Reaching repeat visitors and driving the right prospects requires having multiple paths from engagement to conversion. Based on our recent findings and given all the options at their disposal — both digital and traditional — how are DMO marketers planning to allocate paid media resources in 2024? When asked about directing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds toward marketing efforts, a significant number (18%) indicated they would be spending more on paid media in 2024. To support these campaigns, a good number of DMOs (21%) said they planned to invest more money in creative. Survey respo ..read more

“Local gastronomy, nature, wellness and rural tourism experiences will take centre stage in travel in 2024.” SANDRA CARVAO Chief of Market Intelligence & Competitiveness, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick…” Since 2020, destination marketers have had plenty of practice with skills like pivoting and flexibility. Watching consumer travel trends to stay ahead of the curve is essential for a nimble organization. Smart digital marketers are keeping an eye on the following trends, adapting content, product, and messaging accordingly: WELLNESS Rest, relax, re ..read more

Our 2024 Travel Outlook highlights DMOs’ Marketing Priorities, with professionals from destination marketing organizations (DMOs) emphasizing brand awareness as their top goal for 2024, even surpassing the importance of increasing visitor numbers. Brand awareness, indicated by 40% of respondents, is deemed crucial for destinations in generating demand and emerging from the recent pandemic years. DMOs recognize that establishing brand awareness is foundational to achieving other objectives. They understand that fostering emotional connections with customers can yield significant dividends. Fo ..read more

One thing I have turned to over the last several years is LEGO and truly getting into enjoying the hours it takes to build something. It really is about the memories created brick by brick, and this got me thinking…   As Destination Marketers, we are not too far off from being a LEGO Designer. It just looks a little different. We too create memories for our target audiences that are celebrated and remembered for years to come.    If you attended the Florida Governor’s Conference last year, you got a chance to hear from LEGO about their branding, and it was something that has since s ..read more

Every year, digital marketing presents unique challenges and trends, but an election year takes the complexity to a whole new level. As the political landscape transforms, the effects ripple across various sectors, including digital advertising. In this survival guide, we explore the nuances of digital marketing in an election year, specifically focusing on the landscape of 2024. Understanding the impact of elections on digital marketing is crucial for business owners, marketing directors, and chief marketing officers who want to navigate this intricate terrain successfully. Why Elections Ma ..read more

In the dynamic landscape of modern marketing, effective communication among different organizational departments is vital to achieving coherent and impactful campaigns. This holds particularly true for the travel and tourism industry, where successful destination marketing requires collaboration between various teams. Enter the content plan – a strategic roadmap that not only keeps your brand on course but also facilitates seamless interaction among different departments. Here we’ll delve into the ways a content plan can captivate communication between social media marketing, digital ads, the ..read more

We are excited to share our latest team spotlight, Account Executive Becky Mason. Becky covers South Carolina and Coastal Georgia territory and is a joy to have on the team. Becky is originally from Beaufort, South Carolina. She lived in various navy towns across the country after college, mostly Pensacola, Florida for 30 years. A few years ago, she moved back to her hometown – Beaufort, South Carolina. While Becky was experienced in digital advertising, she didn’t have extensive experience in the travel industry when she joined the team in January 2022, although she had worked with various t ..read more

With Google Analytics 4 over two years old, Google is finally ready to sunset Universal Analytics later this year. As the predominant way to analyze website traffic and behavior, it is imperative that DMOs and travel websites switch their accounts over to GA4. In addition to UA soon being unsupported and unworkable, there’s a host of benefits that come from switching to GA4. Multi-Touchpoint Analysis. Using end-to-end machine learning GA4 possess the ability for cross channel data-driven attribution. The feature automatically adapts to changes in performance across different touchpoints, cre ..read more

Collecting visitor data has never been more important. With economic factors always changing and younger generations gaining more access to travel, collecting the data of those who visit a location helps DMOs build better strategies. To stay on top of your best prospects, you need near real-time data to build campaigns, optimize targeting and create segment and sub-segment messaging that will grab attention and deepen engagement. 3 Benefits of Better Visitor Data: Increased Customer Understanding. Comprehensive data can help determine where tourists are frequenting, for how long, and what is ..read more

One thing I have turned to over the last several years is LEGO and truly getting into enjoying the hours it takes to build something. It really is about the memories created brick by brick, and this got me thinking…   As Destination Marketers, we are not too far off from being a LEGO Designer. It just looks a little different. We too create memories for our target audiences that are celebrated and remembered for years to come.    If you attended the Florida Governor’s Conference last year, you got a chance to hear from LEGO about their branding, and it was something that has since st ..read more