The Intersection of Tourism and Cannabis: 5 Strategies for Local Agencies to Attract New Visitors
Cannabis tourism is here to stay. Recreational cannabis is legal in 24 states, including major tourism hubs like California, Oregon, Colorado, New York, and Massachusetts. People travel for food, wine, beer, and spirits, and you better believe that they’ll travel for cannabis too.
Regardless of how you feel about cannabis personally, cannabis tourism represents a massive financial opportunity for destinations and the small businesses that support them. In 2023, Grand View Research estimated the cannabis tourism market size at over $10 billion dollars, with a projected growth rate of 12% YOY. Visitors are also apt to spend more money while in the destination - one Forbes article noted a 3x spend on weed from visitors over residents.
All of this makes it vital for destination marketing organizations and convention and visitor’s bureaus to embrace cannabis tourism and marketing to cannabis tourists.
5 Strategies for DMOs & CVBs to Leverage Cannabis Tourism
Include Cannabis Businesses in Your Destination Business Directories
When visitors come to your site, they can see everything your destination has to offer - the best places to eat (sorted by cuisine, no less) bars, breweries, distilleries, and every other kind of eatery. They can search for rock climbing and horseback riding, farm tours and guided hikes, art galleries, museums, shops, spas, trails, farmer’s markets, and festivals - why shouldn’t they be able to find dispensaries and consumption lounges too?
If weed is legal in your state, visitors should be able to find those businesses the same way they find every other kind of business.
Embrace Infused Activities
CBD massages, infused cooking classes, farm tours, educational workshops - cannabis tourism is about so much more than just getting high and there are so many ways to incorporate the plant into tourist activities. Check with your local spas to see if they offer CBD-based massages. Ask your local chefs if they offer infused cooking classes or bartenders if they make infused mocktails. Puff & Paint classes are becoming as popular as Sip & Paint.
Some cannabis farms (but typically hemp farms) are able to offer tours and allow people to get up close and personal with the cannabis plant. There may be educational classes where the canna-curious can ask their questions and get a better understanding of how this plant can enhance their lives.
Support Cannabis Tour Companies
The legality of cannabis tours varies by state - some only allow for self-guided tours while others allow for cannabis tours the same way you would have a wine tour. If there are any of these in your destination, they need to be available to visitors on your website. From self-guided cannabis trails to hosted cannabis tours, cannabis-minded travelers deserve to know their options just as much as beer and wine lovers.
Promote 420-Friendly Accommodations
Many states don’t allow for public consumption of cannabis - instead, it’s only legal to smoke at private residences and designated consumption lounges. But since most hotels don’t allow people to smoke, visitors can be left without many legal options. Some private rentals may indicate “420-friendly” on their listing, but most of the time, visitors are left to sneak a smoke and hope they don’t incur a fee.
There are a few resources destinations can promote to help visitors find weed-friendly vacation rentals: HighBnb and Bud & Breakfast are the two most popular weed-friendly vacation rental sites. Check with your local cannabis businesses as well to see if they offer camping or glamping opportunities.
Include Cannabis Events on Your Calendar
You promote music festivals and food truck rodeos, art shows, and heritage events, and if your destination hosts cannabis or hemp events, they deserve a spot on your events calendar too. From the National Cannabis Festival to the Great Midwest Hemp Fest, there are hundreds of cannabis events hosted around the country every year that draw in visitors who are ready and willing to spend money in your destination.
Embrace the Future of Cannabis Tourism
Need help creating cannabis tourism resources for your DMO or CVB? I can help!
I’m an SEO writer who specializes in cannabis education. My background is in travel and tourism, writing resources for tourism agencies from social media to Simpleview websites, and over 1,000 pieces of educational cannabis content since 2021. I’m intimately familiar with cannabis laws across the country and the SEO strategies needed to get the information in front of people who want it.
I help destination marketers create cannabis resources to embrace the future of cannabis tourism. And, as a cannabis tourist myself, having visited over a dozen states where weed is legal, I know the resources your visitors are looking for. Send me a note today to get started.
