What Are the Desties' Predicting for Destination Marketing in 2026?

Stuart and Adam open with a quick Miracle Morning check-in (45 days strong) and a reminder that early wins matter before work even starts. In Stu’s News, they unpack Steve Hill’s optimistic comments about Las Vegas tourism despite recent declines, and debate whether bold confidence is leadership or risk.

Then the main event: predictions for 2026 submitted by “the Desties” (plus a few familiar friends of the show). Themes recur fast: AI needs to show real ROI, adoption is lagging behind capability, trust is becoming the central product, creativity can’t be sacrificed for “organization,” and DMOs must challenge the status quo or risk becoming irrelevant.

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Predictions featured (and the debate around them)
 • Tim Peter: Executives will demand AI shows up in revenue or savings (“AI is everywhere except the P&L”).
Take: Full agreement—2026 is the “prove ROI” year; teams must document impact.
 • Tim Peter: AI shopping/buying funnels still aren’t fully there; impact may be slower than expected.
Take: Tech may be ready, adoption may not. Trust is the barrier.
 • Emily Zertucci: Winners won’t be biggest campaigns; they’ll build trusted destination knowledge layers + governance + AI-trustworthy content.
Take: Adam pushes back on “either/or”—you need both organization and creativity.
 • MMGY team via Katie Briscoe: “Middle class gap”—industry is over-focused on luxury; missing the volume/value market.
Take: Strong agreement. Value storytelling + merchandising matters in a K-shaped economy.
 • MMGY team via Katie Briscoe: “Anti-event traveler”—market to residents escaping disruption from major events.
Take: A real niche opportunity, and AI may make it scalable to target + personalize.
 • Brad Dean (Visit St. Louis): 2026 = “year of the overcomer”: modest growth, but winners gain efficiency and ditch “married to the past.”
Take: Key nugget: efficiency + refusing “because we’ve always done it.” Extend collaboration beyond the DMO.
 • Jeanette Roush (Brand USA): Signals from Google mean: worry less about formatting; prioritize original POV content.
Take: “No notes.” Unique, first-person content that makes people feel something wins.
 • Jeanette Roush (Brand USA): Algorithmic pricing spreads beyond airlines into destinations; backlash when wealthy pay more.
Take: Might happen later than 2026; if it does, transparency will be required. Likely OTA-led.
 • Dan Janes (Madden Media): Trust-seeking becomes the decision driver; AI + human content symbiosis grows.
Take: Trust is the “product” after attention. Hallucinations + paywalls create risk and require verification habits.
 • Dan Janes (Madden Media): Agency consolidation accelerates; performance focus rises + a new era of scaled independents.
Take: Both see it already—M&A activity is hot.
 • C.A. Clark (Miles): Most will use AI to do the same work faster; leaders will do new things they couldn’t do before with AI.
Take: Stuart agrees but thinks the leader group will be tiny in 2026 due to trust + adoption friction. Big debate on whether the “gap” becomes uncatchable.

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Quotables (for social clips/episode page)
 • “AI is everywhere except the P&L.” (Tim Peter, quoted by Adam)
 • “Anytime every ad is saying the same thing, none of the ads will work.”
 • “Action is not usually the result of a logical explanation, it’s the result of an emotion.”
 • “We’ve got to challenge the status quo… or we’re going to be so irrelevant that no one will defend why you exist anymore.”
 • “Be obsessed with the people we serve… and challenge the status quo.”

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Key themes that tie the episode together
 1. AI must produce measurable outcomes (time saved, costs avoided, revenue influenced).
 2. Adoption lags capability (trust + friction are the blockers, not just features).
 3. Creativity remains the differentiator (avoid “homogenous AI slop”).
 4. Trust becomes the battleground (hallucinations, paywalls, verification habits).
 5. Value markets matter (don’t abandon the middle while chasing luxury).
 6. 2026 rewards reinvention (efficiency + letting go of “we’ve always done it”).

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Practical takeaways for DMOs
 • Build an internal AI ROI scoreboard: hours saved, cycle time reduced, vendor spend reduced, leads influenced.
 • Pair “destination knowledge layer” work with creative output—don’t trade one for the other.
 • Run a value-forward merchandising test: budget itineraries, bundles, shoulder-season “value weeks,” and “how to travel smart” content.
 • Pilot an anti-event traveler campaign in 1–3 nearby disruption markets.
 • Require verification for AI-assisted research: click sources, watch paywall limitations, corroborate before stakeholder use.
 • Audit calendars for “because we’ve always done it” tasks and prune aggressively.