The Destination Effect

The fabric of every community is woven with unique stories, cultures, and experiences that are waiting to be discovered by residents and visitors alike. At the heart of this discovery is the vital work of destination organizations. Our world is vast and diverse, and the role of destination organizations is to serve as a bridge that connects people to places, allowing them to explore, celebrate, and appreciate the uniqueness of each community. Their purpose is not only to attract visitors but also to cultivate an environment in which a community thrives as an ideal place to visit, live, work, play, and invest. And they do it for the betterment of the community.

This is the Destination Effect.

May 13, 2026

Virtual Advocacy Days

Join this global virtual experience — part of DI’s Advocacy & Action initiative — designed to equip destination leaders and stakeholders with the tools to advocate more effectively. No cost to attend.

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Why support destination promotion?

Every community must compete with every other community for its share of the world’s attention, customers, talent, and investment. To compete, people need to be aware of a community, have a positive impression, and want to visit to experience the community and meet its people. This is achieved through clearly developing, articulating, and managing the community’s brand. Efforts must be made to promote, market, sell, and engage potential visitors. All of this must be reinforced again and again. Destination organizations are uniquely positioned to do this. Addressing this need for destination promotion benefits and enhances the well-being of every person in a community. It is a common good. It is an essential investment in developing opportunities and building quality of life for all residents.

Supporting destination promotion and organizations focuses on tangible benefits like economic growth, job creation, and tax revenue enhancement; broader appeals to community development, global competitiveness, and quality of life improvements; and deep relationships with constituents. These arguments align with key political objectives, offering elected officials a strong platform for garnering support and achieving policy victories that benefit the community at large.