How to Build a Reputation as the Most Innovative DMO in the Country
Innovation isn't a slogan or a budget line item. It's a pattern of behavior.
Kettle Editorial Team
In an industry where sameness quietly kills momentum, a reputation for innovation is your sharpest edge. It earns attention. It attracts partners. It energizes staff. And most importantly, it builds trust with travelers who crave experiences that feel fresh and thoughtful. But innovation isn't a slogan or a budget line item. It's a pattern of behavior. This article unpacks what the most forward-thinking DMOs are doing differently—and how you can get there, too.
1. Redefine What Innovation Means in Tourism
Innovation doesn't just mean using the latest tech or copying flashy trends. For destination marketers, it means solving real traveler problems in new ways, seeing your role differently, and creating systems that make it easier to take smart risks.
Start here:
• What is inconvenient, confusing, or outdated for visitors right now?
• What experiences are residents already creating organically that deserve more support?
• Where do travelers need more trust, guidance, or delight?
2. Make Your Visitors the R&D Department
Some of your best innovations are already being tested—by your visitors. Listen closely to:
• What people are posting, tagging, saving, and complaining about.
• Questions people are asking at the visitor center or in local Facebook groups.
• What creators and influencers are highlighting (and skipping).
Treat this data like a living roadmap. Innovation becomes obvious when you let the people using your product guide the way.
3. Shift Focus from Promotion to Product
The most innovative DMOs think like product designers. That means they ask:
• How can we shape what exists into something better?
• What collaborations or upgrades would increase the value of a visit?
• Are we treating the destination like a system that can be refined and iterated?
Instead of spending every dollar on exposure, they invest in improving the actual experience. That's what gets people talking—and coming back.
4. Create a Reputation Flywheel
Reputation builds through consistency. Start small, but do it well:
• Pilot an idea and document what you learned.
• Share your thinking publicly: what worked, what didn't, what surprised you.
• Invite community and industry peers into the process.
Over time, you'll be known as the DMO that tries, learns, and shares. That is magnetic.
5. Learn Out Loud
One of the most underused reputation strategies? Showing your learning in real-time.
Post about the questions you're exploring, the experiments you're trying, and the partners you're learning from. Let your feed and newsletter be a window into a living lab. Not only does it make others root for you—it builds a culture of curiosity inside your team.
6. Focus on High-Leverage Signals
You don't need to be on the cutting edge of every trend. Choose a few high-visibility projects that send a clear signal:
• A new creator partnership model
• A reimagined trail experience or signage system
• A collaborative seasonal campaign designed with locals
These don't need to be expensive. They just need to show that your destination is paying attention, thinking differently, and leading with generosity.
Conclusion: Innovation Is a Posture, Not a Project
To become known as the most innovative DMO, stop waiting for the perfect moment or the biggest budget. Instead, start solving real problems with what you already have. Be transparent. Be curious. Be brave enough to try.
That's how reputations are made.