Destination Marketing Podcast

Managing Director Patrick Manning to talk about the exciting Black Desert Resort in southern Utah. Joining us today, Manning shares his vision of creating a gathering place that offers endless fun, delicious food, and a vibrant music scene for people of all ages to enjoy. As we delve into the topic, he highlights his goal of offering a unique culinary experience that perfectly complements the reso...

In response to a recent question posed by a listener, social media specialist McKenna Parkinson joins Adam to talk about the Instagram collaboration feature and its impact on social media marketing. McKenna sheds light on how Instagram collaborations can help travel destinations build brand awareness and increase engagement while providing valuable tips for businesses looking to make the most out...

How much do you think popular media such as movies and TV Shows impact tourism? That's one of the questions researched by Melissa Weddell and her team at the University of Montana. Melissa joins Adam on today's episode to talk about how "Yellowstone", Paramount's hit TV show that's filmed in Montana, impacts tourism in the state. Listen to learn more about the show's means for visitation, economic...

What goes into a modern DMO website? Todd O'Leary and Achilles Stravoravdis of Sonoma County Tourism join Adam on this episode to discuss this. For longtime fans of The Travel Vertical Podcast, Todd provides an update on the "Sonoma Sound" project that he talked about with Adam and Laurie Jo Miller Farr in August of 2021. In this episode, you’ll also learn about building websites around user data...

Meegan Winters, Co-Founder and CEO of AbleVu, joins us on the show today to talk all things accessibility. Learn more about the platform and how destinations are utilizing it with their stakeholders to promote accessibility and inclusion within their communities. Meegan and Adam discuss the history of the platform as well as what users can expect in the upcoming years. "One of the characteristics...

What is wellness travel? It's more than yoga retreats and meditative programs. Sahara Rose De Vore — founder of the Travel Coach Network and owner of the WTTM Consulting Group — advocates for the mental, emotional and spiritual health benefits of tourism, drawing from her own extensive travel experience and experiences of the countless vacationers she's spoken with. Having visited 84 countries in...

Diane Charno's background in advertising gives her a unique perspective as vice president of brand and communications at Visit Myrtle Beach. Merging her experiences working with a diverse collection of organizations in the agency world, she now applies it to her destination. Owned media and branded entertainment is proving to be a vital part of their marketing plan, making Myrtle Beach more than a...

Host of iHeart Radio's Speaking of Travel Marilyn Ball talks about tourism marketing today. Once a marketing executive herself, Marilyn shares insights she's gained on the power of positioning and partnering with the perfect agency. Creativity is key, she says, and remembering what potential visitors are looking for is at the center of it all. "I feel the best way is to be your honest, authentic s...

As we look ahead to 2023, it's good to remember what we learned in 2022. This episode is a compilation of our favorite moments last year including destination branding tips, calculating the exact color of a Puerto Rican sunset, and getting bitten by a peacock.  Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a...

This week on the Destination Marketing Podcast, we are gearing up to attend Desticon, a conference for the "destruptors" in the tourism industry. Founder of the event and Co-founder of Destination Innovate, Jennifer Barbee joins us to talk about Desticon and how everyone can get involved. Listen to learn everything you need to know about this year's event, as well as some of Adam and Jenn's hot ta...

As the economy begins to head towards a recession, many companies are cutting down on costs. In times like these, demonstrating your value both as a destination and as an individual becomes invaluable. In the New Year's episode, Adam discusses building a brand, harnessing owned media, and what we can all learn from Kim Kardashian.  "And I think it's more important than ever to take the steps now t...

How can destinations use podcasting to build and maximize their owned media? This is a topic that Adam delves into in a presentation at the eTourism Summit with Stuart Butler and Melea Hames, proud clients of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. "Audio is such a powerful format because it provides the concept of passive consumption, and allows you to tell a much deeper story. [People can lis...

Adam sits down with Nathanael Saldaña this week on the Destination Marketing Podcast to talk about the power of owned media and why it is so important for destinations to start building a loyal audience. Senior Manager of Brand and Content Studio at Experience Kissimmee, Nathanael talks about his career change and how his unique background prepared him to lead the largest owned media initiative in...

Rachel O'Neill Cusey recently left Dana Point, California to become the President & CEO at Visit Laguna Beach. In this episode, she talks with Adam about adjusting to a new role and immersing herself into a new community. "I always tell people that failure, to me, is not a bad thing. Failure is actually a really, really good thing because it means you tried something. You can't fail if you don't t...

Today, Adam chats with Andi Jaspersen, prior Destination Marketing Podcast guest, past experience and marketing manager at Visit Cheyenne, and current PR director at Relic. From crafting good memories for visitors to mapping out your destination's top priorities, in this episode, Andi talks building a brand image and how it can change everything.  Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social...

There have been a lot of changes in the labor market in the past few years, especially in the tourism industry, which is why Adam sits down with two representatives from Searchwide Global today. President and CEO Mike Gamble and Director of Marketing Cambria Jones discuss the tourism and travel job market, tackling issues ranging from shortage of labor to talent authenticity. Follow the Destinatio...

Executive Director Marcus Carney, shares his experience in joining Visit Yuma and shaking things up. Later, he describes what it's like running a campaign for destination funding and gives tips for other destinations in similar situations. "A lot of our messaging was around the positive things we do . . . and so whether or not it passes, we at least can rely on the fact that we got our messages ou...

How can a destination optimize TikTok's niche segmentation to boost engagement and drive real-life results? This is a question Adam and Cody set out to answer. Cody talks all things social media, from pushing past posting pitfalls to influencer collaborations. Today, we learn that digital marketing strategy starts with leveraging a destination's offerings. "If I could give a DMO, or PMO or state o...

Adam is on the road this week with Don Welsh, president and CEO at Destinations International. Together, they chat about opportunities to learn and discuss the close-knit community that is the travel and tourism industry. "We now have a larger group of people that can rely on in this community. We believe strongly in community . . . the benefit of being a member of [Destinations International] is...

Pratt Redd of Visit Blanding tells Adam about his experience in the digital marketing sphere. He shares his tips on targeting unique audiences across social media platforms and how his online efforts have affected visitor traffic to their sites in southern Utah. "Every Friday night at seven I usually post something that just seems Instagram likes it, my followers seem to be the most engaged around...

Members of the Utah Tourism Conference board, Joan and Lesha, share their thoughts on what makes small destinations stand out. With Adam, they discuss the genuine and authentic culture that the tourism industry has and how we can build relationships with competitors to strengthen ourselves and each other. "[This industry is] a family, it's a collaboration . . . we don't compete, we just support an...

Recorded live at the Utah Tourism Conference, Adam chats with Lance Syrett. Lance is the general manager at Ruby's Inn, the closest lodging to Bryce Canyon National Park. He shares his experience advertising the western show that recent Destination Marketing Podcast guest, Rosevelt Rawls, performed at last summer. Hear about how Lance has transformed Ruby's Inn from just another hotel to an immers...

Today, Camille Johnson-Taylor joins Adam at the Utah Tourism Conference. With podcast manager Julie Sheffield, they chat about how Kane County is giving purpose to podcasting. Get an inside look at how they brainstorm creative concepts for episode topics and why audio media was the next step for their destination. "I'm not afraid to fail. You know, because not everything is a surefire thing, but I...

In this musical episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam continues his time at the Utah Tourism Conference with an interview with Rosevelt Rawls and Sean Gasaway to talk all about their new song Fallin' In Love With Utah. Find out what inspired the song and why it has touched the lives of so many. Stay tuned to the end to hear the song for yourself! Follow the Destination Marketing Podca...

Florian Hermann, founder and CEO at Hermann Global, joins us for another episode at the Utah Tourism Conference. They chat about increasing visitor traffic to smaller destinations and the landscape of international travel in the near future.  ". . . The airlines are incredible wizards with technology [because] of where they put flights in. If they put the right flights in Salt Lake City — I mean,...