Field Notes

For decades, destination marketing has been built around a relatively simple idea: inspire travelers, help them plan, and convince them to visit. But what happens when an AI agent starts making those decisions with them—or even for them? In this episode, Eric Hultgren explores the changing relationship between travelers, technology, and the destinations competing for their attention. Through a fic...

We’ve spent years designing experiences people want to photograph, post and share. But what happens when documenting the moment starts getting in the way of actually experiencing it? In this episode of Field Notes, Sarah Dyer looks at the rise of phone-free concerts, parties and travel experiences — and what they might mean for destination marketers. From Fred again.. giving fans professional phot...

A strangely shaped raccoon running through a Seattle neighborhood has become one of the summer’s most revealing travel-marketing stories. In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren examines the extraordinary rise of Jimothy—the beloved Ballard raccoon whose millions of views inspired tattoos, murals, merchandise, video games, a Mariners mascot...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Sara Dyer uses an unexpected source of inspiration—Love Island USA—to explore one of the biggest shifts happening in marketing today: the realization that the story doesn't end when the content does. In many ways, that's when it truly begins. Sara examines how millions of viewers can watch the exact same television...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Sara Dyer explores an unexpected idea: what if some of the things we try hardest to avoid—waiting in line, sharing space with strangers, navigating a crowd—are actually part of what makes travel memorable? Inspired by a visit to one of Florida's natural springs, Sara reflects on how a crowded morning on the water ch...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Frida Bahja, Director of Research at Experience Kissimmee, for a wide-ranging conversation about the growing role of research in destination marketing. From earning a Ph. D. in tourism to helping shape one of the industry's most data-driven organizations, Frida shares how curiosity, inte...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren makes the case that the biggest opportunity in travel marketing isn't on traditional television—it's on YouTube. Backed by the latest viewing data, Eric explores why YouTube has quietly become the dominant platform on the biggest screen in the house and what that means for destination marketing. Drawin...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Sara Dyer explores a subtle but important shift in traveler behavior. As rising travel costs force people to rethink vacation plans, the real story isn't that people are giving up on their dream trips—it's that they're redefining what those dreams actually are. Rather than viewing a domestic getaway as a consolation...

This week Eric Hultgren dives into the growing uncertainty around Manus and its relationship with Meta and why the story matters far beyond a single AI tool. As China pushes back on the transfer of AI technology developed within its borders, Meta finds itself unwinding a major acquisition and marketers are left wondering what happens next. But the real lesson isn't about Manus at all. It's about d...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Sara Dyer challenges one of marketing's most commonly accepted success metrics: website traffic. While traffic remains useful, Sara argues that marketers may be giving it far more importance than it deserves in an era where discovery happens everywhere. Drawing parallels between discovering a favorite musician and c...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren breaks down what may be the most powerful piece of marketing released this year: Nike's celebration of the New York Knicks' first NBA Championship since 1973. More than an ad, it's a masterclass in cultural storytelling, preparation, and understanding audience identity. Using Nike's frenetic, emotional...

Dreaming. Planning. Booking. Experiencing. Sharing. Clean boxes. Useful shorthand. Increasingly fictional. Sarah watched her own honeymoon research blow right past the model — talking to ChatGPT about vibes before she'd picked a continent, picturing herself in Greek restaurants before Greece was even on the list. Discovery and consideration weren't sequential. They were the same moment. That's the...

What happens when a traveler chooses your destination without ever visiting your website? In this keynote, Eric Hultgren explores how AI is fundamentally changing destination discovery and why traditional measures of digital success are becoming less reliable. From ChatGPT-generated itineraries to Google's AI-powered search experience, travelers are increasingly getting answers before they ever cl...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren reads a piece from strategist Ryan Winfield and Sara Dyer is back to explore two of the biggest questions facing destination marketers right now: How is AI reshaping search behavior, and what does it really mean when 90% of marketers say they're using AI? Ryan Winfield shared his findings on Linkedin f...

What separates the travel marketers who see what's coming from the ones who are always reacting to it? It's not more data. It's a different way of looking. In this keynote, Eric Hultgren makes the case for trading the archeologist's mindset — reconstructing what was — for the anthropologist's — understanding what's becoming. The difference shows up in your content, your campaigns, and whether you'...

No guest today. Just a question that won't let go. Sara Dyer traces her own honeymoon research—bouncing between ChatGPT, TikTok, Instagram, friends, comment sections, and back again—and arrives at something uncomfortable: she can't remember most of what influenced her. She remembers the feeling. She remembers Greece rising to the top. She doesn't remember the campaign. That might not be a problem....

ChatGPT narrowed the destination. TikTok sealed the deal. This episode, Sara Dyer joins Eric Hultgren to break down her actual honeymoon research process—and what it reveals about the real job travel content needs to do in 2025. They open with two news items worth paying attention to: OpenAI reportedly wants to abandon the chatbot format entirely in favor of a context-aware super app, and what tha...

Most destinations aren’t short on data—they’re short on decisions. In this episode of Field Notes, Eric Hultgren sits down with three operators who live at the intersection of data, strategy, and real-world application: Frida Bahja, Ktimene Axtell, and Josh Gibson. The conversation cuts through the noise around “more data” and gets to the harder question: How do you actually turn it into action th...

What if the job of a DMO isn’t to grow tourism… …but to protect the place that makes tourism possible? In this episode, Eric sits down with Nate Wyeth, Chief of Staff at Visit Bend, to unpack a deceptively simple idea: If the community doesn’t benefit, the destination eventually breaks. This is a conversation about regenerative tourism—not as a buzzword, but as an operating system. One that forces...

Fresh off a keynote in Massachusetts, this episode is a live drop of Eric Hultgren’s latest thinking on AI for Travel 2.0 It starts with a simple story: a traveler who books a trip, adjusts her schedule, and plans her entire experience…without saying a word. That’s not the future. That’s now. And it leads to a harder question: If a traveler never visits your website…did you actually lose? 🧠 The B...

In this episode, Eric sits down with Scott Larson, President & CEO of Visit Central Oregon, to unpack how destination leaders navigate uncertainty, prioritize what matters, and make long-term bets in a short-term world. From accessibility as both a moral and market imperative to using the World Cup not as a campaign—but as a test, this conversation is a masterclass in disciplined thinking. Thi...

What happens when a destination decides it’s not just selling visits—but protecting a place? In this episode, we head to the Oregon Coast to talk with Stacey Gunderson about the evolving role of DMOs in a world where tourism growth, environmental responsibility, and community trust are all colliding. This isn’t a conversation about campaigns. It’s about philosophy. From seafood trails and cross-in...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Arturo Gaona and Sofia Bravo from Wheel the World, a company focused on making travel more accessible for people with disabilities. Recorded during the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism, the conversation explores how accessibility data, trust, and verification are transforming how...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Carol Skeeters Stevens, Chief Marketing Officer at Travel Medford, to explore how curiosity, community partnerships, and evolving marketing strategies shape tourism in Southern Oregon. Recorded during the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism, the conversation touches on the changing r...

Eric Hultgren sits down with Claire Fisher, CMO of Explore Tualatin Valley at the Oregon Governor's Conference for Tourism. Claire brings an agency background and broad DMO experience beyond Oregon and the US, and she shares how the CMO role has evolved, how her team is navigating AI and social media, and what's on the horizon for Tualatin Valley in 2026.   Key Topics & Takeaways The Evolving...