Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Field Notes

We’ve spent years designing experiences people want to photograph, post and share. But what happens when documenting the moment starts getting in the way of actually experiencing it?

In this episode of Field Notes, Sarah Dyer looks at the rise of phone-free concerts, parties and travel experiences — and what they might mean for destination marketers. From Fred again.. giving fans professional photos after phone-free shows to travel companies experimenting with unplugged trips, the question is becoming more interesting: Could some experiences become more valuable precisely because visitors don’t have to capture them?

Maybe the next great travel experience isn’t designed for the camera. Maybe you just had to be there.

A strangely shaped raccoon running through a Seattle neighborhood has become one of the summer’s most revealing travel-marketing stories.

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren examines the extraordinary rise of Jimothy—the beloved Ballard raccoon whose millions of views inspired tattoos, murals, merchandise, video games, a Mariners mascot and an official Seattle celebration.

Jimothy’s story exposes a blind spot in destination marketing: the details capable of defining a place often disappear into the background for the people who see them every day. When something familiar suddenly captures the culture’s imagination, the opportunity belongs to destinations prepared to recognize it, respond quickly and give the community room to participate.

Go to Google and type "Jimothy" and enjoy

In This Episode

• Why the seemingly ordinary can become a destination’s most compelling story
• How familiarity creates editorial blindness
• The difference between borrowing attention and adding to a cultural moment
• How Seattle’s teams, artists, businesses and public institutions expanded Jimothy’s story
• The four questions every destination should answer before its own unexpected moment arrives
• Why stewardship matters when local attention turns into visitor interest

You cannot schedule a phenomenon like Jimothy. You can build a destination capable of recognizing the spark when it appears.

Jimothy did not make Seattle interesting. He revealed the version of Seattle people were ready to love.

Subscribe to Field Notes for more insights and observations about culture, storytelling, technology and the changing work of the travel marketer.

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Sara Dyer uses an unexpected source of inspiration—Love Island USA—to explore one of the biggest shifts happening in marketing today: the realization that the story doesn't end when the content does. In many ways, that's when it truly begins.

Sara examines how millions of viewers can watch the exact same television show yet walk away with completely different interpretations. Podcasts, TikToks, Reddit threads, reaction videos, and group chats don't simply discuss the show—they actively shape its narrative. The audience isn't just consuming content; they're participating in it.

That observation becomes a powerful metaphor for destination marketing. Today's travelers rarely form their opinions from a visitor guide or tourism website alone. Instead, they assemble a destination's identity from countless touchpoints: creator videos, reviews, AI-generated recommendations, social media conversations, and personal referrals. By the time they arrive, they've already inherited a story. By the time they leave, they've contributed to one.

The episode argues that every destination now has two stories. There's the place itself, and there's the version collectively written across thousands of conversations online. The most successful destinations understand they don't own that narrative outright—they participate in it, influence it, and help shape what future travelers will believe before they ever arrive.

Key Takeaways

• Audiences don't simply consume stories—they actively reshape them.
• Public perception is formed across conversations, not individual pieces of content.
• Every destination has two identities: the physical place and the story people tell about it.
• Travelers increasingly build expectations through creators, reviews, AI, and recommendations before visiting.
• Visitor-generated content continues shaping destination perception long after a trip ends.
• Destination marketing is no longer about controlling the narrative—it's about contributing to it consistently and authentically.

Topics Covered

• Love Island USA and collective storytelling
• How online communities shape public perception
• Social media, AI, and destination reputation
• The evolution of traveler discovery
• User-generated content and destination narratives
• Why the visitor experience continues after checkout

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Sara Dyer explores an unexpected idea: what if some of the things we try hardest to avoid—waiting in line, sharing space with strangers, navigating a crowd—are actually part of what makes travel memorable?

Inspired by a visit to one of Florida's natural springs, Sara reflects on how a crowded morning on the water changed her perspective. What initially felt like an inconvenience slowly revealed itself to be something else entirely. The people, the shared smiles between kayakers, the conversations overheard, and the collective energy of everyone choosing to be there became the experience itself.

From bustling cafés and packed concerts to spontaneous celebrations in city squares, the episode examines how some of our strongest travel memories emerge not from carefully planned attractions but from moments of shared humanity. In a world increasingly optimized for convenience, Sara asks whether eliminating every point of friction might also remove some of the experiences that make travel feel alive.

For destination marketers, the lesson is both simple and powerful. Travelers don't just want to see beautiful places—they want to feel what it's like to belong there, even if only for an afternoon. The best marketing doesn't simply showcase a destination's scenery; it captures the atmosphere, energy, and human moments that visitors can't plan for but never forget.

Key Takeaways

• Not all friction diminishes an experience—sometimes it makes the experience more meaningful.
• Shared moments often become our strongest travel memories.
• Crowds can create energy, authenticity, and a sense of belonging rather than simply inconvenience.
• Travelers remember how a place felt as much as what it looked like.
• Convenience isn't always the highest form of value in travel.
• Destination marketing should focus on capturing the emotional experience of a place, not just its attractions.

Topics Covered

• Florida's natural springs
• Why shared experiences create lasting memories
• The psychology of travel and community
• Friction versus convenience
• Emotional storytelling in destination marketing
• Showing visitors what a destination feels like—not just what it looks like

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Frida Bahja, Director of Research at Experience Kissimmee, for a wide-ranging conversation about the growing role of research in destination marketing. From earning a Ph.D. in tourism to helping shape one of the industry's most data-driven organizations, Frida shares how curiosity, interdisciplinary thinking, and evidence-based decision making are changing the way destinations operate.

The conversation explores how tourism research intersects with environmental science, public perception, economics, and traveler behavior. Frida discusses projects ranging from harmful algae blooms and coral reef health to measuring resident sentiment and destination performance, illustrating why tourism is increasingly becoming a discipline that connects multiple systems rather than existing in isolation.

Eric and Frida also dive into Experience Kissimmee's new Latin Food Trail and its partnership with Atlas Obscura. More than a culinary guide, the initiative celebrates the region's rich cultural diversity while positioning authentic local stories as a competitive advantage for the destination. Together, they discuss why food has evolved from a travel necessity into one of the defining reasons people choose where to visit.

Finally, the conversation turns toward the future. As AI reshapes research, marketing, and destination management, Frida shares her perspective on balancing innovation with thoughtful governance, measuring ROI, and preparing organizations for a rapidly changing landscape.

Key Takeaways

• Research is becoming a strategic function inside destination marketing organizations, not simply a reporting tool.
• Tourism increasingly intersects with environmental science, economics, sociology, and public policy.
• The pandemic accelerated investment in research and data-driven decision making across the DMO industry.
• Authentic culinary experiences are becoming a primary driver of destination choice.
• Great destination marketing celebrates community identity rather than simply promoting attractions.
• AI presents enormous opportunities for tourism research, but thoughtful governance and measurement will be just as important as adoption.

Topics Covered

• Building a career in tourism research
• Environmental science and destination marketing
• Measuring resident sentiment and visitor behavior
• The growing importance of research inside DMOs
• Experience Kissimmee's Latin Food Trail
• Atlas Obscura partnership
• Food tourism and immersive travel experiences
• AI's role in destination research and governance

Featured Guests

• Eric Hultgren, National Director of Content, Advance Travel & Tourism
• Frida Bahja, Director of Research, Experience Kissimmee

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren makes the case that the biggest opportunity in travel marketing isn't on traditional television—it's on YouTube. Backed by the latest viewing data, Eric explores why YouTube has quietly become the dominant platform on the biggest screen in the house and what that means for destination marketing.

Drawing on recent data from Nielsen and industry research, the episode reveals that YouTube now commands more television viewing than any individual media company, surpassing streaming giants like Netflix and Disney. Even more surprising, YouTube's growth isn't being driven solely by younger audiences. Viewing is increasing across nearly every demographic, with some of the fastest growth coming from older audiences watching on connected TVs in their living rooms.

Eric argues that many destination marketing organizations are still treating YouTube as a social media channel when they should be viewing it as a television strategy. As audience behavior continues shifting toward creator-led content and long-form video, travel marketers have an opportunity to reach travelers where they're already spending their time—without the traditional barriers of broadcast media.

The episode also explores Google's newest YouTube insights and creator tools, announced at Cannes Lions, which promise to give brands better visibility into trends, creators, and audience behavior. The takeaway is simple: don't wait for perfect measurement. The destinations that begin building a YouTube strategy today will be well ahead of those waiting for the rest of the industry to catch up.

Key Takeaways

• YouTube now captures more television viewing than any other media company.
• Connected TV is accelerating YouTube's growth beyond mobile devices.
• Viewing continues to grow across every major demographic—not just Gen Z.
• Destination marketers should think of YouTube as part of their TV strategy, not simply their social strategy.
• Connected TV (CTV) and OTT campaigns may miss a significant audience if YouTube isn't included.
• Google's new YouTube insights and creator tools make it easier to understand audience behavior and content trends.
• The best time to build a YouTube strategy is before everyone else recognizes the opportunity.

Topics Covered

• Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge
• The rise of YouTube on connected TVs
• YouTube vs. Netflix and traditional television
• CTV and OTT advertising strategies
• Google's latest YouTube analytics announcements
• What destination marketers should do next

     

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Sara Dyer explores a subtle but important shift in traveler behavior. As rising travel costs force people to rethink vacation plans, the real story isn't that people are giving up on their dream trips—it's that they're redefining what those dreams actually are.

Rather than viewing a domestic getaway as a consolation prize for skipping Europe, Sara argues that many travelers are beginning to separate destinations from the emotions they hope those places will provide. Maybe the goal was never Italy itself. Maybe it was beauty, discovery, incredible food, slower mornings, or unforgettable stories. And those experiences can often be found much closer to home.

The episode also examines how social media has homogenized travel inspiration. Endless feeds of Amalfi Coast sunsets, Santorini rooftops, and Bali beach clubs have created a shared vision of what the "perfect vacation" should look like. But as prices rise and travelers reconsider their options, destinations have an opportunity to compete on something much more meaningful than prestige: the feeling they create.

For destination marketers, the takeaway is profound. You're no longer competing only against other destinations. You're competing against every way someone could spend their time, money, and attention. The winners will be the places that understand the emotional outcome travelers are seeking—and tell stories that promise that feeling rather than simply promoting a location.

Key Takeaways

• Travelers are increasingly choosing experiences based on the feeling they want, not simply the destination's name.
• Rising travel costs are changing decision-making, but they aren't eliminating the desire to travel.
• Social media has standardized many travel aspirations, creating opportunities for overlooked destinations.
• Destinations compete with experiences—not just other places—including concerts, sporting events, RV adventures, and shorter, more frequent trips.
• Prestige is becoming less important than perceived value and emotional return.
• Great destination marketing focuses on the transformation a traveler wants to experience, not just the attractions they'll visit.

This week Eric Hultgren dives into the growing uncertainty around Manus and its relationship with Meta and why the story matters far beyond a single AI tool.

As China pushes back on the transfer of AI technology developed within its borders, Meta finds itself unwinding a major acquisition and marketers are left wondering what happens next. But the real lesson isn't about Manus at all.

It's about dependency.

From Facebook pages to TikTok audiences to today's AI workflows, marketers have spent years building on platforms they don't own. The Manus situation is simply the latest reminder that access can disappear faster than most teams are prepared for.

In this episode:

• What happened between Meta and Manus
• Why Chinese regulators became involved
• What marketers could lose if Manus disappears
• The growing importance of AI workflow portability
• Why prompts, processes, and institutional knowledge need to be documented
• How to think about AI tools as infrastructure rather than magic

The biggest risk in AI may not be choosing the wrong model.

It may be depending on a platform that disappears.

Key Takeaways

✅ AI tools are increasingly tied to geopolitical and regulatory decisions.

✅ The value of Manus wasn't just the model—it was the integrations and workflow automation built around it.

✅ Every AI workflow should have a backup plan.

✅ Teams should maintain shared prompt libraries and documented processes.

✅ The future AI winners may be determined by access to infrastructure, distribution, and data—not model intelligence alone.

Memorable Quote

"This isn't actually a story about Manus. It's a story we've been telling for fifteen years anytime we talk about rented land."

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Sara Dyer challenges one of marketing's most commonly accepted success metrics: website traffic. While traffic remains useful, Sara argues that marketers may be giving it far more importance than it deserves in an era where discovery happens everywhere.

Drawing parallels between discovering a favorite musician and choosing a travel destination, Sara explores how modern audiences move through a web of recommendations, social content, AI conversations, playlists, reviews, and personal connections long before they ever land on a website. By the time someone arrives on your site, they may already be deep into their decision-making journey.

The discussion highlights a growing challenge for marketers: attribution. Consumers often remember the destination, brand, or artist they chose, but rarely remember the exact sequence of touchpoints that influenced their decision. As AI, social platforms, and recommendation engines continue to shape discovery, measuring influence becomes increasingly complex.

Rather than focusing exclusively on clicks and visits, Sara encourages marketers to think more broadly about creating memorable moments, meaningful experiences, and content that contributes to the journey—even when it doesn't receive direct attribution.

Key Takeaways

• Website traffic is an indicator, not the ultimate measure of marketing success.
• Modern discovery journeys often begin long before a visitor reaches your website.
• Attribution is becoming more difficult as audiences engage across multiple platforms and touchpoints.
• Travelers remember destinations and experiences more than the channels that influenced them.
• AI, social media, recommendations, and conversations are increasingly shaping travel decisions.
• Marketers should focus less on credit and more on creating memorable moments that influence outcomes.

Topics Covered

• Why web traffic became marketing's default scorecard
• The difference between measuring arrival and measuring influence
• Music discovery as a model for understanding traveler behavior
• The challenge of attribution in a multi-platform world
• How AI and social channels are reshaping discovery
• Building marketing strategies around influence rather than clicks

Featured Guest

• Sara Dyer, Advance Travel & Tourism

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren breaks down what may be the most powerful piece of marketing released this year: Nike's celebration of the New York Knicks' first NBA Championship since 1973. More than an ad, it's a masterclass in cultural storytelling, preparation, and understanding audience identity.

Using Nike's frenetic, emotionally charged spot directed by Josh Safdie and set to Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind," Eric explores why the campaign resonated so deeply with fans and why it represents something larger than sports marketing. The ad captures the energy, anticipation, and collective identity of New York City at a moment decades in the making.

The conversation draws parallels to iconic real-time marketing moments like Oreo's famous "Dunk in the Dark" campaign, arguing that the magic isn't found in speed alone. The real advantage comes from preparation, cultural fluency, and having the right team ready when the moment arrives.

For destination marketers, the lesson is clear: every community has its own version of a Knicks championship moment. The challenge is identifying what your residents and visitors care about deeply enough to create that kind of emotional connection—and being prepared to tell that story when the opportunity appears.

Key Takeaways

• Great marketing doesn't just advertise a brand—it captures a cultural moment.
• Nike's Knicks campaign succeeds because it feels authentic to both New York and New Yorkers.
• The best real-time marketing is rarely spontaneous; it's the result of extensive preparation.
• Cultural understanding is a competitive advantage for destinations, attractions, and tourism organizations.
• Teams that consistently prepare for opportunities are better positioned to move quickly when major moments occur.
• Every destination has stories capable of creating deep emotional connections with audiences—the challenge is recognizing them before everyone else does.

Topics Covered

• The Knicks' historic championship run
• Nike's championship celebration campaign
• Josh Safdie's creative direction
• Lessons from Oreo's "Dunk in the Dark"
• Cultural storytelling and destination marketing
• Why preparation creates marketing velocity
• Identifying defining moments in your community

Connect With Us

Want to discuss destination marketing, storytelling, AI, or audience behavior? Visit Advance Travel & Tourism and explore more insights for travel marketers.

Dreaming. Planning. Booking. Experiencing. Sharing. Clean boxes. Useful shorthand. Increasingly fictional.

Sarah watched her own honeymoon research blow right past the model — talking to ChatGPT about vibes before she'd picked a continent, picturing herself in Greek restaurants before Greece was even on the list. Discovery and consideration weren't sequential. They were the same moment.

That's the shift worth paying attention to: travelers are arriving at destination websites already half-decided, shaped by creators, Reddit threads, AI conversations, and TikTok saves that marketers had no hand in and often no visibility into. The website didn't start the journey. It entered one already in progress.

The five stages aren't wrong exactly — they just describe how marketers think about the journey, not how travelers actually move through it. And that gap is where a lot of travel marketing budget quietly disappears.

The real question isn't how to get someone to your site. It's how to show up in the moments that are doing the actual deciding.

What happens when a traveler chooses your destination without ever visiting your website?

In this keynote, Eric Hultgren explores how AI is fundamentally changing destination discovery and why traditional measures of digital success are becoming less reliable. From ChatGPT-generated itineraries to Google's AI-powered search experience, travelers are increasingly getting answers before they ever click.

Eric breaks down the rise of zero-click travel planning, the growing importance of AI visibility, and what destination marketers need to do today to remain discoverable in an AI-mediated world.

Along the way, he shares practical frameworks for evaluating destination content, building AI-ready campaigns, creating organizational AI policies, and identifying the questions your destination should "own" before someone else does.

Key Topics:

• Why website traffic may no longer be the most important metric

• The rise of zero-click search and AI-generated travel planning

• How Google, ChatGPT, and Claude decide which destinations to trust

• Why YouTube has become a critical AI visibility channel

• The difference between AI dabblers, producers, and AI-native organizations

• Building content for retrieval, not just publication

• How to identify the traveler questions your destination should own

• Creating scalable AI workflows for campaign development

• Why clarity beats cleverness in the age of AI discovery

• Practical ways to audit your destination's digital presence today

Memorable Quote:

"The influence begins before the click. AI is just one more tool travelers are using to decide where to visit."

Key Takeaway:

The question is no longer whether travelers can find your website. The question is whether AI can find, understand, and trust your destination before the traveler ever arrives.

About the Speaker:

Eric Hultgren is National Director of Content for Advance Travel & Tourism and a leading voice on the intersection of AI, search, storytelling, and destination marketing. His work focuses on how emerging technology is reshaping traveler behavior and what marketers must do to remain visible, trusted, and relevant

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren reads a piece from strategist Ryan Winfield and Sara Dyer is back to explore two of the biggest questions facing destination marketers right now: How is AI reshaping search behavior, and what does it really mean when 90% of marketers say they're using AI?

Ryan Winfield shared his findings on Linkedin from a review of 24 destination marketing organizations' analytics accounts, comparing 12 months of performance against the previous year. While organic search traffic declined by 14%, referral traffic from ChatGPT increased by an astonishing 446%. The conversation explores why "zero-click" search experiences and AI-generated answers are changing traveler behavior, what this means for SEO strategies, and why organizations should focus on creating unique, authoritative content that AI systems can't easily replicate.

Sara Dyer tackles another widely cited statistic: nearly 90% of marketers now use AI. Rather than focusing on adoption alone, she argues that AI is rapidly becoming infrastructure—more like email or collaboration software than a standalone marketing tactic. As AI becomes commonplace, the competitive advantage shifts away from access to technology and toward human judgment, original thinking, proprietary data, and the ability to ask better questions.

Together, the discussion offers a practical look at how travel marketers should think about visibility, authority, and differentiation in a world increasingly shaped by AI-powered discovery.

Key Takeaways

• Organic search traffic may be declining, but AI-driven referral traffic is growing rapidly. • ChatGPT visitors often convert at higher rates because they arrive with stronger intent. • SEO still matters, but the focus is shifting toward authority, expertise, and answer ownership. • AI adoption is no longer a differentiator—it's becoming an expected part of modern marketing. • The real advantage comes from human insight, unique perspectives, and proprietary knowledge. • Travel brands should identify the questions they are uniquely qualified to answer and ensure they own those conversations.

What separates the travel marketers who see what's coming from the ones who are always reacting to it? It's not more data. It's a different way of looking.

In this keynote, Eric Hultgren makes the case for trading the archeologist's mindset — reconstructing what was — for the anthropologist's — understanding what's becoming. The difference shows up in your content, your campaigns, and whether you're leading your audience or chasing them.

Along the way, he walks through a jaguar tracker in the Amazon, a peanut butter sandwich that became an NFL licensing story, a shoe store in Brooklyn that turned a Tuesday into a purchase, a black box at a Michigan electronics company, and a fudge shop employee who didn't bother to put down her salad.

What connects them: wonder dies from overexposure. The longer you've been in a space, the harder it is to see it. And the harder it is to see it, the harder it is to tell a story that makes someone move.

This isn't a session about AI tools or content calendars. It's about the skill underneath all of it — curiosity as a competitive advantage, play as a professional practice, and the compass over the map as a strategic posture.

If you work in travel marketing, DMO strategy, hospitality, or destination storytelling, this one's for you.

Topics covered:

• Why data without story is just noise
• The archeological vs. anthropological view of your audience
• Culture doesn't reverse — and why 2019 is still haunting too many planning conversations
• What Harriet the shoe store associate can teach you about ethnographic hospitality
• How to rebuild curiosity when expertise has made you cynical
• Play vs. fun — and why the distinction matters for your team

No guest today. Just a question that won't let go.

Sara Dyer traces her own honeymoon research—bouncing between ChatGPT, TikTok, Instagram, friends, comment sections, and back again—and arrives at something uncomfortable: she can't remember most of what influenced her. She remembers the feeling. She remembers Greece rising to the top. She doesn't remember the campaign.

That might not be a problem. It might be the point.

This episode makes the case that travelers don't experience marketing—they experience an ecosystem. And the best marketing might be the kind that's completely invisible by the time someone books: no single video that closed the deal, no campaign they can cite, just a slow accumulation of signals that moved them from uncertain to confident.

Worth sitting with if you spend your days measuring impressions and wondering whether any of it lands.

ChatGPT narrowed the destination. TikTok sealed the deal. This episode, Sara Dyer joins Eric Hultgren to break down her actual honeymoon research process—and what it reveals about the real job travel content needs to do in 2025.

They open with two news items worth paying attention to: OpenAI reportedly wants to abandon the chatbot format entirely in favor of a context-aware super app, and what that pivot could mean for Gemini's dominance. Then Eric unpacks Obsession—the horror film with a $750K budget that's made $152M and keeps gaining audience each weekend—as a case study in the kind of experience that only works when you're trapped in it. The parallel to travel marketing is not subtle.

The bulk of the episode is Sara walking through how she and her fiancé Max actually chose Greece: ChatGPT for the shortlist, TikTok for the conviction. She watched 30–40 videos. She can't name a single creator. And that's the point.

What you'll hear:

• Why authentic "day in the life" content beats polished brand storytelling for destination decisions
• The moment a destination becomes real vs. just recommended
• Why the wart in the video might be the most valuable frame in your content library
• How DMOs should think about volume, format, and the AI-to-social research loop

 

Most destinations aren’t short on data—they’re short on decisions.

In this episode of Field Notes, Eric Hultgren sits down with three operators who live at the intersection of data, strategy, and real-world application: Frida Bahja, Ktimene Axtell, and Josh Gibson.

The conversation cuts through the noise around “more data” and gets to the harder question: How do you actually turn it into action that changes outcomes?

You’ll hear:

• Why most DMOs don’t have a data problem—they have a translation problem
• The gap between what data vendors promise and what teams can actually use
• How to move from dashboards to decisions (and why most teams stall in between)
• What “verified behavior” really means—and why intent signals are shifting fast
• How Tennessee used data to drive growth in underperforming counties—and what that reveals about scalable strategy
• Why speed matters more than precision in modern data environments
• The emerging tension between AI, sustainability, and tourism growth

And then it pivots.

Eric reframes the entire conversation through the lens of zero-click search and AI decision-making, where travelers don’t visit your website, but still make decisions about your destination.

That shift changes everything:

• What data matters
• What content gets surfaced
• And what “visibility” actually means now

This isn’t a conversation about tools. It’s about how to think differently when the system itself has changed.

If you're responsible for growth, storytelling, or strategy in travel—this is the episode that forces a reset.

What if the job of a DMO isn’t to grow tourism… …but to protect the place that makes tourism possible?

In this episode, Eric sits down with Nate Wyeth, Chief of Staff at Visit Bend, to unpack a deceptively simple idea:

If the community doesn’t benefit, the destination eventually breaks.

This is a conversation about regenerative tourism—not as a buzzword, but as an operating system. One that forces harder questions, longer timelines, and better decisions.

And it starts with a North Star Nate has been chasing for two decades:

How do we grow in a way that actually benefits the people and places we serve?

🧠 The Big Idea

Tourism isn’t just an economic engine.

It’s a relationship:

• between visitor and place
• between growth and preservation
• between today and the next 30 years

Break that relationship… and you don’t have a destination anymore.

🔑 What You’ll Learn

1. Community isn’t a stakeholder—it’s the starting point Nate’s model is simple:

• Community first
• Everything else follows

Because:

• residents feel the impact first
• infrastructure absorbs the strain
• ecosystems don’t get a vote

If you ignore that… you’re borrowing time.

2. The real definition of sustainability

It’s not branding. It’s not messaging.

It’s literally in the word:

Sustain = make it last.

That forces a shift from:

• short-term wins → long-term viability

3. The balancing act every DMO avoids (but shouldn’t)

Tourism creates:

• revenue
• jobs
• energy

But also:

• strain
• cost
• tension

The job isn’t to eliminate one side. It’s to hold both at the same time.

4. The smartest resource allocation analogy you’ll hear

Most DMOs:

Walk into a casino and drop everything on the first slot machine.

Better approach:

• invest intentionally
• split resources between growth and preservation
• build systems, not spikes

5. Why some communities “get it” faster than others

It’s not geography.

It’s people.

Places like Oregon work because:

• people show up
• they’re willing to have hard conversations
• they choose collaboration over control

That’s the unlock.

6. How to build buy-in (even in skeptical markets)

You don’t start with:

“We need sustainability.”

You start with:

• near-term wins
• visible benefits
• shared outcomes

Then expand the aperture.

7. The “toddler on a sugar high” economy metaphor

Right now, tourism feels like:

• fast
• reactive
• overstimulated

The real question:

What happens when the sugar crash hits?

Smart DMOs are already planning for that moment.

8. The most underrated discipline: postmortems

The industry bias:

• launch → move on

What’s missing:

• reflection
• learning
• iteration

Nate’s take:

If you don’t learn from failure, you’re just repeating it faster.

9. Collaboration isn’t optional—it’s structural

Visitors don’t respect boundaries:

• city → region → state

So DMOs can’t either.

The Bend model:

• regional partners
• tribal partners
• land managers
• first responders

Everyone at the table.

Because impact doesn’t stay in one place.

💬 Best Lines

• “If we don’t put our community first, we have no destination worth promoting.”
• “Sustainability is about what lasts.”
• “We don’t put shock collars on visitors—they move across regions.”

🎯 Why This Episode Matters

If your AI talk is about being found, this conversation is about being worth finding.

Most destinations are still optimizing for:

• traffic
• bookings
• short-term lift

This is about:

• longevity
• trust
• shared value

🧠 Strategic Takeaway

There are really two futures for DMOs:

1. Extractive → maximize visits now → deal with consequences later
2. Regenerative → balance growth with care → build something that lasts

Nate is clearly building the second.

🔧 Immediate Actions

If this hits, here’s where to start:

1. Define your “community-first” lens
2. Audit where tourism creates strain (not just revenue)
3. Build one initiative that benefits both visitor and resident
4. Bring one new partner to the table you don’t usually include

🔗 Listen & Follow

Catch more episodes of Field Notes for grounded conversations with people shaping the future of travel marketing.

Fresh off a keynote in Massachusetts, this episode is a live drop of Eric Hultgren’s latest thinking on AI for Travel 2.0

It starts with a simple story: a traveler who books a trip, adjusts her schedule, and plans her entire experience…without saying a word.

That’s not the future. That’s now.

And it leads to a harder question:

If a traveler never visits your website…did you actually lose?

🧠 The Big Idea

We’ve entered a Copernicus moment for marketing.

Your website is no longer the center of the universe. It’s infrastructure.

Less important to humans. More important to machines.

In this episode, Eric sits down with Scott Larson, President & CEO of Visit Central Oregon, to unpack how destination leaders navigate uncertainty, prioritize what matters, and make long-term bets in a short-term world.

From accessibility as both a moral and market imperative to using the World Cup not as a campaign—but as a test, this conversation is a masterclass in disciplined thinking.

This isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things—on purpose.

🔑 What You’ll Learn

1. Why most conference energy dies—and how to keep it alive The move: don’t bring back 15 ideas. Bring back 1–2 and actually build around them.

Momentum isn’t about inspiration. It’s about constraint.

2. Accessibility isn’t a feature—it’s a system Central Oregon’s approach to working with accessibility platforms:

• Overcoming business fear (“is this a liability?”)
• Moving beyond compliance → toward usability
• Building toward a filtered, personalized experience layer (not just blogs)

The real insight: Most destinations say they’re accessible. Very few make it discoverable.

3. The missed opportunity in travel UX Current state:

“Here are 5 trails… one of them works for you.”

Future state:

“Tell us your needs → we’ll show you only what works.”

What happens when a destination decides it’s not just selling visits—but protecting a place? In this episode, we head to the Oregon Coast to talk with Stacey Gunderson about the evolving role of DMOs in a world where tourism growth, environmental responsibility, and community trust are all colliding. This isn’t a conversation about campaigns. It’s about philosophy.

From seafood trails and cross-industry collaboration to the real (and often unmeasurable) ROI of stewardship, Stacey Gunderson offers a grounded look at what it takes to build a destination brand that people don’t just visit—but respect.

 

🧭 What You’ll Learn

1. How to filter signal from noise at conferences The shift from “take everything in” to “know what actually matters” comes down to strategic clarity—and collaboration opportunities.

2. Why trails are really about ecosystems, not itineraries The Oregon Coast Seafood Trail isn’t just a product—it’s a platform for local businesses, partnerships, and layered visitor experiences (beer, wine, seafood all working together).

3. The subtle power of “Coast Like a Local” It’s not just a tagline—it reframes the visitor mindset from consumption to participation. → You’re not visiting a place. You’re borrowing it.

4. Stewardship as a marketing function (not a side initiative) From social content choices to on-the-ground infrastructure, stewardship shows up everywhere: What you post What you don’t post How partners align What behaviors you normalize

5. The hardest question: What’s the ROI of doing the right thing? You can’t always measure it. But you can see it: Cleaner beaches Better visitor behavior Stronger emotional connection Long-term sustainability This is marketing beyond attribution.

6. AI adoption—intentionally slow, strategically aware The Oregon Coast approach: No rush to deploy AI-facing tools Focus on making content AI-readable and discoverable Real concern about environmental impact Watching, learning, and choosing moments carefully It’s restraint as strategy—not hesitation.

🔑 Key Takeaways Visitors don’t think in regions—DMOs do. Collaboration beats territorial thinking. Behavior is shaped by signals, not rules. Show, don’t tell. Stewardship is brand. If it’s not embedded everywhere, it’s not real. Not everything that matters can be measured—but it still compounds. AI readiness ≠ AI adoption. Structuring your content may matter more than deploying tools (for now).

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Arturo Gaona and Sofia Bravo from Wheel the World, a company focused on making travel more accessible for people with disabilities.

Recorded during the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism, the conversation explores how accessibility data, trust, and verification are transforming how travelers with disabilities plan trips—and why destinations that ignore this market are leaving billions on the table.

Wheel the World operates both a consumer booking platform and a verification system for destinations and hospitality businesses, helping travelers confidently plan accessible trips while giving destinations a clearer way to understand and promote their accessibility offerings.

Key Topics in This Episode What Wheel the World Does

Wheel the World operates two core services.

On the consumer side, travelers with accessibility needs can use the platform to search and book accessible experiences—from hotel rooms to multi-day trips around the world.

On the industry side, the company works with destinations, hotels, and tourism organizations to verify accessibility information and improve how those offerings are communicated.

To gather that information, the company deploys trained “mappers” who physically visit properties and collect more than 200 accessibility data points, ranging from door widths and bed heights to mobility considerations throughout a property.

Why Accessibility Data Matters

Traditional hospitality listings often describe accessibility in vague terms—simply labeling a room as “accessible.”

But for travelers with disabilities, that binary description doesn’t provide enough information to plan a trip confidently.

Wheel the World solves that problem by combining detailed property measurements with personalized traveler profiles.

Travelers can create accessibility profiles that include information about mobility needs, assistive devices, or comfort requirements. The platform then uses that information to match travelers with properties that best fit their needs.

The goal is simple: replace uncertainty with trust.

Oregon’s Accessibility Leadership

Oregon has become a national leader in accessible tourism.

The state has invested roughly $8 million in accessibility initiatives over the past six years, funding improvements, training programs, and verification projects across destinations.

Through partnerships with Wheel the World, Oregon has verified more than 770 tourism businesses, making it the most accessible-verified state in the country.

That verification effort began along the Oregon Coast and later expanded statewide as more destinations saw the benefits of standardized accessibility data.

Accessibility as a Major Travel Market

Accessibility is often framed as a compliance issue or a diversity initiative.

But Arturo and Sofia argue that the travel industry should view it as something else entirely:

A massive growth opportunity.

In the United States alone:

• Travelers with disabilities and their companions generate about $25 billion in travel spending annually • Roughly 40 million trips are taken by travelers with accessibility needs each year

Despite that demand, the industry frequently fails these travelers.

Research suggests that three out of four accessible trips experience a problem, ranging from incorrect accessibility information to inadequate facilities.

The Real Problem: Lack of Trust

Interestingly, the biggest barrier isn’t technology or booking systems.

It’s trust.

Travelers with disabilities often struggle to find accurate, detailed information about accessibility before they arrive at a destination.

That uncertainty prevents many people from traveling at all.

Studies show that half of travelers with disabilities would travel more frequently if they had reliable accessibility information before booking.

Providing transparent data—even when a property isn’t perfectly accessible—builds trust and allows travelers to make informed decisions.

Accessibility and the Future of Search

One of the more interesting insights from the conversation touches on how accessibility data intersects with AI and search.

Because Wheel the World has spent years collecting structured accessibility data, their platform has become one of the most comprehensive databases of accessibility information in hospitality.

As AI systems increasingly rely on trusted data sources to answer travel questions, platforms that provide structured, authoritative data are more likely to surface in AI-generated search results.

In other words:

The future of travel discovery may depend heavily on who owns the best data.

The Network Effect of Accessible Travel

Wheel the World has also built a large online community of travelers with disabilities who actively share experiences and recommendations.

Their Facebook group alone has grown to more than 40,000 members, where travelers exchange insights about destinations, hotels, and accessibility challenges around the world.

For destinations that successfully serve this audience, the payoff can be significant.

Travelers with accessibility needs often become highly loyal visitors, returning to destinations that provide reliable and welcoming experiences.

Takeaways for Travel Marketers

This episode highlights several strategic lessons for destination marketers:

• Accessibility is a major economic opportunity, not just a compliance issue • Trust and transparency are essential for accessible travel planning • Detailed data improves both traveler confidence and search visibility • Destinations that invest early can become leaders in accessible tourism • Word-of-mouth within accessibility communities is extremely powerful

About the Guests

Arturo Gaona Chief Partnerships Officer 

Sofia Bravo  Customer Success 

Wheel the World is a global platform dedicated to making travel accessible for people with disabilities. The company partners with destinations and hospitality businesses to verify accessibility information and help travelers plan trips with confidence.

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Carol Skeeters Stevens, Chief Marketing Officer at Travel Medford, to explore how curiosity, community partnerships, and evolving marketing strategies shape tourism in Southern Oregon.

Recorded during the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism, the conversation touches on the changing role of destination marketers, the power of third-party validation in shaping perception, and how Medford’s connection to Oregon’s wine industry plays a critical role in its tourism story.

Stevens also shares how staying curious—about travelers, industries, and experiences outside our comfort zones—can help tourism leaders remain effective in a rapidly evolving marketing landscape.

Key Topics in This Episode How the Destination CMO Role Is Changing

Stevens notes that one of the biggest changes in destination marketing over the last three years has been the shift from traditional media toward digital channels.

For many destination marketers who came up in more traditional advertising environments, this shift requires a level of trust in targeting systems and audience segmentation that can feel unfamiliar.

Rather than physically seeing an ad placement, marketers must rely on data signals to ensure the message is reaching the right traveler at the right time.

The Power of Third-Party Validation

In 2025, Sunset Magazine named Medford one of the best small towns in the West.

For Stevens and her team, recognition like this serves as valuable third-party validation that helps reshape perceptions of the destination.

While awards don’t necessarily translate directly into immediate bookings, they provide credibility and open the door to new conversations with potential travelers.

The real value lies in the ripple effect: partners, stakeholders, and community members share the recognition, amplifying the destination’s story beyond traditional marketing channels.

The Role of Wine in Oregon’s Tourism Story

Before joining Travel Medford, Stevens spent years working in the wine industry—an experience that continues to shape how she approaches destination marketing.

Oregon’s Rogue Valley is now the second-largest wine region in the state, following the Willamette Valley, and wine tourism plays a central role in the region’s visitor experience.

But Stevens emphasizes that wineries represent more than just tasting rooms.

They serve as hospitality hubs where visitors learn about local restaurants, outdoor experiences, and community culture.

In that way, the wine industry functions as both an economic engine and a storytelling platform for the region.

Wine Trends to Watch

Stevens also highlights several emerging trends shaping the wine experience in Oregon:

• Growth in sparkling wine production • Increased focus on approachable, experience-driven winery visits • Expanded offerings for visitors who may not drink alcohol

Rather than focusing solely on traditional tastings, wineries are increasingly creating social spaces where visitors gather for music, food, and shared experiences.

Staying Curious as a Tourism Leader

Curiosity is a central theme of the conversation.

Stevens believes staying curious requires constantly reminding yourself that your personal preferences are not the audience.

Destination marketers must step outside their own travel habits and consider the needs, fears, and motivations of different traveler segments.

That might mean asking simple but powerful questions:

• What barriers might prevent someone from trying this experience? • What information would make it easier for them to explore? • What would make a destination feel more approachable?

By examining those questions, marketers can better understand how travelers engage with destinations.

The Value of Industry Community

One of Stevens’ favorite aspects of tourism conferences is the opportunity for collaboration across destinations.

Oregon’s tourism leaders—from coastal communities to mountain towns—share a common goal: promoting the state while celebrating the diversity of its regions.

Stevens believes the industry benefits when destinations actively share ideas and best practices rather than competing in isolation.

Her philosophy mirrors a simple idea sometimes used at tourism conferences:

“Steal this idea.”

If a strategy works for one destination, it may inspire innovation elsewhere.

Takeaways for Travel Marketers

This episode highlights several lessons for destination marketing professionals:

• Digital targeting now requires trust in data-driven placement • Third-party recognition can reshape destination perception • Local industries like wine can become powerful tourism storytellers • Curiosity helps marketers understand new audiences • Collaboration across destinations strengthens the entire tourism ecosystem

About the Guest

Carol Skeeters Stevens Chief Marketing Officer Travel Medford

Carol Skeeters Stevens leads marketing strategy for Travel Medford in Southern Oregon. With a background in the wine industry, she brings deep experience in hospitality, regional storytelling, and tourism partnerships that help showcase the Rogue Valley as a destination.

 

Eric Hultgren sits down with Claire Fisher, CMO of Explore Tualatin Valley at the Oregon Governor's Conference for Tourism. Claire brings an agency background and broad DMO experience beyond Oregon and the US, and she shares how the CMO role has evolved, how her team is navigating AI and social media, and what's on the horizon for Tualatin Valley in 2026.

 

Key Topics & Takeaways The Evolving CMO Role at a DMO • Claire frames the CMO role today as fundamentally about alignment — breaking down organizational silos. • Constantly returning to the "why" behind strategy is critical as the marketing landscape shifts. • Favors a "compass, not a map" mindset: direction is set, but the route to get there must stay flexible. • Structure with flexibility — experiments should be allowed to guide the team down unexpected paths.

 

Social Media & Channel Strategy • TikTok: A priority growth channel — grew from ~300 followers to 5,000+ in about 18 months. • Younger audiences are increasingly using TikTok as a search tool; presence is non-negotiable. • Viral moments are meaningful for top-of-funnel awareness but shouldn't be confused with conversion. • Instagram is outperforming Facebook within their Meta investment. • Pinterest is on the radar as a pre-planning/inspirational tool, but KPIs and engagement benchmarks must be defined per channel before scaling. • Guiding principle: expand channels with purpose, not for the sake of presence.

AI — "Know Thy Frenemy" • AI is directly impacting DMO website traffic — AI-generated search overviews are reducing click-throughs. • The team is working to understand how their site is being referenced in AI summaries and ensure discoverability. • Uses a 28-day AI challenge program (one new AI tool per day, 10–20 min each) to build team fluency. • Explored tools across image generation, music, video, voiceovers (mentioned 11 Labs as notable), and content strategy. • Team-first philosophy: prefers directing feedback to human designers and writers over replacing them with tools — but acknowledges AI's value for under-resourced DMOs. • Sees parallels to early social media: the landscape is moving so fast that we won't know which tools survive until years from now. • Called for more regulatory structure around AI, drawing a direct comparison to how social media was left to grow unchecked.

2026 Priorities & World Cup • Excited for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — Tualatin Valley is positioned as a stopover between World Cup host cities San Francisco and Seattle. • Potential for international soccer teams to train in the region. • Internally focused on building a culture of "test and learn" and being data-forward. • Annual planning focus: fewer priorities, deeper impact — "a mile wide and an inch deep doesn't help you."

Destination Development & Partnerships • Strong existing relationships in wine, brewery/tap room, and cidery segments — these partners are becoming brand ambassadors. • Growth segments: agritourism, culinary, and outdoor — working to bring partnership trust up to the level of their beverage industry relationships. • Long-game thinking is essential, even when the instinct is to want results today.

Accessibility • Explore Tualatin Valley is a Wheel the World verified destination. • Completed Cohort 1 of Wheel the World assessments (10–20 locations: attractions, hotels, wineries, etc.). • Cohort 2 underway — expanding variety and geographic coverage within the destination. • Accessibility lens is broad: inclusive playgrounds, sensory rooms, and movie theater times for neurodivergent families. • Oregon is the #1 state in the nation for accessibility — a key point of distinction and storytelling. • Philosophy: accessibility isn't just a box to check — there are real stories to tell.

Leadership vs. Learning in Destination Marketing

Todd Davidson emphasizes that strong leadership requires knowing when to lead and when to listen. While Travel Oregon is often viewed as an industry leader, some of the best ideas originate from local communities and small organizations across the state. A key example is Oregon’s nationally recognized accessibility initiative, which began with coastal communities experimenting with ways to make tourism more accessible to travelers with disabilities.

Travel Oregon learned from those local innovations and scaled them statewide. Today, Oregon is the only U.S. state with tourism accessibility verified by Wheel the World, covering hundreds of businesses across dozens of communities.

The Evolution of Travel Marketing

Davidson reflects on the transformation of destination marketing over three decades—from the early days of the web to today’s AI-driven personalization. When Travel Oregon first proposed launching its website in the late 1990s, many state tourism leaders questioned whether the internet would matter for travel marketing. But the throughline across every technological shift has remained the same: travelers want experiences that feel personal and tailored to them. AI, Davidson argues, is simply the latest tool that allows destinations to deliver on that expectation.

The Rise of Hyper-Personalized Marketing

One of Travel Oregon’s major strategic goals has been moving toward true one-to-one marketing. Rather than sending one newsletter to hundreds of thousands of subscribers, Davidson challenged his team to imagine sending hundreds of thousands of individualized emails, each reflecting a traveler’s specific interests and stage in the planning journey. This approach led to the development of a visitor lifecycle marketing model designed to match content with where travelers are in the decision process—from inspiration to trip planning.

When Marketing Works Too Well

Davidson also discusses a challenge that many destinations now face: over-tourism and unintended impacts of successful marketing. Travel Oregon’s “Seven Wonders of Oregon” campaign significantly increased visitation to several iconic natural sites. At locations like Smith Rock State Park, the campaign drove visitor demand beyond what the infrastructure could support.

The experience prompted the organization to rethink how it promotes destinations, focusing more on:

• dispersing visitation geographically

• encouraging off-peak travel

• managing visitor expectations

• monitoring resident sentiment

Measuring the Industry’s Impact

During Davidson’s tenure, Oregon’s tourism industry saw substantial growth. Tourism-related jobs increased from roughly 40,000 positions to more than 120,000, while annual visitor spending rose from approximately $6.5 billion to nearly $14.7 billion. For Davidson, the true impact of tourism is not marketing awards or campaigns—it is the jobs and economic opportunities created for residents across the state.

Advice for Future Destination Leaders 

As he reflects on his career, Davidson offers three key pieces of advice for emerging leaders in tourism marketing:

1. Devour research Understanding evolving consumer behavior is essential to staying relevant in the travel industry.

2. Trust your team Great organizations succeed when leaders hire smart people and remove obstacles so they can do their work.

3. Trust your instincts Experience creates intuition. Leaders should balance data and research with the instincts developed over years in the field.

A Philosophy of Stewardship

When asked how he hopes to be remembered, Davidson rejects the idea of legacy. Instead, he frames his career as stewardship—caring for the role temporarily so the next leader can take the organization even further. For Davidson, the success of Oregon tourism isn’t measured in personal achievements but in the strength of the industry that remains after he steps away.

About the Guest

Todd Davidson CEO, Travel Oregon Todd Davidson has led Travel Oregon for nearly three decades and is widely recognized as one of the most influential leaders in U.S. destination marketing. During his tenure, Oregon’s tourism industry experienced significant growth and became known for its innovation in sustainability, accessibility, and destination stewardship.

About Field Notes Field Notes:

Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer explores the ideas shaping the future of destination marketing. Through conversations with tourism leaders, marketers, and industry innovators, the podcast uncovers strategies destinations can use to connect with travelers in an increasingly digital and personalized world.

Guest: Marcus Hibdon, VP of Communications, Travel Portland

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Market, Eric Hultgren speaks with Marcus Hibdon, Vice President of Communications for Travel Portland, about what makes Portland a distinctive destination and how DMOs can think strategically about infrastructure, storytelling, and evolving travel sentiment.

From Portland’s thoughtful transportation system to its globally recognized culinary scene, the conversation explores how intentional design, local culture, and authentic storytelling shape visitor experiences. Marcus also shares how international travel dynamics are affecting destinations today and why relationships—not campaigns—are the long-term strategy for global tourism recovery. 

Key Topics in This Episode

Designing Cities for Visitors and Locals Portland’s transportation system—including the MAX light rail and extensive bike infrastructure—reflects decades of planning focused on accessibility and livability. Instead of prioritizing highway expansion, the city invested in light rail and multimodal transportation, creating a system that benefits residents and visitors alike. 

The Airport as the First Brand Experience The newly renovated Portland International Airport illustrates how infrastructure can become part of the destination narrative. Built with sustainably sourced wood and designed to reflect Oregon’s natural environment, the airport serves as both the first and last impression visitors experience when traveling to the city. 

International Travel Headwinds Marcus discusses how international sentiment toward travel to the United States has softened in recent years. Instead of aggressive marketing, Travel Portland is focusing on maintaining strong relationships with international partners and waiting for the right moment to welcome travelers back.

Destination Differentiation Rather than competing on common features like outdoor recreation or urban amenities, Travel Portland emphasizes what makes the city unique—its proximity to nature, distinctive culinary culture, and the ability to experience both urban and rural Oregon within minutes of downtown. 

The Power of Local Stories Marcus highlights an important philosophy for DMOs: “Your frontline is your bottom line.”

From chefs and farmers to servers and small business owners, the people who power a destination often become the most compelling storytellers.

Portland’s Culinary Culture The city’s restaurant scene blends international influences with local ingredients sourced directly from nearby farms. This approach has helped Portland build a reputation for innovative, accessible, and chef-driven dining experiences.

Travel Like a Local in Portland

Marcus shares what visitors should do if they want to experience Portland beyond the typical tourist itinerary.

Highlights include:

• Exploring the city by bike • Visiting local coffee shops and craft breweries • Experiencing Portland’s seasonal, farm-driven food culture • Hiking in Forest Park, one of the largest urban forests in the United States • Spending time in neighborhood districts rather than sticking to tourist corridors

Portland’s geography makes it easy to combine urban experiences with outdoor exploration, with mountains, rivers, forests, and the Pacific coast all within easy driving distance.

Marketing Insight for DMOs

When asked what he would do with unlimited funding, Marcus didn’t mention ad campaigns or infrastructure.

Instead, he pointed to creators.

If resources were unlimited, he would invest heavily in social media creators and travel influencers, funding them to produce authentic storytelling and amplifying their content with paid distribution.

The reasoning is simple: Creators already have trusted audiences, and those audiences believe their stories.

For DMOs, the future of destination marketing may depend less on polished brand campaigns and more on trusted storytellers who already hold attention online.

In this short Field Notes episode, Eric frames a practical message for destination marketers: AI is moving fast enough that relying on free tiers can put a DMO behind, and the bigger unlock is using AI inside real work (strategy, data, reporting, and content) instead of just asking quick questions. He also flags the emerging “ads vs ad-free” positioning battle between AI platforms as part of the broader trust conversation.

Why this episode is relevant to DMOs Eric’s core argument is operational: if a DMO is serious about marketing, someone on the team should be using a paid AI tier so they can access stronger models and apply them to time-consuming work (finding insights in messy data, producing drafts, building narratives from reporting). 

 

Resources referenced or strongly implied by the episode (for your show notes links) Matt Shumer’s viral essay is commonly reported as titled “Something Big Is Coming.” (Related coverage and critique: Business Insider. ) https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening

In this episode of Field Notes, Eric breaks down a fast-moving week in marketing and technology—and what it all means for travel brands navigating an AI-mediated world.

The episode opens with the biggest shift of the moment: ads coming to ChatGPT. With advertising rolling out on the Free and Go tiers, Eric reframes the conversation away from monetization panic and toward usefulness. If ads are going to exist inside large language models, the real question becomes whether they help travelers finish a thought, close a gap, or make a better decision—without eroding trust.

From there, the discussion moves into what should qualify a brand to advertise inside AI systems at all. Instead of a pure pay-to-play model, Eric explores the idea of expertise as a gatekeeper—and why destinations, attractions, and DMOs may actually be well positioned if trust becomes the currency.

The episode then pivots to the early wave of Super Bowl campaigns already shaping culture ahead of game day. Eric looks at how brands like Pepsi are using humor and legacy narratives to poke competitors, why Levi’s is seeing massive awareness gains through “home turf” activations, and what all of it says about attention versus conversion—especially for places trying to turn buzz into actual visitation.

AI in advertising makes another appearance through new consumer sentiment data, revealing a near 50/50 split on comfort with AI-generated creative. With OpenAI set to return to the Super Bowl stage, Eric unpacks why marketers should pay close attention to how quickly tolerance can flip—and how easily trust can be lost.

The episode closes with a deeper marketing lesson from McDonald’s and the return of Changeables. Rather than nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, Eric frames the Happy Meal as a modular “multiverse”—a repeatable container where IP, partnerships, and experimentation can rotate in and out. For travel marketers, it’s a powerful metaphor: instead of chasing decade-long story arcs, think in flexible, limited-run collaborations that fit your place and invite new audiences in.

The takeaway is consistent throughout the episode: in AI, advertising, and culture moments alike, the winners won’t be the loudest brands—but the most trusted ones.

As always, thanks for listening to Field Notes. If this episode sparked an idea, leave a comment or share it wherever you listen.

Featuring Lori Pepenella, Southern Ocean County / Long Beach Island

In this episode of Field Notes, Eric Hultgren sits down live in Atlantic City at the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference with Lori Pepenella, a longtime tourism leader representing Southern Ocean County and the Long Beach Island region.

This conversation explores what it really takes to grow a destination when geography, seasonality, weather, and history all impose real limits—and why education, authenticity, and resilience are the most durable tools travel marketers have.

From Superstorm Sandy to COVID to the massive opportunities ahead with America’s 250th Anniversary and the World Cup, Laurie shares how New Jersey destinations prepare for peak moments without losing what makes them special—and how DMOs should think beyond banner years.

This episode is packed with practical insight for travel marketers navigating volatility, scale limits, and long-term destination stewardship.

🧠 Key Topics Covered

• Why tourism education is never “done”

• Leading through volatility: weather, transportation, and economic shifts

• Building destination growth without geographic expansion

• Authenticity as the foundation of sustainable tourism

• How small destinations innovate without overdevelopment

• Supporting generational businesses and local stakeholders

• Preparing for America’s 250th Anniversary and World Cup discovery moments

• Planning for the post-peak year (2027 and beyond)

• Conferences as engines for mentorship, ideas, and momentum

• Tourism as memory-making, empathy-building, and legacy work

⏱️ Episode Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to Field Notes (Live from Atlantic City) 00:45 – Reflecting on a year of tourism challenges and growth 01:45 – Education, certification & lifelong learning in tourism 03:15 – Resilience after Sandy, COVID & industry disruption 04:45 – Growing destinations that can’t physically scale 06:00 – Authenticity, community & finding your true niche 07:30 – Supporting small businesses and generational tourism 08:45 – Preparing for America’s 250th & the World Cup 10:00 – Creating peak-year memories that last decades 11:30 – Managing expectations after a banner tourism year 12:45 – What great conferences really deliver 14:00 – Closing thoughts on optimism, potential & legacy

🎧 About the Guest

Lori Pepenella is a veteran tourism leader representing Southern Ocean County and the Long Beach Island region in New Jersey. A pioneer in tourism education and certification, Laurie has played a critical role in guiding destinations through recovery, reinvention, and long-term growth—while preserving the character and authenticity that keep visitors returning for generations.

🌍 About the Podcast

Field Notes is a podcast for travel marketers, destination leaders, and tourism professionals focused on real conversations about strategy, storytelling, experience design, and the future of travel.

👍 Like, Subscribe & Share If this episode resonated, hit Like, subscribe to the channel, and share it with a fellow destination marketer.

📍 Recorded live at the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference 🎤 Hosted by Eric Hultgren

Featuring Melissa DeFreest, VP of Tourism – Somerset County, NJ Recorded live at the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference in Atlantic City, this episode of Field Notes features a wide-ranging conversation with Melissa DeFreest, Vice President of Tourism for Somerset County. As New Jersey prepares for a historic convergence—America’s 250th Anniversary and the 2026 FIFA World Cup—Melissa breaks down how Somerset County is activating its destinations in ways that feel authentic, participatory, and culturally rooted, not performative. From the Sip & See Somerset trail (a history-infused craft beverage and restaurant passport) to deeper conversations about content vs. influence, AI as a creative tool, and the danger of sameness in travel marketing, this episode is packed with practical insight for marketers trying to stand out in the loudest tourism year of the decade. 🧠 Key Topics Covered What “success” really looks like at industry conferences Preparing destinations for World Cup–scale visitation Activating local businesses beyond traditional hospitality The Sip & See Somerset trail and passport-style engagement Turning America’s 250th into participatory storytelling Content marketing vs. influencer marketing (and why it matters) Avoiding creative sameness in travel visuals and campaigns Using AI as a starting point—not a shortcut Planning for legacy, not just peak-year performance Why authenticity outperforms hype in destination marketing ⏱️ Episode Chapters 00:00 – Welcome to Field Notes (Live from Atlantic City) 01:00 – What makes a conference “worth it” 02:00 – Preparing Somerset County for 2026 02:45 – Sip & See Somerset: craft, history & participation 04:00 – Activating businesses for World Cup energy 05:00 – High stakes, high reward tourism moments 06:00 – Content strategy in a World Cup year 07:00 – AI, creativity & avoiding sameness 08:45 – Content marketing vs. influencer culture 10:30 – Authentic storytelling that earns attention 11:45 – What Melissa is most excited about in 2026 13:00 – Winter events & off-season experiences in Somerset 15:00 – Closing thoughts 🎧 About the Guest Melissa DeFreest is Vice President of Tourism for Somerset County, New Jersey, where she leads destination marketing strategy across arts, culture, history, food, and outdoor experiences. Her work focuses on community activation, content-driven storytelling, and long-term destination growth—especially during moments of national and global attention. 🌍 About the Podcast Field Notes is a podcast for travel marketers, DMOs, and tourism leaders focused on real conversations about strategy, storytelling, experience design, and the future of destination marketing. 👍 Like, Subscribe & Share If this episode resonated, hit Like, subscribe, and share it with a fellow destination marketer. 📍 Recorded at the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference 🎤 Hosted by Eric Hultgren

Featuring Daniel Klim, CEO – New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Daniel Klim, CEO of the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association, live from Atlantic City during the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference. With 2026 on the horizon—including the FIFA World Cup, America’s 250th Anniversary, Sail250, and a wave of global visitors—this conversation goes straight to the front lines of the visitor experience: restaurants, hospitality, and the people who create unforgettable moments. Daniel shares how New Jersey’s 20,000+ restaurants are preparing to welcome the world, why “okay” is the real enemy of hospitality, and how restaurants—especially mom-and-pop operators—can scale for massive demand without losing their soul. This episode is a must-listen for travel marketers, destination leaders, hospitality professionals, and anyone thinking beyond 2026. 🧠 Key Topics Covered Why food and hospitality define travel memories Preparing restaurants for World Cup-level global tourism Training for cultural awareness, tipping norms, and guest expectations Balancing local flavor with international audiences Workforce readiness, menu planning, and supplier coordination Turning once-in-a-lifetime events into long-term growth Why conferences still matter—and how ideas turn into action Hospitality as a tool for empathy, connection, and repeat visitation ⏱️ Episode Chapters 00:00 – Welcome to Field Notes 00:45 – Introducing Daniel Klein & NJ’s hospitality ecosystem 01:30 – Preparing restaurants for the World Cup & America 250 02:45 – Cultural awareness, guest expectations & service autonomy 04:10 – Why “okay” is worse than bad in hospitality 05:00 – Thinking beyond 2026: repeat visitation & legacy planning 06:00 – Helping small restaurants scale for massive demand 07:30 – Workforce, menus & communication as success drivers 08:30 – What Daniel looks for at industry conferences 09:30 – Food, empathy & shared experiences 10:15 – What else is coming to New Jersey in 2026 11:00 – Closing thoughts & a Trenton pizza plan 🎧 About the Guest Daniel Klim is the CEO of the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association, representing more than 20,000 restaurants and hospitality businesses across the state. His work sits at the intersection of economic development, tourism, workforce strategy, and guest experience. 🌍 About the Podcast Field Notes explores the ideas, strategies, and observations shaping the future of travel marketing—from AI and storytelling to hospitality, culture, and experience design. If you’re a destination marketer, tourism leader, or hospitality professional, this podcast is built for you. 👍 Like, Subscribe & Share If you found value in this episode, hit Like, subscribe to the channel, and share it with someone shaping the future of travel. 📌 Recorded live at the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference 🎤 Hosted by Eric Hultgren

Live from the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference in Atlantic City, this episode heads to Elizabeth, NJ to talk with Jennifer Costa, the force behind one of New Jersey’s fastest-rising destination brands. Jennifer’s path is anything but traditional—international diplomacy, federal service, construction, development—and those experiences shaped her into the exact kind of innovative, resilient leader a city like Elizabeth needed.

We explore how she transformed a historically overlooked city into a compelling, globally marketed destination, why curiosity sits at the center of her team’s culture, and how Elizabeth is preparing for major moments like the FIFA World Cup and the America 250 celebrations.

This is a masterclass in destination branding, community storytelling, and thinking far outside the box.

🧭 What You’ll Learn

• How an unexpected career journey became the perfect foundation for destination leadership From embassy work to construction to tourism, Jennifer’s global lens shapes how she positions Elizabeth.

• The strategy behind Elizabeth’s rapid tourism growth Great product + strong partnerships + relentless innovation = a decade of momentum.

• The Guinness World Record that changed everything How a massive human-formation submarine brought local history to life and reconnected kids with the city’s legacy.

• The DNA of an innovative tourism team What “thinking outside the box” actually looks like inside an office—beyond clichés.

• How DMOs and chambers can fuel each other’s success Elizabeth’s model blends entrepreneurship, storytelling, and community development.

• How the city is marketing ahead of the World Cup From “Stay at the Center of It All” to targeted international campaigns that launched long before group assignments.

• The powerful local events shaping Elizabeth’s future Descendants conferences, historical reenactments, Bridgerton-style balls, and community-driven history initiatives.

🌆 Key Insights From Jennifer

• Tourism is strongest when local partnerships (restaurants, hotels, nightlife, arts) move together.

• Even when technology fails (like an entire system wipe), agility and repurposing keep campaigns alive.

• Elizabeth’s location—airport access + transit + proximity to NYC—is a strategic World Cup advantage.

• During COVID, staying visible internationally kept the city top-of-mind for future travel.

• The team’s motto: If someone else is doing it, how do we do it differently?

• Elizabeth’s identity as a “city of firsts” is a powerful storytelling asset.

• The America 250 celebration will spotlight the city’s deep Revolutionary history and its multicultural narrative.

Recorded live at the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference in Atlantic City, this episode dives into the strategic power of arts and culture as economic engines. Our guest, Adam Perle, President & CEO of ArtPride New Jersey, explains how creativity fuels tourism, boosts local economies, and defines the authentic character of destinations statewide.

Adam shares wide-angle insights on statewide arts trends, pandemic recovery, cultural spending behavior, the economic impact of visitors, and how New Jersey’s arts ecosystem ties directly into major events like the FIFA World Cup and the 250th anniversary of the United States.

This is a must-listen for DMOs, cultural organizations, economic developers, and anyone who wants to understand how arts and tourism intersect to create real revenue and real community identity.

🧭 What You’ll Learn

• How ArtPride New Jersey became the statewide voice for the arts Representing 350+ arts organizations across genres, sizes, and missions.

• Why arts visitors are high-value tourists Research shows visitors spend 50%+ more than locals and often travel specifically because of cultural events.

• How audience behavior has changed since the pandemic Recovery is happening, but giving, attendance patterns, and spending habits look different than pre-2020.

• The role of arts in “authentic destination identity” Art districts, galleries, theaters, murals, and community creativity shape how visitors perceive place.

• How arts & tourism funding are intertwined Hotel/motel occupancy taxes support arts, history, and tourism statewide—a direct link between culture and economic impact.

• How New Jersey’s cultural sector is preparing for two massive moments The 2026 FIFA World Cup and the America250 celebrations will bring global attention—and arts organizations will be at the center of that storytelling.

🎨 Key Insights From Adam

• Arts participation is still rebounding, but innovation and adaptation are accelerating.

• Visitors spend more per trip when attending arts events—food, hotels, transportation, retail.

• Over 70% of surveyed attendees at cultural events said the arts experience was their primary reason for visiting the community.

• New Jersey offers extraordinary cultural density, from hands-on experiences to world-class venues.

• Cultural tourism ≠ “nice to have” — it’s a core driver of local economies.

• The state is preparing for a multi-year storytelling window around America250, with arts organizations helping bring history to life.

• Interest-driven marketing (not just demographic marketing) is shaping cultural promotion.

Live from the New Jersey Travel Industry Association Conference in Atlantic City, this episode features Jim Kirkos, CEO of the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup heading directly into the Meadowlands region, Jim breaks down what this moment means for New Jersey tourism, business growth, infrastructure planning, and long-term economic development.

This is not just a mega-event conversation. It’s a blueprint for how a region can leverage a global spotlight to transform perception, drive investment, strengthen partnerships, and set up a decade of momentum that extends far beyond the final whistle.

🧭 What You’ll Learn

• What World Cup 2026 means for New Jersey Why global events act as economic accelerators—and how the Meadowlands plans to capitalize.

• How regional identity is shifting The Meadowlands has evolved from “gateway to the stadium” into a dynamic destination with entertainment, meetings, hospitality, nature, and experiences.

• How business ecosystems prepare for mega-events Hotels, restaurants, transport, and workforce development all play a role in delivering a world-class visitor experience.

• Why partnerships are the real power move Jim highlights how collaboration between chambers, tourism offices, state agencies, and private sector leaders drives sustainable growth.

• The mindset shift: from event promotion to legacy planning A World Cup lasts one month. Its impact can last 10 years if the strategy is right.

⚽ The Meadowlands: Key Themes from the Conversation

• Massive global visibility coming with the 2026 World Cup

• A chance to rewrite outdated narratives about the region

• Multi-billion-dollar ripple effects from tourism + business investment

• The importance of business community readiness and hospitality training

• Expanded infrastructure planning around transportation, mobility, and crowd flow

• The rising relevance of sports tourism as an economic driver

• Why collaboration across counties and agencies matters more than ever

Live from the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference in Atlantic City, this episode heads to Cape May County for a conversation with Diane Weiland, a leader whose destination has been riding a nearly uninterrupted upward growth curve for six years.

Diane breaks down the strategic choices behind Cape May’s sustained success, including: • Understanding shifting visitor behavior • Leveraging natural assets without over-engineering the experience • Extending the season beyond Memorial Day–Labor Day • Using influencers and interest-based media to reach today’s travelers • And why authenticity, not reinvention, is Cape May County’s competitive edge.

🧭 What You’ll Learn

• Why Cape May continues to grow while other destinations cycle Diane explains their 94% post-COVID recovery and why the county’s assets align with today’s traveler mindset.

• How studying visitor “wants” drives smarter strategy Bucket-list experiences, authenticity, nature, and open spaces shape Cape May’s messaging.

• The secret weapon: diversity of offerings 47 campgrounds, beaches, B&Bs, fishing ports, birding hotspots, boardwalks, the peninsula microclimate—Cape May stands apart from other coastal destinations.

• Turning shoulder seasons into revenue seasons How a once-summer-only economy became a 9-month (and growing) destination through special events, second-home owners, and data-driven marketing.

• What interest-based media means for DMOs in 2026 From pet-friendly travel to accessibility, Diane outlines how influencers tell stories DMOs can’t tell themselves.

 

This episode features a conversation with Tammie Horsfield of Sussex County, fresh off winning an Excellence Award for innovative tourism partnerships. We dig into how Sussex County has created a four-season tourism engine, the strong community networks powering their growth, and the unexpected impact of collaboration between agriculture, tourism, and economic development.Tammie brings decades of experience, contagious curiosity, and a clear love for championing the businesses and farms that make Sussex County special. This is a masterclass in community-driven tourism development.

🧭 What You’ll Learn

• How Sussex County became a four-season destinationFrom ski resorts and snow-making state parks to summer waterparks and fall foliage peaks.

• Why agricultural partnerships are critical to rural tourismAnd how Sussex elevated farms that often get overlooked after “apple-picking season.”

• The behind-the-scenes story of their Excellence AwardBuilt on training programs, ARPA-funded business support, and unprecedented cross-organization collaboration.

• The power of staying curious in a decades-long tourism career Tammie's philosophy: get your hands in the dirt, meet every business, and take something meaningful from every interaction.

• How to create year-round magic when one season steals the spotlight Christmas markets draw crowds, but Sussex has formulas for fall, summer, and spring that work.

• Why relationships matter more than logos Tammie shares why networking is the most valuable ROI of any tourism conference.

SEO has shifted more in the last nine months than in the previous nine years — and travel marketers are feeling it. In this episode of Field Notes, Eric sits down with SEO expert Casey Yandle to break down:

• What’s actually changed in SEO heading into 2026

• Why “SEO is dead” is terrible advice

• How travel brands should audit their content heading into the new year

• The rise of AI, Reddit, user intent, and what it all means for DMOs

• Practical tactics to future-proof your website and search strategy

If you’ve been confused by the noise, worried about AI search, or unsure how to evolve your content, this episode is your roadmap.

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights & Observations for the Travel Marketer, Rachel Normansell from Yodel joins Eric to dig into why events are becoming one of the most important levers for destinations heading into 2026.

From shifting traveler behavior to the rise of AI-assisted trip planning, Rachel unpacks why events can no longer sit at the edges of your marketing strategy—they are the strategy.

What We Cover in This Episode  Why Events Matter More Than Ever in 2026

Rachel explains why events are no longer “nice to have” add-ons for DMOs, but critical decision-drivers for weekend travelers, regional visitors, and shoulder-season demand. She shares how events are influencing booking windows, content needs, and traveler expectations more than most destinations realize.

The AI Factor: How Trip Planning Has Changed Overnight

With consumers increasingly asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and other tools to “plan my weekend,” event listings become data inputs—whether DMOs realize it or not. If events aren’t findable, structured, and current, they’re invisible. If they’re invisible, those travelers go somewhere else.

Rachel talks about how DMO event strategy now sits directly inside search, AI, and itinerary generation.

The “Aperture Problem” You Don’t Know You Have

Rachel and Eric explore how most destinations underestimate their true event landscape. From apple orchards to lilac farms to niche seasonal gatherings, travelers are motivated by things destinations aren’t even counting.

A wider aperture means more discoverability, more reasons to visit, and more reasons to stay longer.

Rethinking ROI: What DMOs Should Measure in 2026

Beyond attendance and hotel nights, Rachel outlines additional metrics destinations should track to understand the full impact of their event strategy, including:

• Spillover spend

• Content performance

• Search visibility

• Year-over-year lift tied to event categories

• Community participation and sentiment

• Event-driven itinerary creation

She also shares one overlooked ROI metric most DMOs miss entirely.

Events as Community Identity Builders

Rachel discusses how strong event ecosystems elevate both visitor and local experiences—and why DMOs should treat community stakeholders as part of the event ROI equation, not just tourism.

 2026 Trends DMOs Should Prepare For

As we head into a pivotal year, Rachel highlights the trends she’s seeing across the country:

• Intelligent chatbots guiding trip planning

• AI-generated itineraries driven by event data

• Traveler demand for niche or micro-experiences

• Year-round “evergreen events” gaining traction

• Higher expectations around accuracy and freshness of event listings

• Increasing operational complexity as event calendars grow

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights & Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric sits down with Sara Dyer to unpack Canva’s largest product launch in its history — a complete reinvention of the platform into a full creative operating system. We break down how Canva’s new AI-powered suite is transforming the way destinations and travel marketers create, collaborate, and deploy content at scale… even without a full creative team.

🧠 What We Cover:

Canva’s three-layer Creative OS: Visual Suite, Canva AI, and Platform How DMO teams can lock brand standards while enabling creativity

Canva Grow — the new AI marketing engine that scans your destination website, pulls brand voice, tone, colors & messaging Auto-generating on-brand ads and pushing them directly into Meta Ads Manager Real-time ad performance insights within

Canva Turning visitor survey data into infographics and dashboards instantly

The new “Ask Canva” AI assistant for design suggestions, copy improvements, and creative guidance

Why Canva’s update is a game-changer for small and mid-sized teams with limited time and budgets

✨ Why This Matters This update collapses design, data, creative, email, video, and ads into one platform, cutting subscriptions, saving time, and giving travel marketers the ability to build professional-level content in minutes — no Adobe mastery required.

🔗 Connect with Sara Instagram: @saradyer If you’re a travel marketer trying to keep up with AI-driven creative tools, this one’s worth your time.

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Ben Knapp, Brand Strategist at Saffron Brand Consultants, to unpack this year’s City Brand Barometer—a deep dive into why some cities rise in global rankings while others fall behind.

Ben shares powerful insights on:

• The evolution from place branding to placemaking

• How cities can close the perception–reality gap

• The role of AI and online sentiment in shaping travel decisions

• Why smaller, lesser-known destinations are poised to thrive in 2026

From Madrid’s brand alignment to the rise of Dubai and the rebirth of smaller communities, this episode explores how cities can turn authenticity into competitive advantage.

👉 Download the full report: https://bit.ly/3WNO4o5

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren takes us inside his keynote talk delivered in Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio. With spooky season as the backdrop, he leads travel marketers through a journey that compares reading the jungle to understanding the shifting marketing landscape—where AI is no longer “new,” it’s “normal.”

Eric explores how AI is reshaping content discovery, why trust outweighs reach, and how travel brands can adapt by scaling content smartly while staying authentic.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

🌍 Why marketers should think like anthropologists, not advertisers.

⚡ Why AI is not a trend—it’s infrastructure, like electricity or highways.

🔎 The shift from SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and what that means for travel marketers.

📹 Why blogs feed AI but video delights humans—and how to balance both.

🤝 Why trust > reach when building communities in an era of automation.

🥖 How to repurpose one big piece of content into 40+ smaller ones (from bread to Hamilton to whitepapers).

📲 Tactics to stop cross-posting and instead design platform-specific content.

📧 Why email and text remain undervalued community-building tools.

👥 How to turn employees into brand megaphones without policing them.

🚦 Why “zero-click attribution” will redefine how we measure marketing success.

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Strategies for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren takes the stage in Flint, Michigan, to deliver his keynote “Brand as Signal.” The talk explores how travel brands can adapt and lead in a rapidly shifting marketing landscape dominated by AI. With billions of weekly queries happening on ChatGPT and platforms like Google Gemini, the rules of visibility are being rewritten. Eric breaks down what this means for marketers and, more importantly, what to do about it. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why AI isn’t the future of marketing, it’s the present. The concept of “answer engine optimization” and how it’s replacing SEO. How to create scalable content systems (turning one white paper into 200 pieces of content). The importance of trust, taste, and community over sheer volume of posts. How to turn employees into authentic brand ambassadors on platforms like LinkedIn. The dangers of cross-posting without tailoring content to each platform. What “zero-click attribution” means for the future of traffic and conversion. Eric also shares practical action items travel marketers can take right now, including how to feed AI models the right signals, test your visibility in Gemini/ChatGPT/Perplexity, and move from passive audiences to active communities. Plus: Stay tuned until the end for a lively audience Q&A covering cross-posting, emoji use, and whether traditional SEO efforts still translate in an AI-first world.

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric sits down with Shannon Gray, Provost of the Southeast Tourism Society’s Marketing College and founder of Gray Research Solutions. Together, they dive into:

Shannon’s journey from anthropology into travel marketing research.

What makes Marketing College such a unique program for tourism professionals.

How community, innovation, and mentorship shape the next generation of travel marketers.

Why graduates often come back to teach and give back to the program.

The evolving role of research in driving smarter tourism marketing decisions.

Whether you’re curious about professional development, intrigued by the intersection of anthropology and marketing, or just want a behind-the-scenes look at how tourism leaders are being trained, this conversation offers fresh insights and inspiration. 👉 Learn more about Marketing College through the Southeast Tourism Society: southeasttourism.org

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights for the Travel Marketer, Eric sits down live at the STS Connections Conference with Chris Landry, President & CEO of the Louisiana Travel Association.

Chris shares his perspective on Louisiana’s unique travel identity, the evolving role of AI in marketing, and why hospitality is the ultimate differentiator in tourism. Topics include:

🌴 What hosting a major conference means for Lake Charles and overlooked Louisiana destinations 🍤 The food culture divide—why gumbo, boudin, and jambalaya showcase the western Cajun influence 🤖 How AI is changing marketing workflows for CVBs and leveling the playing field for smaller destinations 📈 Why Louisiana is optimistic heading into 2026 with big events like Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl fueling demand 💡 How the industry can avoid burnout and why “niceness” might just be the most important KPI in tourism 🎓 Opportunities in hospitality careers, from marketing to accounting, and the work of the Louisiana Tourism Fund

If you’re passionate about travel marketing, destination branding, or the future of hospitality, this episode offers fresh insights straight from one of Louisiana’s leading voices.

🌐 Learn more: Louisiana Travel Association 🎙️ Subscribe for more Field Notes episodes on travel, strategy, and storytelling.

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights for the Travel Market, Eric sits down at the STS Connections Conference with Jordan Basham, creator of the Instagram account Where to Geaux.

Jordan shares her story of starting as a Baton Rouge foodie posting takeout boxes during COVID, growing into a full-time influencer, and launching her own social media agency. Together, we dig into:

✅ How DMOs and brands can effectively work with influencers ✅ What to look for when choosing the right creator for your campaign ✅ The ROI question—what works, what doesn’t, and why longevity matters ✅ Navigating “viral overload” and why sometimes you don’t want 200,000 people showing up ✅ How AI is shaping social media strategy for agencies and influencers ✅ Lessons from Raising Cane’s, NIL partnerships, and working with influencers on any budget

Whether you’re a travel marketer, local business, or just curious about the behind-the-scenes of influencer marketing, this conversation is packed with practical insights.

📲 Follow Jordan on Instagram: @wheretogeaux225 🎙️ Subscribe for more episodes of Field Notes—your guide to travel marketing, storytelling, and strategy.

As a travel marketer, the AI landscape is shifting fast and last week’s update to ChatGPT might be the biggest change yet. In this episode of Field Notes, Eric Hultgren breaks down what GPT-5 means for you and your DMO team, and how to turn this leap in AI capability into a competitive advantage. We’ll walk you through a set of high-impact prompts you can start testing today in GPT-5 or A/B against other models like Claude or Perplexity to inspire travelers, personalize experiences, and drive more bookings.

 

Whether you’re new to AI or looking to sharpen your skills, this “Summer of AI” starter kit will help you level-up your AI dexterity and make your destination stand out.

 

Chat GPT 5 Prompt Starter Kit

https://www.advancetravelandtourism.com/insights/travel-marketers-gpt-5-prompt-library/ 

In this episode of Field Notes, host Eric Hultgren sits down with Emily Clay from Advance Travel & Tourism to explore the world of eco tourism. With a deep background in sustainability, Emily shares insights into how destinations can identify and amplify their eco-forward efforts in ways that are both authentic and effective.

The conversation covers:

• What initially drew Emily to the topic of eco tourism

• How travel marketers can recognize and support sustainable tourism practices in their regions

• The importance of transparency and reporting when promoting eco-focused initiatives

• The evolving landscape of eco tourism and what it means for the next decade

• Common pitfalls marketers can avoid when crafting sustainability messages

• Her top recommendation for a book or documentary to learn more about conservation

Whether you're already immersed in sustainability or exploring how it intersects with travel marketing, this episode provides valuable takeaways to help shape your strategy and storytelling.

Follow Field Notes for more conversations that help travel marketers navigate changing consumer values, emerging trends, and actionable strategies.

In this episode, Eric Hultgren is joined by Bart Thau, Vice President of Marketing at Advance Travel and Tourism, for a thought-provoking conversation about the evolving role of AI in digital marketing and what it means for those working in the travel space. They explore a couple of recent headlines out of Google’s AI division and unpack what marketers should pay attention to (and what they shouldn’t overreact to).

From the acceleration of AI compared to Moore’s Law to how large language models are reshaping the customer journey, the duo covers a lot of ground. Eric also shares how he’s using tools like ChatGPT in unconventional ways to improve storytelling—a key skill for any marketer today. The conversation even touches on the surprising return of analog formats like vinyl, film cameras, and Polaroids, and what that could signal about consumer behavior. Whether you’re an AI skeptic, an early adopter, or just trying to keep up, this episode offers a practical perspective and a few good laughs along the way

Links:

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-claims-ai-overviews-monetize-at-same-rate-as-traditional-search/547838/

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/is-seo-still-relevant-in-the-ai-era-new-research-says-yes/547929/.

 

In this episode of the Field Notes podcast, host Eric Hultgren sits down with Creative Director Lesley Delchamps to explore how digital marketing is evolving in the age of AI. The conversation focuses on the shifting roles of: SEO (Search Engine Optimization)  the traditional strategy to rank on search engines, AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), tailoring content for direct answers in AI tools, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)  preparing content to be pulled into AI-generated responses, like those from ChatGPT. The two dive into ChatGPT Shopping, a new feature that offers personalized product recommendations directly within AI conversations, bypassing Google entirely. For travel marketers, this signals a major change: AI is becoming the starting point for consumer discovery. Lesley and Eric unpack what that means for destination marketing teams and how to stay ahead. The takeaway? Marketers must embrace all three strategies—SEO, AEO, and GEO—to ensure their content is discoverable, AI-friendly, and positioned to influence travel decisions in this new era of search.

In this episode of "Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer," hosts Eric Hultgren and Sara Dyer discuss a new study breaking down travel trends for 2025 into four distinct categories and share strategies for travel marketers to connect with potential travelers.

Key points covered:

1. Digital Content Strategy
2. Social Media's Influence
3. Creating Shareable Experiences
4. Addressing All Stages of the Travel Journey

Eric and Sara emphasize the importance of word-of-mouth marketing alongside digital strategies and discuss how smaller organizations without dedicated content teams can create effective social media content. They also highlight AI's growing role in helping travelers discover new destinations based on their preferences and interests.

 

Get the Snapchat study here