updates, and Scaling Content While Maintaining Accuracy

  • Content was managed across multiple tools, requiring time-consuming manual updates and making it difficult to maintain consistency across the website.
  • With a growing volume of heritage assets and partner contributions, keeping information current and accurate became increasingly challenging.
  • Inconsistent content standards across sources made it difficult to maintain a cohesive and reliable user experience

SOLUTIONS

A New Unified and Modern DXP Platform

  • ITI Digital delivered a connected DXP platform, bringing together events, places, itineraries, and trip planning tools to reflect the full scope of the Appalachian Forest region – from small towns to outdoor recreation and cultural sites.
  • Visitors can now easily explore the region by interest, discovering how locations, experiences, and stories connect across the 13-county area.
  • Content is structured to highlight both heritage and recreation, making it easier to present the region’s history, landscapes, and communities in a way that feels cohesive and engaging.
  • Streamlined workflows reduce the effort required to manage a wide range of content, allowing the team to keep information current without relying on manual updates.
  • Automated updates ensure events and experiences remain timely, helping visitors plan meaningful trips with confidence.
  • The platform supports ongoing growth, making it easier to expand content and showcase new stories, destinations, and partner contributions over time.

MORE ENGAGED VISITORS

Engagement data from pages featuring ITI Digital’s DXP modules on AppalachianForestNHA.org compared to the overall site average.

86%

Events Page Engagement Rate
(July 2025 – June 2026 vs. previous year)

115% higher than the overall site avg.

89%

Trip Planner Engagement Rate
(July 2025 – June 2026 vs. previous year)

122% higher than the overall site avg.

Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area Destination Website Success Story

From its February 2025 launch, the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area website has delivered a content-rich, immersive experience that brings the region’s landscapes, history, and communities to life — all within a responsive, easy-to-use platform supported by ITI Digital’s DXP.

With automation in place, the AFNHA team has been able to cut down on time spent gathering and updating information, freeing up resources to focus on storytelling while improving the reliability and consistency of site content.

The result was a more connected digital experience that helped visitors explore more content, discover unique experiences, and engage with the region online.

The updated website reflects the distinct character of the Appalachian Forest region, turning its mix of outdoor experiences, heritage, and local culture into a seamless and approachable digital journey.

+700

Events Delivered through Automation in Six Months

Always Current Information: Event listings and business details refresh automatically, so visitors can trust that they are seeing the latest updates without outdated or missing information.

Empowers Local Contributors: When regional businesses update their own profiles through Google, those changes flow directly into the site — making it easier for partners to stay visible and engaged without extra effort.

Simplifies Trip Planning: The updated digital experience makes it easier for visitors to browse events, discover itineraries, and explore local highlights through a streamlined, mobile-friendly platform.