Learn Tourism

Are you going to the Destinations International Annual Conference in Portland next week? If so, keep an eye out for the Learn Tourism team. ✈️ 🚐 Our CEO, Stephen Ekstrom, took a 10,000+ mile road trip, and our Lead Instructor, Sarah Benoit, flew from Asheville, NC to be there. We're so delighted and grateful to be part of such a passionate, kind, and nerdy community. This event always brings our passion for learning together with our passion for travel. 🌎 Big shout-out to Travel Portland for inviting us all to their wonderful city. 👋 If you see us in a session, drinking coffee, volunteering, at a meal, or just having fun, please come say hello. We'd love to hear about what you're working on and what you're learning.

As thousands of destination professionals prepare to gather in Travel Portland for the Destinations International Annual Convention, we have a challenge for you. Before your flight, your drive, or your first cup of coffee at the convention... Take a few minutes to think about these four questions: ✈️ If visitor numbers weren't your primary measure of success, what would be? 🤝 If every resident became an ambassador tomorrow, what story would they tell about your destination? 🌟 What investment in your people would have the greatest impact on your visitor experience? 🔮 What role should your destination organization be playing five years from now that it isn't today? These questions are inspired by four recent conversations on the Learn Tourism Business Class Podcast featuring destination leaders Kristen Reynolds, CDME, Rodrigo Esponda Cascajares, Edward Harris, and Don Welsh. We've brought those ideas together in our newest LinkedIn Newsletter, "Before You Land in Portland: Four Conversations Worth Taking With You." Whether you're attending #DI26 or following along from home, we hope it sparks meaningful conversations about leadership, learning, workforce development, and the future of destination organizations. 📖 Read the newsletter below. 🎧 Then download the podcast episodes for your journey to Portland. Safe travels—we look forward to seeing many of you next week. #DestinationsInternational #Tourism #DestinationLeadership #WorkforceDevelopment #LearningAndDevelopment #Hospitality #TourismMarketing #DestinationManagement

🎙️ New Episode: "Always Moving Toward Better: Mitch Whitten on Curiosity, Community, and Leadership" What does it take to lead one of America's fastest-growing tourism destinations? In this episode of Business Class, Learn Tourism CEO & Cofounder Stephen Ekstrom sits down with Mitch Whitten, President & CEO of Visit Fort Worth, to discuss the leadership principles guiding Fort Worth through a period of remarkable growth and transformation. Topics include: ✅ The role of curiosity in effective leadership ✅ Community-based tourism and resident engagement ✅ Preparing destinations for major growth opportunities ✅ Using AI to improve decision-making and analytics ✅ Developing future tourism leaders ✅ Creating measurable value for residents and stakeholders Mitch's insights reinforce a lesson we've heard repeatedly from successful tourism executives: leadership is not about having all the answers—it's about listening, learning, and serving your community. Whether you're an emerging professional, destination leader, educator, or industry advocate, you'll find valuable lessons in this conversation. 🎧 Listen now: #LearnTourism #BusinessClassPodcast #TourismLeadership #DestinationMarketing #WorkforceDevelopment #TourismIndustry #LeadershipDevelopment https://hubs.ly/Q04pLgSv0

Most tourism ambassador training programs are designed to transfer information. The best programs are designed to change behavior. When frontline employees become more confident, make better recommendations, and consistently create memorable visitor experiences, destinations see stronger service, greater community pride, and increased visitor loyalty. Our newest article explores: ✅ Why many ambassador programs fall short ✅ The science behind adult learning and behavior change ✅ Practical ways destination organizations can improve training outcomes Read the full article: At Learn Tourism, we're proud to help destinations build learning experiences that create measurable impact—not just course completions. #TourismTraining #TourismAmbassador #DestinationMarketing #VisitorExperience #WorkforceDevelopment #TourismCertification https://hubs.ly/Q04pBHWJ0

What does the future of tourism leadership look like? According to Wyoming Office of Tourism Executive Director Domenic Bravo, CDME, CPM, it starts with something surprisingly simple: Listen first. In our latest episode of Business Class, Domenic shares lessons from a career that has taken him from park ranger to destination leader, along with his perspective on stewardship, servant leadership, AI, workforce development, and managing destinations in a way that benefits both visitors and residents. A few takeaways that stuck with me: ✅ Great leaders spend more time listening than talking. ✅ Tourism's success isn't measured only by visitor spending, but by the positive impact it creates in communities. ✅ AI may become one of the most powerful tools we have for visitor management and destination stewardship. ✅ Relationships and trust are often the fastest path through bureaucracy. ✅ The best tourism professionals never stop learning. One of my favorite moments was hearing Domenic describe the challenge facing destinations today: balancing maximizing tourism's economic benefits with minimizing impacts on residents and natural resources. It's a conversation every destination leader should hear. 📖 Read the companion article: Thank you, Domenic, for sharing your insights and for your work to help shape the future of tourism in Wyoming and beyond. #Tourism #DestinationManagement #Leadership #TravelIndustry #TourismLeadership #DestinationMarketing #AI #WorkforceDevelopment #LearnTourism https://hubs.ly/Q04pq9tY0

What can more than 200 executive conversations teach us about leadership? Quite a bit. Through interviews with destination executives, association leaders, tourism entrepreneurs, educators, and industry innovators, a consistent picture has emerged of what effective leadership looks like in today's tourism industry. The strongest leaders: ✅ Put people first ✅ Embrace lifelong learning ✅ Build partnerships and collaboration ✅ Focus on community impact ✅ Adapt to change with curiosity and resilience In a new article, Learn Tourism CEO & Cofounder @Stephen Ekstrom reflects on the lessons, trends, and leadership insights gathered from more than 200 executive conversations across the tourism industry. Whether you're leading a destination, managing a tourism business, developing the next generation of professionals, or simply passionate about the future of tourism, we think you'll find valuable takeaways. 📖 Read the article: What leadership lesson has had the greatest impact on your career? #LearnTourism #TourismLeadership #DestinationManagement #ProfessionalDevelopment #LeadershipDevelopment #TourismIndustry #LifelongLearning https://hubs.ly/Q04phDZ_0

The best destination insights don't always come from a dashboard. Sometimes they come from the road. 🚐 🌎 As our team prepares for the Destinations International Annual Convention in Portland, our Learn Tourism founder and CEO, Stephen Ekstrom, is doing something a little different! He's driving there. 📅 For the past six months, Stephen and his 14-year-old niece have been traveling more than 10,000 miles across the United States, visiting destinations, national parks, local businesses, and communities along the way. Now, as they arrive in Oregon and prepare to join destination leaders in Portland, one lesson continues to stand out: 🌟 Great destination leadership begins by understanding people. Visitor data, economic impact reports, resident sentiment, and frontline experiences all tell part of the story. But when we combine those insights with real conversations, local knowledge, and meaningful education, we create visitor experiences that are more authentic, communities that are more engaged, and destinations that are better prepared for the future. 💪 That's why we believe tourism ambassador programs are more than hospitality training. They're long-term destination development tools that help communities understand their visitors, tell their stories with confidence, and turn insight into action. 🙏 We're grateful to Travel Daily Media - TDM for sharing Stephen's journey and the ideas behind it. We can't wait to connect with so many friends and colleagues in Portland and continue the conversation about the future of tourism, learning, and community leadership. If you're attending DI, we'd love to connect and hear from everyone: 🔸 What's one lesson your own travels have taught you about building stronger destinations? 📖 Read the full story: https://hubs.ly/Q04nM13X0 #LearnTourism #DestinationsInternational #DIAnnualConvention #DestinationLeadership #VisitorExperience #TourismAmbassador #DestinationDevelopment #NeverStopLearning

What kind of legacy are we leaving behind? That question sat with me long after my recent conversation with Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares. We talked about responsible travel, destination stewardship, organizational culture, technology, and the lessons the tourism industry learned during the pandemic. But what struck me most wasn't a strategy or trend. It was Greg's reminder that our impact is measured less by our résumés and more by the people we influence. As he reflected on the life and legacy of industry leaders we've lost, he shared a perspective I think all of us need to hear: "It's not just a résumé. It's how many people he affected." In an industry built on relationships, communities, and shared experiences, that's a powerful reminder. 🎙️ New Episode: The Legacy We Leave: Tourism Cares' Greg Takehara on Purpose, People, and Travel In this episode, we discuss: ✔️ What the tourism industry may have forgotten since the pandemic ✔️ Why destination stewardship is gaining momentum ✔️ How meaningful travel benefits communities and visitors alike ✔️ Building trust and culture in a virtual workplace ✔️ The opportunities—and challenges—of AI and emerging technologies ✔️ Why our greatest contribution may be the people we inspire Whether you're a destination leader, educator, tourism professional, or simply someone who believes travel can be a force for good, I think you'll find value in this conversation. 🎧 Listen here: #Tourism #TourismCares #DestinationStewardship #MeaningfulTravel #ResponsibleTourism #Leadership #WorkforceDevelopment #BusinessClassPodcast #LearnTourism https://hubs.ly/Q04n_RZg0

What if the biggest AI decision your destination makes this year isn't choosing a new tool...it's redesigning your team? 🤖 💡 AI isn't just changing how destination organizations work. It's changing what work gets done, the skills teams need, and how leaders think about roles, collaboration, and community impact. The question isn't, "Who can AI replace?" The better question is, "How can AI help our people create more value for visitors, residents, and partners?" 🔸 In our latest blog, we explore how destination organization org charts are evolving, and why the future belongs to teams that embrace continuous learning, adaptability, and human-centered leadership. 🫵 How do you think AI will reshape destination organizations over the next five years? We'd love to hear your perspective. 📖 Read the full article: How AI Is Reshaping the Destination Organization Org Chart https://hubs.ly/Q04nTPHC0 #LearnTourism #ArtificialIntelligence #DestinationLeadership #TourismInnovation #DestinationMarketing #FutureOfWork #NeverStopLearning

Building a Destination from Scratch: Lessons from Travel Santa Ana's Wendy Haase-Roberts, CDME https://hubs.ly/Q04nJDGB0