The Next Big Tourism Strategy? Mentorship as Marketing.

We’ve all been in tourism long enough to see strategies come and go(in today's environment, trends can come and go in one business week!). We’ve chased the funnel, the algorithm, the influencer boom, the metaverse, the creator economy, AI, and now, God help us all, threads of nostalgia we’re calling “slow travel.”

But the more I watch destinations scramble to keep up with tech trends and audience shifts, the clearer it becomes:

The next real evolution in destination strategy isn’t external. It’s internal. It’s not a new channel. It’s a deeper commitment. It’s not a better ad. It’s a better relationship.

It’s mentorship.

Not the corporate kind, where someone gives you their card and a checklist. The real kind. The kind that builds pride, confidence, momentum—and long-term community ROI.

🧭 Let’s start with the obvious: Tourism is powered by people.

I don’t mean that as a warm fuzzy statement. I mean it as economic reality.

Your brand is only as strong as the people who carry it.

The front desk agent who welcomes a nervous family. The bartender who knows the best local joke. The housekeeper who quietly leaves a towel animal that makes a kid’s whole week. The Airbnb host who points a guest toward the farmer’s market. The local artist whose mural becomes the backdrop for 10,000 photos.

Those people are your brand. They are the vibe. They are the repeat visit. They are the difference between “it was fine” and “I’ll never forget that place.”

We pour millions into marketing the destination, while leaving the people who make it special under-resourced, underpaid, and emotionally burnt to a crisp.

That disconnect? It’s not just unethical—it’s unsustainable.

📉 Trend Check: The cracks are already showing.

• Staffing crises across hospitality and tourism continue into 2025, with Gen Z and Millennials rejecting burnout-heavy roles and toxic leadership.

• Travelers are craving connection. According to Expedia’s 2025 report, 76% of travelers prioritize authentic local experiences over major attractions.

• The trust gap is widening. Destination campaigns don’t hold the weight they used to. People believe people. Especially those with local insight, personality, and presence.

We’re spending millions on campaigns and wondering why they aren’t sticking. Because you can’t out-market a broken culture. And you can’t scale what hasn’t been nurtured.

🔥 So what’s the move?

Mentorship. Embedded. Everywhere.

Not performative leadership. Not one-and-done trainings.

I’m talking about reimagining the role of a DMO (or CVB, or tourism board) as a culture shaper, not just a media buyer.

• What if your social team also coached local businesses on storytelling?

• What if your visitor services department led hospitality masterclasses with local high schools?

• What if your influencer budget included investing in up-and-coming local creators and makers?

• What if your next big “brand moment” included funding creative residencies and micro-grants for your people?

Mentorship isn’t soft. It’s strategy.

It builds loyalty. It reduces turnover. It activates pride. And—yes—it generates content and story at a scale no agency ever could.

💡Case in point:

The destinations people fall in love with? It’s not because of the slick billboard or the perfect font. It’s because someone made them feel something.

We’ve all had that moment.

When a place surprised you with kindness. When a stranger made you feel like you belonged. When something small became unforgettable.

And almost always? It was a person, not a brochure, that did that.

🚀 The destinations of the future are already shifting:

They’re co-creating content with their communities. They’re launching local creator networks. They’re designing internal mentorship pipelines so hospitality becomes a career again, not a fallback job. They’re embedding community care into brand strategy.

That’s not a campaign. That’s a movement.

And it’s one I want to be a part of.

👏 So here’s my Destruptor Call to Action:

If you're in charge of a tourism brand, you’re also in charge of a culture.

What would happen if you stopped asking how to “target” travelers and started asking how to amplify the people already here?

What would happen if mentorship wasn’t a nice-to-have but the core of your marketing plan?

What would you build then?

Because the truth is: The destination isn’t the campaign. The people are.

And if you mentor them? They’ll carry your story farther than any ad ever could.