FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     

Media Contacts:
Caitlyn Blizzard
[email protected]

Washington, D.C. (November 12, 2020) – Destinations International, the world’s largest resource for official destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards, today announced the release of our 2020 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion study on Destination Organizations. The complimentary report can be downloaded here.

Destinations International is committed to transforming destination communities through thought leadership, best practices and tool-based initiatives on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion principles to empower its members so their destinations excel. To develop and advance strategies to achieve its vision, the association gathered baseline data from its members in 2019 and continued in 2020 to further collect data by directly surveying individual members.

The study found that there is a need and desire for destination organizations to take full advantage of the opportunity to drive growth in diverse leadership representation at the executive and board levels. The study also found that there needs to be deliberate strategies in cultivating a diverse and inclusive talent pipeline.

“In 2017, Destinations International added equity, diversity and inclusion to our overall strategic goals and have been working to lead and engage diversity initiatives and opportunities within the destination marketing and management industry,” said Don Welsh, President and CEO of Destinations International. “This report has laid a foundation for our members to identify actionable strategies to deliberately cultivate a diverse and inclusive environment within their organization and community.”

“It is critical for destination organizations around the world to embrace the key role equity, diversity and inclusion will play in their organizations, their cities and throughout our industry,” said Butch Spyridon, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation. “Destination organizations need to take intentional actions in order to cultivate a diverse and inclusive environment. Destinations International is committed to providing actionable tools and best practices for these organizations to follow. To that extent, we have also taken our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force and made it a standing committee of the organization.”

With the study findings, Destinations International will be implementing an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy in 2021 including the below initiatives:

• Establishing an actionable CEO Pledge for destination organizations to solidify their commitment to implement equity, diversity and inclusive best practices to strengthen leadership accountability and advance opportunities for diverse talent into executive, management and board roles.
• Developing and offering opportunities for deeper learning of self-awareness training and EDI educational programming.
• Setting industry best practices and standards to help develop and cultivate diverse candidates for leadership roles within destination organizations by providing access to resources and career-advancing opportunities.
• Continuing to identify, benchmark and track metrics to measure progress and growth within destination organizations to establish industry standards and promote accountability for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion best practices and initiatives.
• Developing and launching an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit to support and provide Destinations International members with the resources and guidance to implement EDI strategies within their respective destinations.

To learn more and to download the complimentary 2020 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Study on Destination Organizations click here.

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About Destinations International:
Destinations International is the world’s largest resource for official destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards. Destinations International is about serving destination marketing professionals first and foremost. Together with almost 6,000 members and partners from nearly 600 destinations in approximately 13 countries, Destinations International represents a powerful forward-thinking, collaborative association; exchanging bold ideas, connecting innovative people and elevating tourism to its highest potential. For more information, visit www.destinationsinternational.org.