The Dublin Market at Bridge Park
On any given weekend in Dublin, you may find visitors gathering for dinner and drinks along High Street, making their way through the shops in Bridge Park, biking along the city’s extensive trail network, or attending either a premier sporting event or local festival. Both sides of the Scioto River bustle with life, where an abundance of restaurants, parks, public art and entertainment venues have transformed Dublin into a destination of its own.
But things weren’t always that way – that steady flow of activity reflects a city that has seen monumental growth over recent decades. Once a community known primarily for a handful of signature events, Dublin has since evolved into a year-round hub for visitors, drawing people from across the region and beyond.
A destination takes shape
Bridge Park, Visit Dublin
Visit Dublin
Twenty-five years ago, both Dublin and the destination marketing industry looked much different than they do today.
While community staples such as the Memorial Tournament and Dublin Irish Festival were attracting visitors, tourism offerings beyond those marquee events were limited. Historic Dublin served as the heart of the town, Bridge Park had yet to be developed and the city’s hospitality sector was still in its infancy.
At the time of the Dublin Convention & Visitors Bureau’s establishment in 1988 – renamed Visit Dublin, Ohio in 2020 – the city was home to only one hotel and a small number of restaurants. Destination marketing was largely print-based, and very little of it was distributed beyond Columbus.
“The city was small, but the potential was immense,” says President and CEO of Visit Dublin, Ohio Scott Dring. “City leaders had already put a vision in place of what the city could be back in the ’80s and ’90s, and I think we’ve all taken that playbook over the years and grown and grown and grown that vision.”
Since then, a combination of strategic investments, expanded marketing efforts and new attractions have dramatically reshaped Dublin’s tourism landscape.
Today, Dublin boasts 18 hotels, 200-plus restaurants, more than 150 miles of biking and walking paths alongside 65 parks, 70-plus public art installations, multiple adventure trail programs and much more – all of which help draw in 2.9 million visitors annually.
The city’s marketing has seen an equally drastic change. Now, Visit Dublin relies primarily on online initiatives, social media and video content – driven by digital strategy, data and real-time engagement. A reflection of that evolution, the reach of the visitors bureau has extended well outside of the region, with acclaimed campaigns and international news coverage putting Dublin on the map far beyond the Midwest.
“The digital world has totally transformed the way we communicate and the way we promote and sell destinations,” says Dring. “One of our greatest strengths has been the ability to adapt and evolve with that change, while continuing to position Visit Dublin as a leader in the industry.”
Big ideas, bigger impact
City of Dublin, Cornett
That ability to adapt has been central to Dublin’s tourism story. Through forward thinking and collaboration with community partners, Dublin’s visitors bureau has been able to embrace increasingly ambitious ventures – and they’ve paid off.
Alongside the City’s 35 percent reinvestment of bed tax revenue back into Visit Dublin, perhaps the biggest breakthrough for the visitors bureau was the development of Bridge Park.
“When Bridge Park was announced, we knew it was going to be huge. We knew it was going to be a game changer when the Link was announced as well,” says Dring. “That’s when we felt we could really turn Dublin into a regional destination.”
Bridge Park was a catalyst for even bolder campaigns that showcased Dublin in entirely new ways. Among them were “Dublin in the Dark,” which brought crowds to town to watch 2024’s solar eclipse; “The Other Dublin,” an award-winning initiative that drew visitors from all the way across the pond in Dublin, Ireland; “Love in Dublin,” which continues to market the city as a romantic getaway; and most recently, the record-setting “Human Shamrock” in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
However, the true measure of Visit Dublin’s success lies not in its promotional achievements, but in the trust it’s built with the community it represents. The organization has maintained international accreditation through Destinations International since 2007 – an accolade only six percent of the industry’s 4,400-plus visitors bureaus hold – as well as maintained clean audits every year since 2001.
Additionally, it has backed key initiatives supported by residents such as the Downtown Dublin Strategic Alliance, the ongoing SportsOhio athletic complex and the establishment of DORA districts, among others.
“One of the biggest compliments we hear is that Visit Dublin ‘gets things done,’” says Dring. “Having the local community see us as a relevant organization and as an economic driver is very satisfying.”
Building the future
City of Dublin
Renderings of: Riverview Village, Block Y, Metro Center and Cosgray Commons
Scott Dring
Even in its success, having collected more than 350 regional and national awards, Visit Dublin isn’t done yet. With multiple major developments on the horizon and continued investment throughout the city, the organization is already focused on what’s next.
In addition to the SportsOhio Premier Athletic and Recreation Campus (PARC), Dublin residents will see two more major developments on either side of the Scioto in the near future.
In Historic Dublin, CoHatch moves forward with its Riverview Village, which will feature a nearly two-acre walkable space for local businesses, startups and nonprofits, as well as a new restaurant, bar and cafe concept. Across the river, Crawford Hoying and Cameron Mitchell proceed with their Bridge Park Block Y development, a mixed-use development that will add a boutique hotel, office and conference space, new dining concepts and additional public gathering areas.
“It’s going to be a whole other experience for visitors and residents as we activate the river,” says Dring. “We’ll have a canoe livery and kayak place down there as well.”
In coming years, Dring says Dublin can also expect additional developments citywide, including Bridge North, northeast of Bridge Park; Cosgray Commons, north of SportsOhio; and the revitalization of Metro Center further down the road.
“If you look at the past 10 years, the Link has exploded,” says Dring. “It’s easy for visitors to gravitate toward the downtown areas, but there’s so many other spaces that you might not think of right now, because they’re still in a developmental stage, but they can be just as much of a destination spot here in the coming years.”
Ella Jay is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at ejay@cityscenemediagroup.com.
