Destination Marketing Podcast

Visit Voss, a Norwegian village of 15,000, is showing up in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews without a big ad budget. Host Adam Stoker breaks down why attention + trust = action, then Visit Voss's Crister Aalberg Naess explains how reviews, Reddit, and a signature extreme sports festival built the trust that AI search now rewards. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠! The ⁠⁠⁠⁠Destination Marketing P...

Katie Conner, Director of Destination Development at Virginia Tourism Corporation, joins Adam to talk about how a team of six supports 133 localities across the state. They dig into what communities actually need from a state tourism office, why proactive outreach matters, and how authentic local assets — from trail towns to sunflower festivals — become the foundation for sustainable destination g...

In this episode, Adam Stoker sits down with Allison Brown of Discover Long Island to explore how a destination with 126 unique communities shifted from outbound tourism marketing to community-first advocacy. Allison shares the strategy behind Lily, their mobile activation truck, their award-winning Long Island Tea Podcast, and how they're using owned media to connect with residents just as intenti...

Adam Geller manages tourism for Page, Arizona — a city where Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell are globally iconic but most visitors don't even make it up the hill to town. In this episode, he shares how he turned that challenge into a strategy: building an interactive Grand Circle map that made Page the authoritative center of one of the world's most famous road trip circuits, launching gamified Ban...

In this special live episode of Destination Discourse, recorded on stage at the Destinations International Marketing and Communications Summit in Cleveland, Ohio, Adam Stoker and Stuart Butler tackle the questions the industry keeps dancing around: Why does a DMO actually exist, who is its primary customer, and if funding disappeared tomorrow, who would fight to bring it back? With live audience p...

Megan Buchbinder, Director of Marketing at Wilmington and Beaches CVB, joins Adam to challenge how DMOs measure value, why Google Ads may be doing more harm than good, and how she redesigned her agency RFP process from scratch — and actually made it fun. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠! The ⁠⁠⁠⁠Destination Marketing Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a part of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Destination Marketing Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠. It...

Jesse Salazar, Video Production Manager at Visit Lodi, joins Adam to talk about why storytelling instinct matters more than gear, the case for in-house video production, and Visit Lodi's new partner video co-op program. Adam opens with a challenge to DMOs: if locals drive 50%+ of visitation through visiting friends and relatives, why aren't we treating them like a priority audience? Subscribe to o...

Adam Stoker sits down with Molly Castano, VP of Public Relations and Communications at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, for a candid conversation about what it takes to keep 150,000 hotel rooms full and the world's most-watched tourism brand on top. Molly shares how her team navigated a brutal summer news cycle, the unexpected strategy that flipped traditional media training on its...

The rules of owned content just flipped — short-form clips aren't driving traffic to your show anymore, they ARE the show. In this episode, Adam Stoker is joined by Brand Revolt's video and content lead Matt Henson to unpack why every podcast is really a "show" now, and how to structure episodes around five distinct interests instead of one long conversation. Matt also pulls back the curtain on Vi...

In episode 435, host Adam Stoker explores the critical intersection of AI strategy and creative community activation with Aaron Jumper from Visit Cumberland Valley. The conversation begins with a deep dive into the 2026 AI landscape, specifically why providing deep "contextual intelligence" to tools like Claude is the defining factor in shifting from a marketing tactician to a true strategist. Aar...

Adam Stoker and Caleb Sullivan tackle how AI is disrupting destination marketing—especially the value of vendor partnerships. They explore why traditional models (like media commissions and rigid RFPs) are breaking down, and call for a shift toward strategy, trust, and real collaboration. Caleb also shares ideas for rethinking the RFP process to focus on problem-solving and partnership, not just p...

Heritage tourism is one of the most powerful, and most underutilized, tools in a destination marketer's toolkit. Adam Stoker sits down with Jake Wynn, Senior Marketing and Communications Manager at Visit Frederick, and Heidi Schlag, founder of Heritage Tourism Studio, to unpack how DMOs and museums can work together to turn local history into compelling visitor experiences. The conversation covers...

Welcome to a new era of the show: DMP 2.0. In this solo episode, I’m breaking down our shift to a more interactive format for Q2 2026 and diving into why the traditional, front-loaded marketing budget is headed for a "performance cliff." We discuss a necessary paradigm shift for the attention economy—moving away from one-off "hero" campaigns toward a consistent, high-volume content engine. Learn w...

Adam Stoker joins the Give Me Some Good News podcast for a candid conversation about imposter syndrome, the death of "me-too" destination marketing, and why the future belongs to DMOs willing to think like strategists instead of tacticians. From autism-friendly travel to Pantone sunsets, Adam shares what it actually looks like to stop playing by the incumbent's rules — and win. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠...

In this episode, Robb Wells explains why Visit Beaufort shifted its focus from a traditional website to a video-first podcast strategy. He shares how "challenger" destinations can outmaneuver larger competitors by taking calculated risks on owned storytelling rather than just renting an audience through traditional ads. Robb dives into the "New Chapter" of the Inner Coastal Podcast, detailing how...

Digital content specialist Bethany Bee from Explore Utah Valley joins Adam to share how a modern DMO can thrive on social media without a huge team or high‑end production. Bethany walks through her journey from teenage photographer to government communicator to tourism marketer, and how that background shaped her creator‑driven, test‑and‑learn approach. She explains why follower count matters less...

In this episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast, host Adam Stoker steps behind the scenes to interview the show's own producer, Leena Atout. Leena shares her journey from being a journalism student at UNLV to becoming a multifaceted strategist and producer, highlighting how she leverages AI tools like Gemini and Descript to streamline production without losing the essential "human touch." The...

In this episode, host Adam Stoker sits down with Allison Yamamoto Sparks, the Director of San Juan County Tourism, to discuss the complexities of managing a destination the size of New Jersey with only 15,000 residents. Allison shares her 17-year journey through leadership shifts and how she brokered rare, fast-tracked collaborations with federal agencies to protect Utah’s "Canyon Country". Subscr...

In this special episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam Stoker shares a keynote from the NAFDMA Agritourism Convention focused on the growing role agritourism plays in the visitor economy. Adam discusses why building relationships with local Destination Marketing Organizations can open doors to funding, partnerships, and greater visibility. He also breaks down how modern marketing has s...

This live episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast features a special crossover session with Destination Discourse, recorded in front of a live audience at the South Carolina Governor’s Conference (SC Gov Con). Hosts Adam Stoker and Stuart Butler ditch the PowerPoints for a candid, interactive discussion about the "uncomfortable truths" facing the tourism industry today. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠n...

In this episode, Adam Stoker sits down with Rafat Ali, CEO and Founder of Skift, for a high-level reality check on the state of travel. If you’ve been waiting for the world to "get back to normal," Rafat has news: the volatility of the last few years isn't a phase—it is the new permanent baseline. Whether discussing the rise of AI or the importance of showcasing local creative energy over traditio...

In this episode, Adam Stoker and his business partner Colby Remund discuss the evolution of Tourism IQ into the industry’s ultimate resource for career progression. Colby shares how he leveraged AI "vibe coding" to rebuild the platform, introducing major new features like the Industry Event Calendar, launched in partnership with One West, and the Destination Marketing Agent, an AI tool that puts y...

In this episode, Adam is joined by Nick Shekeryk and Richard Porter from Discover Snohomish County. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup looming, Snohomish County is in a unique position. Located directly between host cities Seattle and Vancouver, they’ve developed a "secondary destination" strategy to capture the overflow of international fans. Nick and Richard also share their playbook for maximizing a...

Adam Stoker goes international with Gavin McKenna, Head of Marketing & Digital Communications at Visit Belfast. Gavin shares his path from agency life to leading Belfast’s destination marketing, and why he believes DMOs need to move beyond “digital brochure” websites. They dive into Visit Belfast’s bold launch of the UK’s first social-first destination website, built around UGC, personalization, a...

In this special episode, Adam Stoker shares a webinar hosted with Destination Core exploring what’s next for destination marketing websites. Joined by Will Wright from Destination Core and Kyle Oland from Golf Tourism Solutions, the group breaks down why traditional DMO websites have become “glorified directories,” why web traffic is declining as discovery shifts to AI and social, and what destina...