In this episode of Destination Discourse, Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker dig into Adam’s 2026 resolutions for destination marketers. Rather than rehashing Adam’s full resolutions episode from the Destination Marketing Podcast, the conversation pulls out the most important ideas and stress-tests them through debate, real-world examples, and a healthy dose of humor.

The discussion centers on what DMOs can truly control, how relevance should be defined and measured, and why the industry needs to rethink both its metrics and its talent models as AI accelerates change across marketing.

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Stoops News

Adam opens with a shout-out to a new destination podcast worth paying attention to:
• Kristen Reynolds, known for her work at Discover Long Island and the Long Island Tea podcast, has helped launch a new show in Chicago: All for the Love of Chicago from Choose Chicago.
• The Long Island Tea podcast stood out because it was conversational and entertaining rather than sales-driven.
• The hope is that the Chicago podcast carries forward that same spirit and continues raising the bar for destination-owned media.

Adam’s 2026 resolutions (and the debate they spark)

Attention, trust, and the limits of control

Adam introduces a simple but provocative framework: Attention + Trust + Circumstances = Action.
• Attention matters more than basic awareness in an oversaturated media environment.
• Trust is the real currency DMOs trade in as the source of truth for their destination.
• Circumstances—timing, budget, life events—ultimately determine whether someone takes action, and those factors are outside a DMO’s control.

This sparks a long debate about whether “circumstances” belongs in a prescriptive model at all. The underlying tension highlights a broader industry issue: DMOs often optimize reporting around outcomes they influence but do not fully control, particularly conversions.

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True relevance vs. vanity metrics

A major theme of the episode is the difference between activity that looks good on paper and outcomes that actually matter.
• Many DMOs rely on metrics that create the illusion of effectiveness.
• Eventually, stakeholders ask the harder question: if everything is working, why aren’t the results showing it?

The conversation pushes toward first-principles thinking:
• Why does the organization exist?
• Who is the real customer?
• What does success actually mean for this community?

There is also recognition that macroeconomic and geopolitical forces heavily influence visitation, making relative performance (market share, outperforming peers) a more honest measure than raw totals alone.

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Making stakeholder engagement a marketing pillar

Another resolution focuses on how DMOs communicate their value to residents, businesses, and elected officials.
• Stakeholders should be treated as a real audience with intentional messaging, not just periodic reporting.
• Clear alignment on relevance has to come first—otherwise, louder communication can actually erode trust.

The episode explores scrappy, practical ways DMOs can engage stakeholders without relying heavily on paid media, including earned media, partnerships, and regular local appearances.

Why earned media is rising in importance

Earned media is elevated as a priority, particularly in an AI-influenced discovery environment.
• Third-party credibility signals appear to matter more than ever.
• Being referenced, cited, or discussed by authoritative sources builds trust in ways owned media alone cannot.

A practical takeaway emerges: journalists are stretched thin, and destinations that help them do better work—by offering strong story angles rather than fully baked press releases—are seeing higher engagement and better results.

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From tactician to strategist

The most future-focused resolution centers on people and organizational mindset.
• Tactical execution is increasingly commoditized.
• AI will handle more of the “doing.”
• The highest value will come from strategic thinking, problem solving, and first-principles reasoning.

The episode emphasizes scrappiness, comfort with uncertainty, and learning through failure. If teams aren’t occasionally uncomfortable, they likely aren’t stretching far enough to stay relevant.

Why this episode matters

This conversation isn’t about chasing trends or predicting specific tools. It’s about recalibrating how destination organizations think—about influence versus control, relevance versus optics, and strategy versus execution.

It’s a candid look at what needs to change for DMOs to remain credible, trusted, and effective heading into 2026.