Broadband is an opportunity for rural communities to begin revitalizing their downtown. High-speed internet creates more economic opportunities by attracting entrepreneurs and industries to the area. Not only does this have an economic impact, but also an environmental one by encouraging development in compact, walkable neighborhoods. With more amenities and better internet in downtown areas, it creates a better environment for remote workers and entrepreneurs to live within walking distance to downtown, thereby reducing emissions. With measurable results and available funding, DMOs and heritage tourist destinations need to consider this option for economic development in their communities. Here are some takeaways that make this type of initiative even more successful:

• Ensure your downtown businesses are using online platforms.
• Establish publicly available WiFi downtown.
• Target people who can work remotely when marketing your region.

With travelers visiting an average of 38 websites before booking a vacation, having an effective website for your heritage tourism area is vital in attracting visitors to your destination. An SEO and user-experience optimized website is an opportunity to convert your audience through credibility, while also sharing your brand with potential visitors. There are five elements to heritage tourism websites that give your destination the ability to stand out:

• Understand and communicate the unique selling points of your destination.
• Develop a clear brand for your heritage area.
• Work on creating a good user experience.
• Use high-quality photography to showcase your destination.
• Connect your heritage site to the community.

It’s never been more important to stay up to date on the latest booking and tour activity. In a constantly changing landscape, it’s necessary to know what tourists are looking for when it comes to promoting what your destination has to offer. Here are some important statistics that can help you determine the best promotional strategy for your destination:

• Tourists are still booking last-minute trips, with the average number of days until check-in settling at 50 days.
• 65% of the global travel and tourism revenue in 2020 was from online sales. To keep up with this trend, DMOs need to have a reliable and engaging online presence.
• More than half of travelers surveyed are opting for outdoor trips or less crowded destinations.

Tourism’s hard hit from the pandemic left little room for rivalries in the destination marketing industry. DMOs around the world are beginning to combine their marketing efforts after Covid took a toll on their destinations – and you should consider it, too. Destination British Columbia, Destination Vancouver, Destination Greater Victoria, Tourism Whistler and Tourism Richmond all compete for tourists in the state of Washington which make up 25% of the province’s international visitors and 40% of its U.S. visitors. Instead of continuing to independently vie for tourists post-pandemic, they began their first cross-border tourism campaign. The approach is also an opportunity to boost safety messaging and responsible tourism. Consider how you can combine efforts with neighboring destinations to attract visitors across your whole region.

Leadership brings some tough challenges, but also excellent opportunities for growth. MarketingProfs shares 15 lessons from well-known female founders and CEOs you can utilize to grow your own leadership wherever you are. With pro tips, notable quotes and proof why each tip works, this is a great resource for anyone working hard at what they do. Here are some of our favorite lessons:

• “When you accept that failure is a good thing, it can actually be a huge propeller toward success.” Whitney Wolfe Herd, Founder & CEO of Bumble
• “Just because you are CEO, don’t think you have landed. You must continually increase your learning, the way you think, and the way you approach the organization.” Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo
• “You need to have unbound enthusiasm for what you’re building. Energy is contagious, so your team and everyone you interact with feels it.” Tyler Haney, Founder of Outdoor Voices

There’s so much going on in the heritage tourism and economic development industries, which is why we have more headlines, blogs and resources carefully curated for DMOs, heritage areas and economic developers just like you. From on-demand webinars to infographics to news digests, we specialize in equipping you with the tools you need to help your projects, teams and communities succeed. We’re here to help.