Destination Marketing Store

09/07/2024

We are so excited to welcome Mikayla Watson to team DMS as our new Digital Marketing Coordinator 🎉

Mikayla’s first task - come up with an engaging way to tell you (and us) a bit about herself instead of the boring staff bio.

Her response – ‘would an Instagram style carousel work?’. Let’s try!

Get to know Mikayla 👇

Move over Oly, DMS has a new Green Queen 🌿 Get to know Mikayla, our DMS' Digital Marketing Coordinator.

23/06/2024

Carl 🗣️ Mauri - greetings from Kiribati, where believe it or not, I’m working. I thought I’d share some snapshots from the road, me hard at work living in the moment and experiencing some genuinely heart-filled adventures along the way. I’m collaborating with a wonderful team of I-Kiribati to create their new destination brand - something we’ll proudly share in the near future. Until then, back to those truly magic moments with some awesome local legends!

29/05/2024

Port Macquarie Hastings Council in partnership with DMS, Fred&Co Digital and Leonards Advertising recently launched the winter destination brand campaign Where Time Does Wonders.

Early results are exceptional. But this is no fluke. This is the tale of 3-years of collaborative work, building a new destination brand, taking industry along for the journey and creating a campaign strategy aimed at delivering results.

No sugar-hit. No short term mindset. This is about a destination brand that stands tall in a sea of sameness and one that will continue to deliver outcomes for the region for many years.

Let us know you what you think.

BLOG: Where Time Does Wonders - A Strategic Approach to Destination Branding
https://bit.ly/4aURYjD

Follow our work with Port Macquarie.
Facebook: Greater Port Macquarie
Instagram: instagram.com/portmacquarie/
TikTok: tiktok.com/

24/05/2024

What a great day in the spectacular Capertee Valley! It was delightful to share the day with enthusiastic, interested and passionate locals - businesses and community representatives - who have a vision and desire to share something special with their guests and visitors. Thank you Shaun Elwood, Mayor Maree Statham, Lithgow City Council, and the Capertee Valley community for a great session on creating meaningful and memorable experiences that resonate with contemporary travellers.

01/05/2024

Here’s one we are excited to be talking about! 🌟

Charlotte and Carl recently had a trip to New Zealand and met with Daniel Terris (Head of Marketing & Brand Ōtautahi Christchurch) to discuss how Christchurch has redefined its brand narrative around the core principle of balance.

“…it’s a reminder that success isn’t just measured in economic terms – it’s measured in the quality of life, the preservation of natural beauty, and the strength of community bonds.” ✅

Take a look and let us know what you think!

̄tautahi

Success isn't just measured in economic terms – it's measured in the quality of life, the preservation of natural beauty, and the strength of community bonds. In a world where hustle and bustle oft…

26/04/2024

"People are absolutely choosing experiences over destinations."

Oly shares his thoughts on some of the buzz words floating around the sector at the moment and how they may impact travel behaviours. Have a read 🤓

How Set-Jetting, Gig-Trips & Flight-Shaming are influencing travel. These hottest travel trends are just some of the buzz words that I came..

01/04/2024

Our learnings from the TRC Tourism Tourism Sustainable Trail Conference 2024 in New Zealand. Thank you Janet Mackay and team for delivering another great conference.

Rising competition, the allure of trails, shifting perspectives and the power of branding - my top takeaways from the Sustainable Trails Conference.

27/03/2024

📢 Update: A limited number of seats have just become available for our unique networking experience Table for 20.

📅 When: Tue, 9 Apr 2024, 12.30pm - 3.30pm
📍 AEONA - Board Room Level 3, 1-9 Buckingham St, Surry Hills NSW
🎫 bit.ly/tablefor20

Have you ever been asked who you’d invite to the ultimate dinner party? It’s this philosophy that inspired us to create a Table for 20.

Due to some last minute cancellations there is a few spots left at our table and we are opening the invitation to our valued clients and colleagues to join us for an informative lunch to share some practical insights to inspire your work.

This time we will be joined by National Strategy Director from ACM, Jorge Maraima as he shares some of the findings from the ACM Heartbeat of Australia research study developed in partnership with University of Canberra.

With the housing priority reshaping regional Australia and its communities, it’s a crucial time to be sparking conversations on this topic. We will also be discussing living in an era where immersive and transformative experiences are paramount in a traveller's decision-making, and how communities play a vital role in inspiring, engaging, and shaping positive visitor experiences.

Why does this matter?
◾️ The VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) market thrives on a healthy, happy local community advocating for their hometowns, driving visitation.
◾️ Local government's ability to engage residents, build trust, inspire, and foster civic pride is critical.

Curious about Australian sentiment and community connection? Join us! Book your tickets now to this special event - https://bit.ly/tablefor20
Tickets close at 5 pm Monday 1 April 2024.

19/03/2024

𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬
Carl and Scott Ketley of Swell Design Group took to the stage yesterday at the Sustainable Trails Conference in Otago, New Zealand. They delved into the nuances of branding and marketing mountain bike trails. The message - Emphasising how a well-defined strategy can shape your creative approach and set your trail experience apart in the competitive marketplace.

How?
🔹 Make the most of your point of difference - It’s a competitive marketplace so focus!
🔹 Be distinctive - stand out from the crowd. Great creative brings your brand and market position to life
🔹 Knock it out with killer content - be consistent across your channels and make sure that your content resonates with your market
🔹 Don’t underestimate the value of the surrounding experience - riders want to enjoy more than just the trails.

You can check out some of Destination Marketing Store and Swell Design Group branding and marketing work at Finch Hatton MTB.

Thank you to TRC Tourism for a wonderful first day. We look forward to the rest of the conference.

18/03/2024

Charlie 🗣️ As a conscious traveller myself, I am forever on the search for the next destination that can fill my cup with nature and culture, whilst always mindful of the environmental impact my travel can have.

My most recent family holiday got me thinking more about the responsibility of destination marketers to support and guide destinations to value their natural assets and attract visitors whose values align, so we can build advocates for sustainable travel and the environment more broadly.

Traveller or Tourist - what do you consider yourself to be?

How can destination marketing prioritise sustainability and authenticity in countries where economic development is all about volume?

13/03/2024

Charlotte 🗣 Yep, Destination Marketing Store is definitely a ‘Skifty’! Sarah Kopit, Editor-in-chief, Skift shared the Skift Megatrends 2024 at .

It is so great to have another opportunity to hear some of these trends again. DMS have already been using these global trends and insights and including them in the projects we have delivered for our clients. This includes projects such as Destination Management Plans, Destination Marketing, Destination and Experience Brand Strategies and Campaigns. What to do with these insights and trends is often what challenges our clients.

DMS interprets the trends and then identifies the actions that leverage them. All our clients have benefited from our access to Skift research and trends, so if you want to find out more about how we can help you, your business or destination and experiences and take advantage of the Megatrends 2024 contact us at [email protected]

BTW Sarah Kopit looking forward to catching up for that coffee at Skift Forum New York 2024!

Australia.com

12/03/2024

Charlotte 🗣 Excitement is high on the eve of the Destination Australia Conference 2024 in Sydney.

We were so thrilled to see Skift in the program line-up. Having been in New York at the Skift Global Forum in 2023, it’s awesome to see this leading travel research company presenting their Megatrends for 2024 here in Australia. We (DMS) have been a member of Skift since 2016, and are already locked in for the Skift Global Forum in 2024.

Hopefully, we will see some of you there tomorrow!


Australia.com

25/02/2024

𝙊𝙇𝙔 🗣 Inspired by a speech that made me laugh and was absolutely NOT boring, I’ve stolen some ideas on new ways to reframe how we talk about sustainability.

Thanks to Per Grankvist from Viable Cities for encouraging us to steal more. One of many fantastic speeches at the City Nation Place Global 2023 event in November last year.

Have a read and let's chat about it! 🌿

There’s a growing conversation about reframing our approach to sustainability and the future, and I love it.

16/01/2024

Oliver 🗣 “Storytelling” is a motif that has been showing up a lot in my work (and life!) recently.

EarthCheck, in partnership with Tourism Australia.com, have released two new communications guides for tourism and hospitality operators, and destinations – focussed on effective sustainability storytelling. How good! 😊

The guides are aimed at those who already have sustainability policies, commitments or action plans in place.

If you don’t already have the above in place, get started by checking out the new National Sustainability Framework and Sustainable Tourism Toolkit 👇

Tourism Australia is the Australian Government agency responsible for growing demand for Australia as a tourism destination, both in Australia and overseas. Our corporate purpose, as laid down in the Tourism Australia Act 2004, is to grow demand and foster a competitive and sustainable tourism indus...

08/01/2024

Happy New Year everyone. Well, content might be king but good reliable data is the oracle! In November 2023 I attended the City Nation Place Conference in London. There was so much that I loved about the conference, especially the use of real-time data to inform place-making and destination-planning solutions to challenges. Importantly, how using data takes out the guesswork and assumptions that are made about some of the challenges and opportunities that place makers and destination managers face.
Ted Sullivan CMO of Zartico presented four case studies that truly demonstrated the power of real-time data. Thanks, Ted for an insightful and entertaining presentation.
🖊 Charlotte

Learn how to take insights and data to tell a fantastic story to your key stakeholders about the outcome and possibilities of place branding and marketing, as Zartico's Ted Sullivan shares the tools you need to end the disconnect between research, insights, and your stakeholders.

12/12/2023

Welcome to Queensland’s Sunshine Pantry, a celebration of the Sunshine Coast's diverse and vibrant agritourism and culinary scene.

We teamed up with our good friends at Converge Marketing and Fred&Co Advertising and Web Design to deliver an Integrated Marketing and Industry Development Agritourism Program and unified brand for Visit Sunshine Coast and the Food Agribusiness Network FAN. The project is about taking a collaborative regional approach to the development of agritourism. Bringing together industry, Local Government and destination marketing, through a framework that aligns industry appetite for agritourism, provenance and identity and combining them with existing initiatives and campaigns.

Successful agritourism regions have a combination of agricultural diversity, accessibility, infrastructure, collaborative marketing, community involvement, and education that provide visitors with an authentic and memorable experience. Visit Sunshine Coast is delivering on this promise, benefiting not only its visitors but the regions producers and makers.

03/12/2023

Have you seen the new National Sustainability Framework and Toolkit announced recently by the Australian State and Territory Tourism Ministers?

It's great to see this kind of development and vision towards encouraging tourism operators to become more sustainable and to share their stories! 🌱

The Toolkit is designed to help small to medium-sized tourism operators on their path towards sustainability, with simple to use information and templates. 📝

Check it out and let us know what you think:
business.gov.au/planning/industry-information/tourism-industry/sustainable-tourism

I have been playing around with the Sustainability Action Plan template for our own work at DMS – watch this space 😉

🖊 Oly



📷 Sea Acres National Park, Greater Port Macquarie

24/11/2023

This week we come to you from DestinationQ in the beautiful Cairns, Tropical North Queensland. The opening panel included leaders in Government who have an important role to play in the visitor economy. Collaboration at any level is a key to success, whether it helps to address challenges or take advantage of new or emerging opportunities.

📷 1 - It was great reconnecting with great friends, including Anne Andrews who is the new Director of Community, Tourism & Regional Prosperity at Carpentaria Shire Council.
📷 2 - Cameron Costello, a Quandamooka man from Moreton Bay, Traditional Owner and the Deputy Chair of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) talking about best practice and the way forward for First Nations tourism in Queensland.
📷 3 - An amazing panel lead by Stewart Moore of EarthCheck on using sustainability as the catalyst for change, a subject close DMS' heart.
📷 4 - Nicki Hutley, economist extraordinaire who led a great session interrogating the crystal ball....

Way to go Queensland!

16/11/2023

I’m back on home soil after a whirlwind journey to London for the City Nation Place Global conference. Despite the fatigue, I'm energised by a blend of caffeine and invigorating thoughts, concepts and insights. I’m glad I recorded this brief clip following one of the sessions to preserve a few of the insights, but this is merely a glimpse of the valuable ideas I've noted. I can’t wait to share these precious insights from what has been one of the most enlightening conferences I've attended. But first, coffee! ☕
Enjoy,
Charlotte

15/11/2023

What a cracking good way to start the week, launching our new brand, FinchHattonMTB for the world-class, purpose-built mountain bike trails in Visit Mackay Isaac, Queensland, Australia 🚵‍♀️

Hats off and helmets on to an awesome client, Mackay Regional Council, and a truly welcoming and supportive community – from proactive and forward-thinking Councillors to a dedicated and hard-working project team, and local businesses who are already gearing up to harness the potential of ‘living the freedom of spirited adventure with a tropical vibe.’

A special shout out to our top-shelf partner in crime Swell Design Group, and the ever-enthusiastic, best-in-class trail creator, Glen J. and his amazing team at World Trail.

Saddle up. It’s time to ride FinchHattonMTB.

🖊 Carl

13/11/2023

BRAND LAUNCH | FINCH HATTON MTB

A “spirited adventure with a tropical vibe” is our promise when you come to ride the epic mountain bike trails in Finch Hatton, Queensland 🚴‍♀️🌿💦

⚒️ Designed and constructed by globally celebrated trails construction company, World Trail; stage 1 - opening early 2024 - promises the best Air Flow trails in Australia.

Today, Mackay Regional Council officially launched the branding and marketing strategy, marking a significant milestone in the project 🙌

The brand was developed by award-winning destination and marketing specialists Destination Marketing Store and Swell Design Group. It is a fun, yet mature brand harking back to the 80s with a nostalgic vibe of spirited adventure and freedom.

80 stakeholders gathered to:
👏 Celebrate the launch,
👨‍🏫 Partipate in a marketing workshop
👷‍♀️ Tour the trailhead facilities

We were lucky to witness the 🏗 installation of the refurbished, cane-train turn-table that has been incorporated into the cycle network, giving the trailhead a unique flavour with a nod to the site's sugar industry history.

The excitement was palpable! The branding a huge success!!

SWEET TRAILS and NO BAD DAYS 🤙

🎬 Please watch my posted reel for more of today's action.

Mackay Isaac Tourism
Mackay Region Chamber of Commerce
BIKE Tracks Australia
Corry Cycles
MAD Cow Coffee Mackay
Mad Mountain Bike Club
One Hungry Mumma
Azure Glass Mackay Qld
Mackay On Gordon
Finch Hatton Progress Association
Whitsunday Mountain Bike Club Inc.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council
Visit Mackay Isaac, Queensland, Australia

10/11/2023

Gotta love attending a conference in London. This week, I participated in the City Nation Place Global Forum 2023. The first day started with a walk around the Lendlease Elephant Park residential development. The development is a private/public sector partnership between London borough, Southwark and Lendlease. The six big takeouts that reinforced the importance of this type of urban planning is
1. Have a master plan. The master plan doesn't just relate to Elephant Park. It also considers the linkages to public transport, roads, and other developments such as the new shopping centre.

2. Create a clear vision for the redevelopment. The vision centres around the residents, how they will live in the space, and how the design, architecture, and green space will impact the well-being and happiness of those who live, work and visit the area.

3. A mix of affordable housing with open market housing.

4. Along with a mixture of passive homes, limited car parking because of the access to excellent public transport and other amenities such as schools and libraries means that the residents are not shut off and are part of a community. This improves liveability, diminishes anti-social behaviour and creates a sense of civic pride.

5. Sustainability is another key feature, with thought given to grey water recycling, solar and consideration to the carbon miles of the building materials used.

6. The retail and hospitality offerings are all independent businesses. Franchised or chain brands are not allowed. The businesses are supported by being offered business planning and marketing support as well as a discount on rent for the first 12 months

There are so many other learnings. I, for one, was giddy with excitement about the possibilities this type of approach to urban planning can achieve. Whether it's a site redevelopment or a new subdivision, this approach should be the norm, not the exception.

09/11/2023

The word “sustainability” constantly challenges me. It’s a broad topic and can often feel quite overwhelming when it comes to knowing where to start.

However, acknowledging that storytelling has a critical role to play in inspiring others to take action (something I talk about in this article 😉), I wanted to share three key themes that have emerged for me in the sustainability space:

- Sustainable communities being at the heart of sustainable tourism
- Going one step further with regenerative tourism
- The growing importance of ESG reporting

I would love to know what you think and please reach out if you would like to work with the DMS team to start building your sustainability roadmap 🗺️

🖊️ Oly

Destinations that are consciously putting efforts towards preserving and regenerating our natural environment, and fostering community and culture will be the ones who succeed moving forward.

07/11/2023

It was my great pleasure to speak at yesterday’s Agritourism Forum at the spectacular Springfield Woolshed on the Liverpool Plains, hosted by Destination Country and Outback NSW (DNCO) and The Plains Inc.

An outstanding day spent with leaders of the industry talking about how to capture the growing demand for agritourism experiences. And so good to see so many seriously smart women taking the lead! A real stand out was Tania Hartigan of Art Shack at Wilgabah , Gamilaraay woman, artist, and a humble yet inspiring leader in agritourism, who talked about overcoming challenges to create remarkable experiences and sharing cracking good stories with her guests. No wonder they keep coming back for more!

A huge thanks to Lucy White at Destination Country and Outback NSW and Clare Lee and the team at The Plains for a truly memorable day.



🎥 NBN News: Liverpool Plains hosts agritourism forum

06/11/2023

Sometimes it's the simple things that have the biggest impact. I am in a restaurant in London and basically they serve steak with side dishes that are great with steak. The food is on point, the place is packed and it's a Monday night. It comes time for me to pay the bill and this is what comes with it. So simple yet so powerful. I am keeping the cleaver. Guess what they gave me an ice cream anyway.
🖊️ Charlotte
Flat Iron
, ,

24/10/2023

I had the pleasure of visiting Moree last week at the invitation of our friends at Leonards Advertising who have developed a future-focused Digital Strategy for the team at Tourism Moree Inc.

Social media and content are pivotal in the strategy and I was more than pleased to kick things off with an in-depth workshop, laying the groundwork for their digital journey ahead.

We delved into optimising Tourism Moree Inc's social media channels, analysed their competitive landscape, and pinpointed immediate strategies for audience growth and content enhancement.

You could feel a sense of excitement amongst the team at this next chapter of destination marketing for the region. I share this excitement, and look forward to continuing to support them on this journey.

A big thanks to Kate and Richard at Leonards Advertising for having me along for the ride and congratulations on an amazing Digital Strategy.

🖊 Ben

21/10/2023

Our sustainability journey has only just begun ♻

Destination Marketing Store (DMS) recognise the importance of walking the talk in sustainability and participating in the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard is helping them on their journey 🌱

With the Scorecard now included in Ecotourism Australia’s Business Supporter membership, it offered DMS the opportunity to look at sustainability on a deeper level which will ultimately inform their day-to-day engagement with clients.

Completing the Scorecard is just the first step for DMS, read on to find out what else they have in store: www.ecotourism.org.au/blog/case-study-destination-marketing-store

Interested in membership? Click here for more information www.ecotourism.org.au/membership/become-a-member

Image: Destination Marketing Store. ID: The Destination Marketing Store team pose for a photo at the Travel Marketing Summit earlier this year.

10/10/2023

Harnessing the power of AI to deepen engagement, the growth of the hybrid work & play segment and holiday spend prioritised despite economic uncertainty - insights that are influencing our dynamic and ever-evolving industry.
My key outtakes from another inspiring Skift Global Forum.
🖊 Carl

Carl reflects on his time at the SKIFT Global Forum held in New York. From harnessing the power of AI to the growth of the hybrid work & play segment - insights that are influencing our dynamic and ever-evolving industry.

05/10/2023

'Tis the season of conferences. As Carl arrives home from Skift New York, I am at the NSW Visitor Economy Forum, Building Momentum to 2030, from global to local. I will keep you posted about new insights, trends and what's happening next in the NSW visitor economy.

29/09/2023

Put simply, AI will be a huge disruptor and it’s happening fast. A big and somewhat overwhelming outtake from Day 1 at the Skift Global Forum in New York City. However, the good news is that our desire to travel continues to strengthen. How we harness the power of AI to deepen our engagement with our customers and create truly meaningful and memorable experiences is the key to success. I’ve captured below just a few of the key messages from many of the wonderful speakers at the Forum so far:
What does AI mean for travel? In summary:
🔹 What is changing – harnessing new technology will enable a richer, more meaningful customer-focus, creating opportunities for greater personalisation and help the shift from the transactional to the immersive, including curated packages, offers and itineraries that reflect and are informed by consumer behaviour. A key challenge is to ensure consistency across all touch points and avoiding silos created by different systems to interact with the same customer.
🔹 What isn’t changing – the emotional context for travel. It will remain an aspiration experience. This will be critical to way in which destinations and travel businesses engage with and retain their target markets.
🔹 ‘Power of personal connection can’t be underestimated’ - group and business travel is back on the rise along with the ever-growing value of experiences. Millennials and Gen Z are spending their money on experiences over products - wanting to learn more from the experience and seeking out those experiences that align more closely with their values.
🔹 Continue growth in the ‘hybrid of work and play’ – this includes the work from anywhere movement – from short breaks to digital nomads through to the continuing growth of ‘bleisure’ or extending a work trip for leisure.
🔹 Sustainability – importance of traceability and greater equity in local sourcing. While challenges remain with ‘green washing’ and self-reporting, greater emphasis on sustainability is inevitable. In the future, carbon reporting standards may be more like the accounting standards of today.
🔹 With many pressures facing destinations, it is essential to achieve a balance between industry, community, and visitors. This will be helped by building an understanding of why visitors are important to local communities and economies as well as involving them in sharing their stories and facilitating a more equitable dispersal of income to realise the benefits of tourism.

More to come!
🖊 Carl
Image: Jason Calacanis and Brad Gerstner chat with Rafat Ali of SKIFT