DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

PRODUCTS/SERVICES/RESEARCHTHE EVENT IMPACT CALCULATOR MEASURES THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF AN EVENT AND CALCULATES ITS RETURN ON INVESTMENT TO LOCAL TAXES. THERE ARE FOUR DISTINCT MODULES: MEETINGS, SPORTS, FESTIVALS & CULTURAL EVENTS AND LOCAL & PUBLIC EVENTS. WITH MORE THAN 375 DESTINATION ORGANIZATIONS USING THE TOOL IN OVER 13 COUNTRIES, THE EVENT IMPACT CALCULATOR HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AS AN INDUSTRY STANDARD WITH OVER 180,565 EVENTS ANALYZED IN 2024. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE INDUSTRY COLLABORATIONS WITH SPORTSETA AND IAVM SO THEIR MEMBERS CAN SUBSCRIBE TO THE TOOL. 48 STATEWIDE MODELS AND 10 PROVINCIAL MODELS ARE CURRENTLY IN USE.IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TOURISM ECONOMICS, DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHED THE WEBSITE IMPACT CALCULATOR (WIC)THE GOLD STANDARD TOOL FOR CONNECTING DMO WEBSITE TRAFFIC TO INFLUENCED VISITS AND MEASURABLE ECONOMIC IMPACT. BUILT ON DECADES OF EXPERTISE AND DETAILED ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, THE WIC PROVIDES CREDIBLE INSIGHTS THAT DRIVE ADVOCACY AND MAXIMIZE RETURNS ON MEMBER OWNED MEDIA ACTIVITIES. SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATED WITH THE EVENT IMPACT CALCULATOR (EIC), WHICH A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF MEMBERS CURRENTLY UTILIZE, THIS NEW TOOL TAPS INTO THE SAME ECONOMIC MODELING TO PROVIDE INTRICATE VIEWS OF A WEBSITE'S IMPACT FOR SPECIFIC TIME PERIODS, SOURCE MARKETS AND WEBSITE CONTENT.DESTINATIONNEXT IS A STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOL THAT PROVIDES DESTINATION ORGANIZATIONS WITH PRACTICAL ACTIONS AND STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS IN A DRAMATICALLY CHANGING WORLD. OVER 407 DESTINATIONS HAVE UTILIZED DESTINATIONNEXT TO STRATEGICALLY ASSESS THEIR DESTINATIONS. 33 ASSESSMENTS WERE COMPLETED IN 2024.THE GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED DESTINATION MARKETING ACCREDITATION PROGRAM (DMAP) SERVES AS A VISIBLE INDUSTRY DISTINCTION THAT DEFINES QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS IN DESTINATION MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT. ACHIEVING DMAP ACCREDITATION POSITIONS A DESTINATION ORGANIZATION OR CVB AS A VALUED AND RESPECTED ORGANIZATION IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND INCREASES CREDIBILITY AMONG STAKEHOLDERS. SINCE 2006, THE DESTINATION MARKETING ACCREDITATION PROGRAM BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS ACCREDITED MORE THAN 230 ORGANIZATIONS WITH MORE THAN 223 ORGANIZATIONS CURRENTLY REGISTERED. IN 2024, 4 ORGANIZATIONS COMPLETED THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS AND RECEIVED THEIR DMAP DESIGNATION.THE DESTINATION ORGANIZATION PERFORMANCE REPORTING IS A DYNAMIC PLATFORM ALLOWING ACCESS 24/7. PARTICIPANTS CAN VIEW AND ANALYZE STRUCTURES, PRACTICES, TRENDS, AND DEVELOPMENTS IN KEY AREAS OF INTEREST FOR THE INDUSTRY INCLUDING ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND FUNDING. 269 DESTINATIONS PARTICIPATED IN 2024.THE COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS REPORTING IS A DYNAMIC PLATFORM ALLOWING ACCESS 24.7, PARTICIPANTS ARE PROVIDED A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF DESTINATION ORGANIZATIONS SALARY AND BENEFITS STRUCTURE. SUBSCRIBERS TO THE REPORT ARE ABLE TO COMPARE PRACTICES WITH PEER DESTINATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 357 DESTINATIONS PARTICIPATED IN 2024.THE EDI ASSESSMENT TOOL IS A DESTINATION TOOL AVAILABLE FOR DESTINATION ORGANIZATION MEMBERS GLOBALLY. AFTER INPUTTING THEIR DATA INTO THE INTERACTIVE PLATFORM, THE ASSESSMENT ALLOWS DESTINATIONS TO NOT ONLY VIEW BEST PRACTICES ACROSS THE INDUSTRY, BUT ALSO PULL COMPARATIVE REPORTS TO SEE HOW THEIR EDI PRACTICES SCALE AGAINST A COMPARABLE SET OF INDUSTRY PEERS. OVER 150 DESTINATIONS COMPLETED THE ASSESSMENT IN 2024. DEVELOPED THE SECOND EDITION OF OUR SOCIAL INCLUSION LEXICON FOR THE UNITED STATES AND OUR FIRST EDITION OF SOCIAL INCLUSION LEXICONS FOR CANADA. THE CANADIAN VERSION IS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH CANADIAN. WE COLLABORATED WITH VISIT TAMPA BAY TO ADDRESS FOOD INSECURITY BY PARTNERING WITH FEEDING TAMPA BAY FOR A VOLUNTEER EVENT. 39 ATTENDEES PACKAGED 10,000+ POTATOES, PRODUCING 9,000+ MEALS. MEDIA COVERAGE GENERATED 4.75M UVM AND 42,000+ SOCIAL IMPRESSIONS. WE ALSO CONNECTED WITH TWO NON-PROFITS AND RAISED $2,400 THROUGH DONATIONS.IN 2024, DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPED A HOLISTIC FOUNDATION TO DESCRIBE THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATING WELCOMING ENVIRONMENTS FOR COMMUNITIES AND VISITORS THROUGH OUR SOCIAL INCLUSION FRAMEWORK. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRAVELABILITY, WE DEVELOPED A CUSTOMIZED ACCESSIBILITY PLAYBOOK TO HELP DESTINATION ORGANIZATIONS AND LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS IMPLEMENT PRACTICAL ACCESSIBILITY STRATEGIES. THIS ACTIONABLE GUIDE PROVIDES TOOLS, RESOURCES AND USE CASES TAILORED TO DESTINATIONS OF ALL SIZES, BUDGETS, AND GEOGRAPHIES TO ENHANCE INCLUSIVITY FOR TRAVELERS WITH DISABILITIES. IN ADDITION, A 10-YEAR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION STRATEGY WAS DESIGNED TO HELP MEMBERS ADDRESS IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM TALENT CHALLENGES. CENTERED ON FIVE KEY PILLARS, THE STRATEGY FOCUSES ON TALENT PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT, INDUSTRY RETENTION, INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP REPRESENTATION, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND A WORKFORCE CELEBRATION DAY PROVIDING A STRUCTURED APPROACH TO WORKFORCE GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY. THE TAMPA BAY CASE STUDY & TOOL KIT WAS RELEASED IN 2024. THIS THREE-PART CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS HOW DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL LEVERAGED ITS 2024 ANNUAL CONVENTION IN TAMPA BAY TO FOSTER COMMUNITY CONNECTION AND POSITIVE IMPACT AMID A CHALLENGING POLITICAL CLIMATE. FEATURING KEY STRATEGIES, OUTCOMES AND A COMPANION TOOLKIT, IT OFFERS ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS FOR DESTINATION PROFESSIONALS AND MEETING PLANNERS ON HOW TO LEAVE A LEGACY AND ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY IN POWERFUL WAYS.NEW RESEARCH WAS RELEASED IN 2024. "DESTINATION PROMOTION: A CATALYST FOR COMMUNITY VITALITY" IS A NEW RESEARCH THAT REVEALS HOW INVESTING IN DESTINATION PROMOTION ACTS AS A CATALYST FOR BROADER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE AND A STRONGER SENSE OF PLACE. THE DIVIDENDS OF DESTINATION PROMOTION EXTEND FAR BEYOND THE BENEFITS ACCRUING TO VISITOR RELATED INDUSTRIES AND THEIR SUPPLIER AND HAVE PROVEN TO POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND OVERALL WELL-BEING OF A COMMUNITY. FURTHERMORE, THE REPORT FINDS THAT A SOUND DESTINATION BRAND CAN BE LEVERAGED ACROSS THE COMMUNITY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SPECTRUM. ALL OF THIS IS A CATALYST FOR ATTRACTING TALENT, SUPPORTING GENERAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND GROWING THE WHOLE ECONOMY OF A COMMUNITY. 2024 TOURISM LEXICON(S) IS A CURATED VOCABULARY RESOURCE DESTINATION ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD USE TO EFFECTIVELY ARTICULATE THEIR WORK AND THE VALUE OF DESTINATION PROMOTION. DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL (DI) UPDATES THE TOURISM LEXICON ANNUALLY, REFLECTING HOW POLITICIANS DISCUSSED COMMON OR PUBLIC GOODS IN THE PRECEDING YEAR. THIS ANALYSIS INFORMS THE RANKING AND ORDER OF TERMS, REVEALING EMERGING THEMES AND VALUES CRUCIAL FOR DESTINATION ORGANIZATIONS TO UNDERSTAND AND LEVERAGE. UPDATED RESIDENT SENTIMENT BRIEFS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LONGWOODS INTERNATIONAL, THIS RESIDENT SENTIMENT RESEARCH LOOKS AT PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS FROM ALL SIDES, INCLUDING THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, OVER-TOURISM, QUALITY OF LIFE AND OTHER AREAS. THIS TYPE OF RESEARCH PROVIDES DESTINATIONS WITH A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A WELL-INFORMED ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY WITH LOCAL RESIDENTS ON THE SUBJECT OF TOURISM IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. BY UNDERSTANDING WHERE PUBLIC OPINION LIES FROM BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PERSPECTIVES, DESTINATIONS CAN WORK MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH LOCAL PARTNERS TO INCREASE SUPPORT FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS. LAUNCH OF DESTINATION EFFECT THIS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN IS NOT JUST ABOUT RAISING THE PROFILE OF DESTINATION ORGANIZATIONS; IT'S ABOUT CHAMPIONING THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY, UNITY, AND GROWTH THEY BRING TO EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD. IT IS A MOVEMENT TO ENSURE THAT EVERY DESTINATION ORGANIZATION GAINS ITS ESSENTIAL PLACE AT THE CENTER OF A COMMUNITY'S EFFORTS TO THRIVE.