Behavioral optimization in tourism may not be a familiar term, but it’s definitely happening. For over two decades, psychologists, sociologists, researchers, academics, and strategists worldwide have been actively exploring ways to influence and shift human behavior within the tourism industry. At…
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When we look for inspiration and ideas that will help us develop, manage and optimize the success and sustainability of our own destinations, we often look to Europe. More than a decade ago, their early work on overtourism highlighted the need for a more engaged network of destination stakeholders…
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Sporting events have the power to engage, unify, and ennoble people. But what happens when destination organizations work in partnership with the “unusual suspects” to take these events to the next level? The Maryland Cycling Classic in September 2022 is a remarkable case study on how destination…
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Over the past few years, there has been a growing awareness of the need to rethink the role of destination organizations in the tourism industry. With concerns over overtourism, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility, there is growing recognition that the old destination marketing…
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To better understand the emerging role of destination organizations in sustainability and regeneration, it would serve us well to look at our meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) peers and take some notes. For over a decade, innovators like #meet4Impact and the Global…
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Around the world, there’s a new course to be plotted as destination organizations look inward at stakeholders and residents and begin to address the organizational changes needed to facilitate that shift: marketing must have a local voice, budgets need to address a wider scope of projects throughout…
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“We as a travel industry have come to understand that comfort is important. The residents are finally getting their say …long-term, comfort is a very sound business decision because we don’t want to overrun the golden goose.” — Eliza Voss, Vice President Destination Marketing, Aspen Chamber Resort…
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“You will not fail if you surround yourself with the right people, have the right leaders in place, and find the correct way to drive your team toward success.” — Ryan Bolton, Vice President of Product at Simpleview “At the end of the day, the culture has got to be authentic, and it’s got to stand…
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Plotting a new course in any industry is never easy. If you’re the early adopter or the leader of the pack, it’s compounded even more so by the structures and processes we have in place as businesses. In the early part of the last decade, some tourism destination organizations shifted to more…
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It’s no longer a point of discussion — there’s an obvious necessity for tourism to create legacy value improvements and assets for the places and people that choose to play host to visitors. As we re-organize and rationalize our destination organizations to serve citizens and visitors alike, we need…
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