Destination Positioning: How to Stake Your Claim and Find Your Niche

a landscape in New Zealand with bright green grass in the foreground, split by a walking path. In the background there are mountains and a vibrant blue sky with clouds. The title of the blog appears on top of the image: Destination Positioning, how to stake your claim and find your niche

“You can’t be everything to everyone.” You’ve heard it before, but when talking about your destination it can be hard not to showcase “everything” — the great food, craft beverage scene, unique or boutique accommodations, hands-on museums, family attractions — it’s all exciting! So how do you hone in on your selling point and really…

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What is Accessibility in Tourism?

What is Accessibility in Tourism?

Travel is an incredibly life-enriching and rewarding experience, yet it is still inaccessible to many people. Twenty-five percent of the world’s population live with different forms of disabilities – but without widespread accessibility in the tourism industry, this segment remains untapped. This not only limits individuals who are unable to access destinations or services on…

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Are DMOs Evolving into Placemakers?

Are DMOs Evolving into Placemakers?

I have been exploring the changing role of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) through conversations with guests on my podcast Destination on the Left. My interest revolves around DMOs taking a more holistic approach to managing a destination’s brand and story by engaging with locals and serving the community in addition to focusing on attracting visitors.…

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Building Relationships for Partnership Marketing

building relationships for partnership marketing

Museums have a unique perspective in the tourism industry, and they form their collaborations and change around community. What can other tourism attractions and destinations learn from these foundational relationships with the community? How can we approach partnership marketing in new ways that fuel change and build more than visitation? Museums are cultural institutions, aiming…

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10 Must-listen Podcasts for Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Professionals

This week I celebrate 6 years since I launched my podcast, Destination on the Left, an award-winning show focused on creativity and collaboration in the travel and tourism industry. This week also marks the airing of my 300th episode and more than 75,000 downloads, more milestone markers crossed! Since launching one of the first podcasts…

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The DMO of the Future

The DMO of the Future blog title with a gray background and a glass ball with the reflection of a city inside it

Everything we’ve gone through in the past few years has fast-forwarded the role of the DMO. It started to change shape, both to get through the pandemic and as a result of changes in our world. Many of these changes were already underway. We have been talking about place-making and destination management and cathedral thinking for…

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Tourism Marketing for a Milestone Event: Getting ready for the 2024 Eclipse

Milestones are major events that mark significant change or a new development. Milestones are also markers along the way to know that you are progressing on your path or towards your goal. A milestone event such as a big anniversary historical event, or astrological event like the total solar eclipse offers a community the opportunity…

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Co-opetition: Good For Business

Co-opetition: Good for Business

I am a huge believer in co-opetition – where perceived competitors cooperate and together create something bigger than they could do on their own. It is this type of collaboration that I think makes the biggest impact and the guests on my podcast Destination on the Left believe it too. I have been learning from…

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Diversity in Tourism: Takeaways from the Travel Unity Summit Southeast

Diversity in Tourism

By now, DEAI/DEI is a familiar topic and critical strategy component within professional settings. And while conversations surrounding diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion are becoming more commonplace, representation of the diversity that surrounds us has always been more than a trend. Travel Unity is an organization that seeks to make the world of travel welcoming…

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5 Ways to Keep a Forward-Thinking Mindset

I first wrote down these five steps to keeping a forward-thinking mindset in the fall of 2020. The future was uncertain, and it was hard to stay positive. This week I joined the Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel Retreat in Kennebunkport, Maine and it served as a great reminder to look back at how far…

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