Ask someone why they booked their last holiday. Chances are, they’ll talk about the destination first, not the hotel or tour. This is why destination marketing is so important for anyone who operates in tourism.
How can you leverage the power of your destination to drive more conversions? By positioning your region as the reason to travel, and then weaving your experience into that bigger story.
In this article, we’ll explore how tourism and destination marketing strategies interact to uplift a region’s profile and drive more bookings in the process.
Let’s get started.
Why Smart Marketing Strengthens Your Destination Strategy
Smart marketing strengthens a destination strategy by attracting visitors who want what you offer and connecting them with your business.
A destination marketing strategy works best when campaigns match real experiences on the ground. That includes the tours people can take or the food they can eat. When the message reflects what’s actually available, travelers flock to the region — and local businesses see stronger demand.
Without that alignment, campaigns may reach broad audiences but get little in return. Visitors show up looking for the wrong things or skip over what the region does best.
That’s where smart tourism marketing strategies come in. They attract the right kind of visitor, the individual or group whose expectations, preferences, and budget are a match.
Strong destination marketing strategies often include:
- Seasonal offers and itinerary ideas that match visitor demand
- Profiles of local guides, hosts, artists, and producers
- Listings with direct booking links across trusted tourism sites
- Co-created content between DMOs, DMCs, and operators
What Destination Marketing Is and How You Fit Into It
A place is more than the sum of its parts. It’s the people who live there. It’s the unique landscape or the year-round good weather. It’s the culinary specialties and cultural customs.
Destination marketing attempts to capture all of these facets and communicate the value of a place as a whole.
It’s a totally different approach to tourism marketing. Business-level campaigns promote an activity, a restaurant, or a hotel. Destination marketing connects all of the dots and presents them as one multi-layered, unique experience.
A coordinated destination strategy supports key players in tourism, including:
- Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs)
- Destination Management Companies (DMCs)
- Hotels and attractions
- Tour operators and small businesses
As a tour or activity operator, your offer gives the destination its detail and texture. Travelers want to know what they can expect when they arrive. What will they be doing? What kinds of experiences can they expect? The answers to these questions influence how long people stay and whether they come back.
What DMOs and DMCs Do, and Why It Matters
DMOs promote travel to a region. DMCs take care of planning for group trips and events. Both connect travelers with places that are ready to welcome them.
They give operators access to:
- Larger marketing budgets
- International travel networks
- Recognized branding and credibility
- Ongoing campaigns tied to seasonal demand
Tour operators can take part in that reach by:
- Joining marketing campaigns that feature the destination
- Adding listings to official tourism websites
- Attending trade shows to meet potential partners
- Designing tours that match themed travel initiatives
- Producing brochures for the DMO to distribute
These connections put your business right in front of travelers who are already planning trips. They also give you tools to adjust your offer based on demand, season, timing, and more.
Build a Tourism Marketing Plan for Your Tour Business
You understand the importance of tourism marketing. Luckily, you don’t need a big campaign budget to use destination marketing strategies in your own initiatives. Many of the same principles work well for smaller teams and independent operators.
To get started, define your audience. Who are they? How old? How much money do they have to spend? Be specific.
Then, choose a few measurable goals, like increasing weekday bookings or improving booking conversion.
Next, choose your marketing channels based on how your audience searches and books. For example:
- Use search ads during peak travel windows.
- Run targeted social ads around local events or holidays.
- Add listings to your regional DMO website.
- Share space with hotels or restaurants that reach the same travelers.
Track your results weekly and make changes based on what performs well.
Here’s a sample mini-plan for a two-hour walking tour:
- Audience: Couples visiting from out of state on weekends.
- Goals: Grow fall bookings and increase referral volume.
- Channels: Facebook and Instagram ads geotargeted by location and travel date.
- Tactics: Join a bundled package with a nearby museum and restaurant, and offer limited-time pricing during city events.
Use Destination Marketing to Increase Visibility
Your unique selling proposition (USP) is how you compete with other operators. You can strengthen it even further by leaning into how your destination is marketed overall. For example, let’s say your city heralds itself as a foodie haven. You can leverage this by celebrating the local tasting plates on your walking tour.
What’s more, you can expand your reach by sharing costs and content with destination partners. This might look like:
- Running digital ads with your DMO or DMC
- Taking part in seasonal or themed campaigns
- Creating packages with restaurants or events
- Publishing short-form content with local creators or guests
Success Stories: Campaigns That Included Local Operators
Ask Guðmundur — Iceland
In 2015, Iceland’s tourism board launched a campaign called Ask Guðmundur. Instead of an algorithm, real locals answered visitor questions online. Each representative came from a different region and shared tips tied to their home area.
The campaign reached millions and drove an increase in travel interest. Traffic spread beyond Reykjavík to smaller towns, where local operators reported more engagement.
Key takeaway: Turn local guides into visible public voices. If your region supports it, volunteer to be featured in social videos or travel content that connects visitors to your experience.
Why Guides — Oregon
Travel Oregon redesigned its campaigns to highlight locals through a series called Why Guides. Instead of promoting places with generic descriptions, the site featured real guides, chefs, artists, and other locals who explained why their area mattered.
Each story is connected to bookable tours, restaurants, or lodging. Visitors could filter by interest and access experiences in lesser-known areas.
Key takeaway: Get listed where your audience books. If your tourism board offers partner profiles or curated guides, request a spot. Make sure your listing includes a direct booking link and clear availability.
Embrace a Giant Spirit — Northern Ireland
Tourism Northern Ireland launched the Embrace a Giant Spirit brand to spotlight tours and experiences delivered by locals. To be featured, businesses had to meet quality and storytelling criteria.
One local guide, Eimear Flanagan, experienced a huge uptick in bookings after her cliff walking tour was aired as a campaign highlight.
Key takeaway: Align your offer with your region’s core identity. Whether it’s folklore or landscapes, show how your experience reflects local character.
Use Destination Marketing to Drive Direct Bookings
Direct bookings can lift your revenue and give you more control.
The good news is that destination partnerships can support your direct bookings when structured the right way. Here are some tips:
- Ask to be featured in seasonal or regional campaigns that include your business.
- Join content pieces that allow links back to your own booking page.
- Coordinate lead sharing on landing pages that collect contact information.
- Ask to be included in itineraries or digital guides with direct referral options.
Leverage the Nature of Tourism Marketing
Ready to put these tourism marketing strategies into action? See how Rezgo can help manage tours, resellers, and direct sales — all in one platform. Book a demo now.
Written By | Rezgo
