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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“The DMO got out of the way, and we let the passion of the resident talk to the passion of the visitor, and where that passion meets is where the transformation happens.” — Kristin Dunne, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand If you've been paying attention to the sustainability discussion in tourism for the…
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Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, destination organizations were midstream in dealing with digital disruption. Marketing for most destinations had shifted from predominantly paid media placement to earned media and intelligent social content. However, there was still a long way to go for destination…
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More and more, we see destination organizations worldwide launching innovative programs to engage local stakeholders in developing long-term strategies for regenerative tourism that serve both local citizens and travelers. And, yes, specifically in that order — local citizens first! Citizens must be…
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Guest Article and Video Charlotte Moore, Digital Project Manager, RTO4 Whenever I do a presentation on digital transformation in the tourism industry, I always start by asking those in attendance, “How do you travel?” I’ll ask the same of you. Think for a moment like a visitor. How do you dream…
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