For most potential visitors to your destination, the journey between “I’ve never heard of this place,” and “I’m going to tell everyone how great my trip was,” is long and winding. “It’s very important to understand where your target audience is in the customer journey,” says William Bakker, Destination Think!’s Chief Strategist. “When you know […]
Strategic Planning
The Love of Tourism: Bay of Plenty plans a future of flourishing
“Sustainability doesn’t go far enough,” says Kristin Dunne, CEO at Tourism Bay of Plenty (TBOP), echoing The Love of Tourism, her new destination plan. She stands at the forefront of destination marketing leaders calling for the tourism industry to expand its goals beyond economic growth and take action to mitigate environmental challenges often linked to […]
Banff National Park communications plan shifts traveller behaviour amid record-smashing visitor numbers
As more tourism destinations sustain high visitor volumes, some are using innovative strategies to manage visitation. Banff National Park (BNP) is one such place. It is Canada’s oldest and most visited national park, offering scenic outdoor adventures in the Canadian Rockies. The park anticipated record visitation for summer 2017. More visitors would bring in more […]
A brief history of your DMO’s role
Destination marketing is undergoing a revolutionary change. For many, mass advertising fades in relevance as word-of-mouth promotion moves front-and-centre and DMOs begin to manage experiences. Your visitors and residents influence people who trust them by sharing their travel experiences in vast online networks. You can learn a lot from the millions of conversations out there. […]
Who’s doing niche tourism? These 5 destinations are doubling down on specific visitor passions
An experience made for everyone is often nothing special to anyone. “Why should I visit?” is one question your destination needs to address in today’s increasingly competitive tourism market. A niche marketing strategy can connect your destination and its community to passionate, loyal visitors who appreciate the experiences that only your place can provide. Without […]
The E.U.’s new data protection law hits May 25
A new set of requirements for data protection and privacy are fully enforced starting May 25. No matter where your destination is, this law could affect you, because the internet knows no borders. The European Union (E.U.) created the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to reset how personal data and, ultimately, personal privacy are managed. […]
Ottawa Tourism CEO: “We would become obsolete” without modern strategic planning
When Michael Crockatt joined Ottawa Tourism as President & CEO in 2016, the city was on the verge of a big moment. Ottawa was about to become the epicentre of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2017. Tourism was expected to increase by 6.0% in overnight visits as a result. It was an ideal time for […]
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 […]
Working in isolation is risky. Here’s why Tourism Calgary built strategy and brand with a team-wide, collaborative process.
Destination marketers who develop strategy and brand in isolation risk not reaching their full potential. Successful destination marketing requires alignment and support. When teams work independently in silos, resources are squandered, years of hard work sit in someone’s drawer collecting dust, and the risk of ideas falling flat at implementation is high. Community and industry […]
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 […]
White paper: Will international tourism offices remain relevant?
The Destination Think! team is pleased to release this white paper that addresses international tourism offices: Will international tourism offices remain relevant?: Your roadmap for the future If you are reading this, you recognize that destination marketing is changing fast. New technology and shifting consumer behaviour have forced destination marketing organizations (DMOs) like yours to […]
What does the ideal DMO look like?
The role, identity, and purpose of the DMO is always under scrutiny in our rapidly changing industry. Pressing reset, we’ve flipped the gaze from critiquing common malfunctions and missed opportunities to envisioning what the ideal DMO looks like. We sat down with minds from across Destination Think! who live and breathe strategic problem solving for […]
Destination planning for the future: where to begin?
The challenges facing modern tourism often lie in attempting to appeal to everyone without having the capacity and planning to deliver on a mass scale. Common pain points such as over-crowding, mismanagement, and resident backlash can be remedied with forward-thinking strategies that find an equilibrium between all the actors at play. Through our work […]
Why loyalty management leads to growth
Imagine that for every one hundred arrivals to your destination, one hundred and ten returned next year. Ideally, how many of those would be repeat visits and referrals? Visitor retention is one of three growth engines for destinations (along with visitor acquisition and referral). A higher retention rate can reduce the risk of declining visitation. […]
Go niche or your visitors will go home.
Many marketers’ intuitions urge them to go bigger, reach more people, get larger exposure and become more famous. This gives many destination marketers a (perfectly natural) mortal fear that focusing and reducing the size of their marketing audience is a dangerous move. But with careful consideration and testing, the rewards often outweigh the risk. Despite […]
Copenhagen declares “The End of Tourism as We Know It” in 4-year destination strategy
Wonderful Copenhagen has just announced the destination strategy that will lead it through 2020 and beyond. Written in consultation with Destination Think!, the plan outlines seismic shifts in the DMO’s role, and begins by describing what Copenhagen will leave behind, with a wink and a smile: “Wonderful Copenhagen concludes the end of the era of tourism, as […]
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 […]
Building stable funding models and revenue streams: Webinar highlights and recording
When it comes to funding, what’s the bottom line? For many destinations, diversification will help lower the risk of losing a single source of revenue. As part of our destination marketing webinar series, Destination Think!’s Senior Strategic Consultant Aaron Nissen presented research into today’s spectrum of funding models and shared some of the insights from […]
Get clear about your New Year: 6 steps to a winning strategic plan
After nearly a decade of facilitating and developing strategy in destination marketing, we’ve found a winning approach. Building a multi-year destination strategy involves making clear choices about your organization’s vision, goals, mission and values. Those choices will help you define tangible actions to make your destination’s vision a reality. Here are the six foolproof steps […]
Smaller promotional budget this year? Activate passionate niche communities.
No destination marketer wants a smaller promotional budget next year, but sometimes that’s just the way it is, despite best efforts to develop a stable funding model. “Creativity loves constraints,” the saying goes, but how can your destination marketing team produce impactful promotion when time and resources are scarce? If you’re facing a smaller promotional […]
What does the “M” of DMO mean for your destination?
“DMO” typically stands for “Destination marketing organization,” which has often been understood, in practice, to mean “promotion,” one of the 4 Ps of Marketing. But times are changing. As Destination Think! CEO Rodney Payne has said, “There has been a lot of discussion in recent years about destination marketing organizations (DMOs) morphing into destination management […]
Whitepaper: Today’s destination marketing leaders outline the future of the DMO
What if the world’s destination marketers gathered to solve tourism’s greatest challenges together? That’s exactly what happened at Destination Think! Forum 2016 in New York City. We’re pleased to share valuable insights from Forum participants in this comprehensive, strategic whitepaper: Leading your destination into the future: 4 critical trends addressed by destination marketing leaders. Download […]
Collaboration, networks and ecosystems: Destination British Columbia’s three pillars of strategic tourism marketing
Destination British Columbia (DBC) has set its sights on becoming the most recommended destination in North America. How does the province intend to lead its six regional destinations and even more city and community destination marketing organizations (DMOs) toward a common objective? Grant Mackay, DBC’s Vice President of Destination & Industry Development, has been a tourism […]
Discover the value of your visitors: Caribbean Tourism Organization’s approach to quality, profitable tourism
As destinations watch global tourism visitation continue to grow, some are asking: How many visitors are too many, and how can we influence who will visit? In an effort to manage and avoid the tide of mass tourism beginning to affect some parts of the world (see Bye Bye Barcelona), the Caribbean region has made […]
Destination funding models: Can the tourism industry collaborate to solve its own funding challenges?
Where is next year’s budget coming from? Whether your destination marketing organization (DMO) receives public or private money, or a combination of the two, every destination needs financial stability in order to make their industry’s dreams come true. This is the second article in our two-part series on funding that examines destination funding models. In […]
Iceland’s stunning tourism growth offers a window into the future of destination management
During the last five years, Iceland has experienced an unprecedented surge in visitation. The North Atlantic island nation known for its rugged landscapes, northern lights, and artistic innovations has become a popular year-round destination, and the sudden growth has solidified tourism’s important economic role. But the newfound prosperity brings new challenges with it. How can […]
Destination funding models: Can DMOs seek financial stability from their governments?
How comfortable do you feel about next year’s budget? Determining Cost and Revenue is a critical topic for today’s destination marketing organizations (DMOs), which are constantly looking for new ways to secure funding to remain competitive, but it can be difficult to gain sustainable, long-term funding. Reductions in budget due to changes in government or myriad […]
Consumer-led, experience-focused, destination-delivered. That’s Queensland.
Tourism is a quest for experiences. The Australian state of Queensland, rich with its culture, coasts, people, rainforests, cities, Outback and activities, has no shortage of experiences. For Queensland or any destination, a significant opportunity lies in helping travellers understand what experiences are possible, while focusing effort on making those experiences meaningful and memorable. Product […]
Amsterdam’s response to exponential tourism growth and its impact on residents
As an award-winning organization with an innovative approach to promotion, visitor management and tourism development, Amsterdam Marketing is considered among the world’s leading city marketers. The city was among the first European destinations to sign a unique partnership agreement on home sharing and tourist tax with Airbnb. The organization is also known for its consistent […]
Your DMO’s positive role in a new vision for profit and planet
Air quality warnings, rising seas, endangered wildlife, Rio’s polluted waterways, Thai beach closures and climate change. Today’s news about our planet and its environment is often dire, asking urgent questions behind the narrative. Will our children have a world worth travelling? Destination marketers with an eye to the future face the challenge of the intractable […]
Switzerland Tourism’s innovative funding model creates valuable partnerships that mitigate risk
Effective long-term strategy means weathering economic ups and downs, but many of today’s destination marketers work within a fragile funding model. Budgets can be volatile from year to year as many destination marketing organizations (DMOs) rely on government funding to stay in business. What alternatives do DMOs have to help them plan confidently for the […]
VISIT FLORIDA explains why increasing word-of-mouth referrals is an essential priority
The American “Sunshine State” of Florida has a vision to be the world’s #1 travel destination. Ambitious? Definitely. But VISIT FLORIDA has earned its fifth-straight record-setting year of visitation and the growth continues in 2016. A focus on increasing referrals from friends and family plays a key role in topping last year’s 106 million visitors […]