For decades, destination marketing organizations (DMOs) were among the few essential sources of vital, up-to-date tourism advice. When information was scarce, destinations sought to educate, inspire, and help visitors plan trips through brochures, maps and visitor services. Today, information is abundant. Visitors use the mobile Internet to learn what they need, when they need it. […]
Place DNA (TM)
What is Place DNA™? Here’s your essential reading list
Destination marketers need to understand the different types of value that a place can offer. This understanding starts with clearly defining a place’s intrinsic character, also known as Place DNA™. DMOs that build their branding on a true community identity will be able to improve the experience and the value they bring to their stakeholders. […]
White papers
3 white papers to lead your destination into the future
Destination marketing is changing quickly. Shifts in technology and consumer behaviour have forced many organizations (DMOs) to adapt or risk irrelevance. Does your destination use the best information and analysis to plan for the future? This is the place to find it. As an experienced destination marketing agency and consultancy, we have found that many […]
Measuring success
Are you invested in the right business models?
Today’s destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are wrestling with their relevance. For some, it’s an existential crisis. Their stakeholders are changing, consumer behaviour is leading disruption, revenue streams are drying up and being replaced, and destination marketers find themselves redefining their role. Without a clear value proposition, demonstrating relevance is an impossible task. Finding relevance through […]
Case studies
How Visit Flanders affects lives through social media, inspiring people to visit Flanders Fields
Your destination’s most passionate advocates care deeply about the place where they visit or live. Often, this passion goes beyond a destination’s bucket list experience; the destination’s very identity (as described by its Place DNA™) can become deeply meaningful. Flanders Fields is a place where family heritage and world history converge. The region of Flanders […]
Sustainable tourism
Lifeline in the Pacific: Palau’s pristine vision for success means managing tourism expectations
The Republic of Palau is a small island nation with remarkable tourism experiences, and the world is taking notice. Palau is a magnet for divers searching for the some of the world’s best conditions, and boasts many more natural wonders like the astounding Jellyfish Lake, Milky Way lagoon and the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon. The […]
Visitor centres
Are DMO visitor centres making a Blockbuster mistake?
“I’ve been frankly confused by this fascination that everybody has with Netflix […] Netflix doesn’t really have or do anything that we can’t or don’t already do ourselves.” -Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes, in a 2008 interview with CBS News In the mid-2000s, Blockbuster Video was the world leader in movie rentals. The famous blue and yellow stores […]
Always-on content
Survive the Facebook algorithm and thrive with timeless destination marketing strategy
“… you can expect to see more from your friends, family and groups. As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media.” -Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO at Facebook In January 2018, Facebook announced a significant change to its News Feed algorithm. The social media company says […]
Shareable experiences
How destinations can increase word-of-mouth promotion by designing socialgenic experiences
Recognizing that visitors are social and that travel-bragging is a primary motivator for travel, modern destinations and tourism operators can improve promotion by designing “socialgenic” experiences. Social: That which includes a connection and an exchange between two or more people. Genic: That which produces or causes something. Social + Genic = Socialgenic: That which produces […]