Destination Marketing Podcast

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,...

We're back with another Utah Tourism Conference mini-episode, this time with Darren Dunn, President and Co-Founder of Zartico. Him and Adam talk about obstacles Darren and his team faced when developing the world's first destination management platform and how they overcame them. "Prior to starting this company, I had many a person in silicon valley tell me 'you will never be able to raise a dime...

Adam takes a trip to the Utah Tourism conference and speaks with Nathan Rafferty, CEO of Ski Utah, on today's mini-episode. Hear about projections for ski resort success this year and the value of consistent branding. "For me, The Greatest Snow On Earth ™ is like Kleenex and facial tissue, you know? It's synonymous, and as long as I'm at Ski Utah, we will never move away from [this campaign]." - N...

President and CEO of Visit North Alabama, Tami Reist, makes an appearance on today's episode. Hear about how her destination's award-winning podcast has made all the difference in their PR efforts. You can find the Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. "It's not always about the money, it's about giving them the traini...

Adam talks with Jaimie Hart, senior marketing manager at Discover The Palm Beaches, about working remotely and traveling the world. Jaimie discusses arranging group events and marketing to companies and organizations at a destination where individual leisure is the norm. Later, she dives into the value of print advertising in a world of technology. "We have to really listen and understand like — w...

In this week's episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam is joined by Jay Kinghorn, co-founder and chief innovation officer at Zartico. They discuss Zartico's upcoming launch and how its new features will benefit destinations as they make decisions about their marketing plan. Learn how this update can benefit you and listen to some of Jay's insight into the destination data industry. "Wha...

Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell talks space camp and annual marketing campaigns in this episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast. Later, he dives into do-it-yourself tours and the importance of packaging tourist attractions for visitors. "The key is to have multiple forms of content, and then the tour is allowed that. Not tour as in you can go out and buy a package, but that you can do yo...

This week on the Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam talks with Todd Aaronson, CEO at Visit Modesto. They discuss how agricultural tourism has been crucial in the rapid growth of Modesto as a destination, and how the annual Almond Blossom Cruise has brought in over 100,000 visitors in the off-season. They also talk about what Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have to do with the area and h...

This week on the Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam continues his trip to the Destinations International Annual Convention. In this episode, he talks with Dave Parulo, President and CEO of Visit Tualatin Valley. They discuss how Dave’s destination has utilized agriculture in their tourism marketing plan, and how tourism has been a workforce and economic development driver in their area. "I think...

This week on the Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam takes the show international to Toronto, Canada at the Destinations International Annual Convention. In this episode, he talks with Andi Jaspersen, experience and marketing manager at Visit Cheyenne and future PR director at Relic. They discuss her background and how living in Japan gave her a new appreciation for the hospitality industry and an...

Adam wraps up his trip to Arkansas in this week’s episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast. He talks to Kalene Griffith, president, and CEO of Visit Bentonville, about what it’s like to be the hometown of Walmart. They also discuss how to get your community to buy into your destination organization, and why it’s important to say yes and make things happen for your stakeholders. "We’re gonna sa...

Adam continues his trip to Arkansas in this week’s episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast. In this episode, he talks with Molly Rawn, CEO of Experience Fayetteville, about how her organization pulled off the Cyclo-Cross World Championships and why her destination is so bike friendly. They also discuss Explore Fayetteville’s relationship to the University of Arkansas and how they collaborate...

Adam continues his trip to Arkansas in this episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast. He meets with Travis Napper, director of tourism at Arkansas Tourism. They talk about what it's like to run tourism at the state level during the pandemic and how Arkansas was able to surpass expectations with visitation in 2020. They also discuss how to make a destination bike-friendly as well as what Arkans...