Destination Discourse

98: Are DMOs to Blame for Their Own Funding Crisis? (Bill Geist)

A city council in Georgia just replaced a high-performing DMO with a firm that faked its client list - and barely anyone with standing pushed back. Returning guest Bill G

97: Are You Marketing a Destination, or Exporting a Culture? (Josh Albrecht)

Most DMOs still ask how to get outsiders to notice their destination. Josh Albrecht, CMO of VISIT Milwaukee, argues that's the wrong question - a DMO's real job is to exp

96: Are You Optimizing Your Destination Into a Death Spiral? (Dan Janes)

Stuart and Adam open with Dubai's viral resident-referral campaign - turning locals into paid travel advocates - before returning Destie Dan Janes (KHM Agency) lays out h

95: When's the Last Time Your DMO Admitted a Campaign Bombed? (Dan Gibson)

Every DMO panel is a highlight reel - so why does no one ever mention what didn't work? Returning guest Dan Gibson (Visit McMinnville) joins Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker

94: Are LLM Visibility Audits Total BS? (Emily Zertuche)

Every vendor in the industry suddenly has an "AI visibility score" to sell you. Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker dig into whether GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is rea

93: Are You Paying Attention to the Trends Reshaping Marketing Right Now?

Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker step outside destination marketing to spot the trends reshaping consumer attention right now - and don't even agree on which ones matter mos

92: Is Your DMO Chasing Relevance When It Should Be Fighting for Significance?

In this episode of Destination Discourse, Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker recap Adam's latest CMO Jam - a live, candid roundtable with six DMO marketing leaders - and dig i

91: Is Your DMO Website Still Just a Listings Page in an AI World? (Will Wright)

AI is already cutting DMOs out of the trip-planning conversation - and Will Wright (Destination Core) thinks most destination websites are wasting the one asset that coul

90: Why Would AI Ever Trust Your DMO's Content?

In this episode of Destination Discourse, Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker tackle a question most DMOs would rather avoid: why should AI ever trust your content over anyone

89: Is Your DMO Still Treating AI Like a Toy Instead of a Teammate? (Dan Flores)

Dan Flores, Head of Tourism at Satisfi Labs, joins Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker with an uncomfortable premise: most DMOs are still treating AI like a gadget instead of a

88: Is Your DMO Protecting Itself Into Irrelevance? (Chris Fair)

Most DMOs talk about economic impact. Chris Fair, CEO of Resonance Co and author of the annual Best Cities report, talks about something harder to measure — and more cons

87: Would Your Stakeholders Fight to Keep You If You Disappeared Tomorrow? (Gary Sherwin)

Most DMOs measure success in website clicks and visitor guide downloads. Gary Sherwin has spent 20 years at Visit Newport Beach asking a harder question: if you disappear

86: Are You Still Doing Work That AI Should Be Doing For You? (Dan Holowack & Janette Roush)

Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker welcome back Dan Holowack (CrowdRift) and Janette Roush (Brand USA) for a tactical deep dive into how DMOs are actually using AI day-to-day.

85: Are DMOs Focused on the Wrong Things at the Worst Possible Time? (Emily Zertuche)

What happens when destination marketing organizations start optimizing for short-term ROI at the exact moment AI is fundamentally changing how travelers discover destinat

84: Can DMOs Fill the Void Left by Local Media? (Dan Gibson)

In this episode of Destination Discourse, Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker are joined by Dan Gibson, CEO of Visit McMinnville and former journalist, to explore the collapse

83: What Is the Real Purpose of a DMO? (LIVE from DI MarCom 2026)

In this episode of Destination Discourse, Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker share a live session recorded at Destinations International’s MarCom Summit, where they challenge

82: What Should DMOs Actually Be Doing With AI Right Now? (Janette Roush and Dan Holowack)

In this episode of Destination Discourse, Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker are joined by AI leaders Janette Roush and Dan Holowack for a fast-moving, no-fluff conversation o

81: Are DMOs Still Thinking Like Marketers Instead of Experience Creators? (Matt Vinson)

In this episode of Destination Discourse, Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker are joined by Matt Vinson from Visit Dallas for a conversation about what destination marketing ca

80: Do We All Need To Be More Scrappy?

In this episode of Destination Discourse, Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker record together in Myrtle Beach for a conversation that gets personal, practical, and a little unc

79: Are DMOs too focused on the D and not enough on the O?(Matt Stiker)

In this episode of Destination Discourse, Stuart Butler, Adam Stoker, and returning guest Matt Stiker tackle one of the most entertaining—and surprisingly important—quest