It’s a question that no destination marketing organization might ever imagine they’d be faced with: how do you inspire people to visit someday while also urging them to stay home for now?

And yet, DMOs across the world have risen to the challenge.

We agree with what Rosie Spinks of Skift recently wrote:

“We’ve been impressed by the creativity of some tourism boards and destination marketers that are finding ways to promote their destinations in a manner that’s not just tonally appropriate — but generous, inventive, and genuinely uplifting as well.”

It’s not an easy balance to strike. But despite this unprecedented crisis, there is incredibly creative work being produced by DMOs—and with impressive speed. In this week’s Layover Live we talked about several of our favorites.

From San Francisco Travel’s message that, "The fog will wait for you,” to Visit Fort Worth’s charmingly on-brand reminder, “Ya'll stay home” — we’re finding ourselves falling (virtually) in love with the spirit of these destinations.

Despite the disruption that the COVID-19 pandemic has created in the travel industry, a unifying force has evolved. Through smart social plays, like coloring pages and bingo cards, and with inspirational and emotionally evocative video and photography and video, we’re reminded that sometimes it's the most challenging times that bring out the best ideas.

With a hard sell put aside, and leading with social responsibility, destinations are showing how to stay true to your destination’s brand through and through. It’s just like Visit Norway’s tagline suggests: “Dream Now, Visit Later.”

Don’t mind if we do.