What it looks like when visitors actually use the map.
Sanibel & Captiva's official Wander map isn't just seen — it's used. Nearly six place choices for every map load, from real people exploring the island with a phone in hand.
Live data since Jan 2024
The context
Sanibel and Captiva are barrier islands built for exploring — beaches, the island bike trail, and a dense cluster of local restaurants and stays. The Chamber wanted more than a brochure: a map visitors would actually open and lean on while they were on the island, deciding where to ride, eat, and stay next.
What they did
The Chamber published its official Wander map and put it in front of visitors where they'd use it — on their phones. The result is a map visitors actually use: since January 2024, 42,180 map loads have guided visitors to places 244,873 times — nearly six choices of where to go for every load, several times the rate of a typical destination map.
The results
One place tells the island's whole story. Visitors pulled up the Bike Trail 51,628 times — more than the next ten places combined — using the map to navigate the single experience that defines the destination.
- Bike Trail — 51,628 times chosen
- Island Inn — 4,585 times chosen
- Rosalita's Cantina Sanibel — 4,361 times chosen
- MudBugs Cajun Kitchen — 4,160 times chosen
“Wander is the most valuable tool in our toolbox.”
John Lai
Sanibel & Captiva Chamber of Commerce
The takeaway
Sanibel shows what happens when the official map is in visitors' hands on mobile: it becomes the tool they actually use in-destination — and the destination sees exactly which experiences and local businesses visitors choose.