Attracting visitors is about more than the eye-catching landscapes, historic landmarks, or local culture. It is about creating experiences that are meaningful to travelers. To achieve this, you need the full support and involvement of your community.
Your residents are part of what makes the area unique. They are also your best destination stewards, helping spread the word about why people should visit. And, whether they realize it or not, people who live in a destination have the most to benefit from the visitor economy.
If you want to do more in destination management, effective Advocacy and Community Engagement (ACE) strategies help. Before investing time and resources into growing tourism in your area, think about adding these three approaches to your strategy.
The key to destination management is tapping into what defines your region. When you identify your community’s core values and assets, you can then highlight what differentiates it from other areas. A good place to start is Asset Discovery. By taking inventory of your natural, cultural, and historical resources, you will identify what makes your destination truly special.
At DestinationiQ, our Asset Discovery process always involves local voices. We work with stakeholders to understand everything an area has to offer. Additionally, bringing in an external partner who can look at a destination with fresh eyes is a great way to uncover hidden gems, potential partnerships, and local or regional collaborations.
Other ways to involve residents include sentiment surveys, gathering ideas of what people love about the area, and identifying how visitors benefit the region. These strategies also unearth pain points, which are just as important as knowing what people love. After you learn what concerns the local population about tourism, you can take action to address these issues, manage the narrative, or mitigate overuse.
Visitor activity benefits everyone because it drives economic and job growth. This is why local business and civic leaders are great potential partners. Once you engage them in the planning and decision-making process, it opens up new possibilities.
As you connect with area leaders, highlight the full return on investment of attracting more visitors. Tourism increases tax revenue, brings in external investments, and boosts infrastructure development. When you involve these leaders, you will help them see the full value of tourism, and they will start to develop a sense of ownership and pride in your initiatives.
Effective communication is the cornerstone of local engagement. Keeping residents informed about your tourism plans, including the potential benefits and challenges, fosters trust and reduces uncertainty.
Make sure your communication plan includes multiple ways for people to receive your message. Planned presentations, fact sheets, social media campaigns, and public forums are powerful and effective ways to engage your community. Plus, making it an open dialogue provides valuable insights to help fine-tune your strategies and reduce any negative tourism impacts.
The most powerful ACE plans are ongoing. Do not stop engaging local voices after you launch your tourism initiative—maintain your outreach efforts.
Keep a pulse on how the community feels about the evolving tourism landscape. Periodically survey residents to gauge sentiment and identify concerns. This is a way to adapt your strategies to ensure they remain aligned with your region’s values.
Advocacy and Community Engagement is not just a buzzword in destination management. Involving residents is a fundamental building block for sustainable success. When area voices are actively involved and supportive, your destination becomes more than just a place on the map—it becomes a place in visitors’ hearts.
Partnering with local stakeholders, businesses, and elected officials, DestinationiQ will help you effectively engage members of your community and turn them into advocates.
Contact us today to get started.
Kirsten has always been driven by curiosity and connection. Her love for travel, the outdoors, and discovering new places fuels both her personal adventures and professional passion for helping destinations reach their fullest potential.
Before joining DestinationiQ, Kirsten spent several years in the hospitality industry, where she developed a deep appreciation for exceptional guest experiences and the power of meaningful relationships. She joined DestinationiQ in early 2022 as an administrative assistant, quickly immersing herself in every facet of the company. Her eagerness to learn, natural leadership, and ability to bring teams together led her to grow into the role of Project Manager and ultimately, Account Director.
Kirsten thrives on equipping people and organizations to be the best they can be, whether she’s helping a client strengthen their destination identity or supporting her team behind the scenes. When she’s not working, you’ll find her exploring new places, spending time with her family, or finding the next trail to wander.
Lindsay has been an explorer her entire life. She has traveled much of the world, falling in love with all the outdoor recreational opportunities, geologic diversity, rich history, and cultural depth it has to offer.
She began working with DestinationiQ in 2016, where she encouraged the company to focus even more on Destination Management and easily moved into an account director position where she further shines a light on her communications, relationship-building, strategic planning, and leadership skills; guiding clients on a successful path of tourism evolution.
Lindsay’s extensive network includes tourism directors and board members, social media influencers, members of state tourism offices, journalists, photographers, business leaders, and more.
Bryan is the president and owner of DestinationiQ. He has decades of experience in the tourism field and remains on the cutting edge of the industry. He firmly believes in building open and honest long-term relationships through transparent communication and providing regions with sustainable and responsible tourism strategies that have a significant economic impact.
Years ago, he recognized the ROI on tourism far outpaced many other investments, yet there was always a gap where traditional tourism consultancies and regional staff were seldom able to do everything they need to do. DestinationiQ was born to meet these needs and fill the gap; treating our clients as the experts, actively listening to their goals, forming long-lasting partnerships, and functioning as an extension of their teams, overseeing budget decisions, crafting tourism programs, executing marketing plans, and delivering the products and services they need and deserve.
