Build a Stronger Destination Organization from Day One
Every great destination organization starts with a strong foundation. Whether you're launching a new DMO, formalizing an existing organization or preparing for future growth, Destination First provides a practical roadmap to help you navigate the journey with confidence.
Use the phased checklist below to understand what comes next, explore recommended resources and discover the tools, guidance and industry expertise available through Destinations International and our trusted partners.
Helpful Resources
Destination Organization Acronym Field Guide
A quick reference glossary of commonly used acronyms across the travel and tourism industry among destination organizations
Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) Accreditation Standards
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. The revised standards align with current industry trends and priorities, emphasizing core concepts such as community-shared value, social inclusion and welcoming environments.
Community Vitality Wheel
Destination promotion is a catalyst for community vitality, driving what is needed for a community to become that destination where people want to visit, live, work and play. This one-page graphic illustrates how the work of the destination organization is directly connected to how slow or how fast the wheel turns.
Catalyst for Community Vitality Industry Brief
This industry brief defines a 21st-century destination organization. A common definition allows for standardization across different regions, cultures or sectors. This is essential in a global industry such as travel and tourism, where a standardized definition helps to coordinate efforts and policies across borders, languages and time zones.
Advocacy and Action
Empowering destination leaders to demonstrate value, build trust and drive community impact through advocacy.
Expert Insights
“As the inaugural President & CEO, developing a destination marketing organization from the ground up was very much like being an entrepreneur," said Wendy Roberts, President & CEO of Travel Santa Ana. "Beyond the traditional responsibilities of destination marketing, I was responsible for establishing every aspect of the organization's operations—from insurance, payroll, employee benefits, and taxes to governance, budgeting, and strategic planning. It wasn't just a matter of stepping outside my comfort zone—it required taking a leap and embracing the challenges of building an organization from scratch."
Wendy Haase-Roberts
President & CEO
Travel Santa Ana
Hiring Your First Destination Leader: What Every Emerging DMO Should Know
Establishing a destination organization is a pivotal moment for any community. One of the earliest and most influential decisions you will make is selecting the founding CEO or Executive Director. This individual becomes the architect of your organization’s vision, culture, stakeholder relationships and long-term strategy. For boards creating a DMO for the first time, this can feel both exciting and unfamiliar.
A successful first-time DMO leader must balance relationship-building, operational discipline, strategic foresight, political acumen and the ability to champion a community’s story. Defining what that leadership profile looks like for your unique destination is essential. Equally important is establishing a search process that aligns your board, reflects your values and positions your new organization for credibility and early momentum.
With decades of experience partnering with destinations with small, mid-size and large budgets, SearchWide Global has helped communities confidently navigate this formative chapter. We support boards as they clarify expectations, understand evolving talent trends within the tourism and destination industry and recruit leaders who can build a strong organizational foundation from day one.
In our forthcoming resources, we will share guidance designed specifically for new or emerging DMOs, including:
- The core competencies and attributes of a strong founding CEO or Executive Director
- How to structure a fair, transparent, and well-aligned executive search
- Compensation and talent market insights for newly established DMOs
- Best practices for interviewing, candidate evaluation, and onboarding
- Common challenges for first-time DMO boards and how to avoid them
If you are preparing to form a Destination Organization or beginning the journey to hire your inaugural chief executive, our team is here to help.
Connect with our experienced executive search team at SearchWide Global to learn more.
Secure Funding for a New Destination: What Every Emerging DMO Should Know
When you're launching a new destination organization, you must think strategically about securing stable funding to support the organization. Traditional sources, such as bed taxes or membership dues, are important but often vulnerable due to economic cycles, political decisions and shifting priorities. We help you build a financial foundation that supports long-term growth and community impact.
For 30 years, we have specialized in developing, researching and advocating for stable tourism funding mechanisms. We work on tourism improvement districts, bed tax, tax increment mechanisms and nonprofit organizational issues. We also developed CivitasPRO, the only online dashboard powered by Symphony that allows users to analyze the financial and organizational structures of comparable organizations.
As a new DMO, it can often be a struggle to identify and secure the funding you need to get off the ground. We can help establish you as a leader in the DMO funding space by:
- Identifying what mechanisms are available based on your local legislation and developing new enabling legislation if needed;
- Enabling data-driven decision-making for effective destination management with CivitasPRO;
- Providing tourism funding best practices;
- Building stable, lasting funding from day one; and
- Helping you champion your destination's funding needs with confidence.
If funding is an issue for you or organizational structure, Maya Kitt, our Account Manager, would love to help!
Learn More
Contact the Destinations International Membership Team to learn more. We are happy to answer any questions you may have!