If we say 'tourism builds community,'how do we prove it?

In 2023, the Destinations International (DI) advocacy team released an industry brief examining the potential to frame destination promotion as a community shared value — a common good no less vital to community health than clean drinking water or effective public education. 

According to the brief, destination promotion — like any other community shared value — must “stand behind a series of metrics or indicators that help inform the community of not only its purpose, but also how well the common good performed and how it benefited the community.” Read the full brief here.

Recognizing the work Zartico has done to make destination data accessible and frame destination strategy according to global community standards, DI embarked on a partnership to curate and communicate this emerging set of community indicators.

By digging into the data and sharing the stories of destinations that are already tapping into these indicators, Zartico is leading the exploration of the first five indicators:

1. The importance of the visitor economy
2. Tax revenues
3. Economic opportunities and jobs
4. Community amenities and quality of place
5. Quantifying the negative impacts of tourism

• Getting on the Map | emerging, rural
• Diamonds and Dreams | sports development
• Fork in the Road | culinary opportunities
• Zoomtown Boom | remote work impact
• Ending the Feast and Famine | balanced demand
• Main Street, Our Street | small town charm
• All Business, Some Leisure | groups & meetings
• Town and Gown | college towns
• Laws and Some Order | capital cities
• Trailblazers | outdoor recreation

What's next

Stay tuned for new destination case studies digging into more personas and creative solutions to community challenges.

In the coming months, DI will continue to explore the application of a destination promotion community index and tools for destination organizations to better understand and compare their performance.