Communities across North America are embracing tourism ambassador programs to strengthen local pride, improve visitor experiences, and help residents better understand the value tourism brings to their economies. But before selecting a platform, writing curriculum, or evaluating potential partners, it's worth taking a step back.
The most successful programs don't begin with technology or vendor selection. They begin with clarity.
Whether you're considering developing a program internally or partnering with an organization like Learn Tourism, these five questions can help guide the conversation and ensure you're building something that delivers meaningful, lasting results.
1. What change do we want to create?
It's easy to get excited about launching a new program. The harder—and more important—question is what success actually looks like.
Are you hoping to:
- Increase community pride?
- Improve the visitor experience?
- Help frontline employees make better recommendations?
- Strengthen workforce development?
- Build a network of local advocates?
- Encourage residents to become more engaged in tourism?
A tourism ambassador program is a means to an end, not the end itself. Defining the desired outcome first makes every other decision easier.
2. Who are we trying to reach?
Not every destination serves the same audience, and not every audience learns the same way.
Think carefully about who your program is designed for:
- Hotel and hospitality employees
- Restaurant and retail staff
- Volunteers
- Local residents
- College students
- Community leaders
- Attractions and museums
- Transportation providers
The broader and more diverse your audience, the more important it becomes to create engaging, accessible learning experiences that people actually want to complete.
3. How will we know the program is working?
Completion rates are easy to measure. Impact is more valuable.
Instead of asking, "How many people completed the course?" ask questions like:
- Are visitors reporting better experiences?
- Are local businesses making more confident recommendations?
- Do participants demonstrate greater knowledge and pride?
- Are employers using the program for onboarding?
- Is the community becoming more engaged in tourism conversations?
The best programs measure behavior change—not just participation.
4. What should we build ourselves, and what should we partner on?
Every destination possesses unique local knowledge. That's your greatest strength.
The question is whether you also want to become experts in:
- Adult learning design
- Online learning technology
- Accessibility compliance
- Multilingual delivery
- Data analytics
- Reporting dashboards
- Ongoing maintenance
- Course updates
- Participant engagement
Some organizations have the internal resources to manage all of these responsibilities. Others discover that partnering allows them to focus on creating great local content while relying on specialists to provide the educational infrastructure.
Neither approach is inherently better. The right answer depends on your team's capacity, expertise, and long-term priorities.
5. What do we want this program to become three years from now?
Many destinations begin with a simple goal: to educate frontline employees.
The strongest programs rarely stop there.
Over time, they often evolve into:
- Community engagement initiatives
- Workforce development resources
- Resident education campaigns
- Employer onboarding tools
- Volunteer training programs
- Professional development opportunities
- Networks of passionate community advocates
Thinking beyond launch day helps ensure today's decisions support tomorrow's opportunities.
One Final Question
Before your brainstorming session ends, ask one more question:
What do we not want to spend our time doing?
The answer can be surprisingly revealing.
If your team wants to focus on inspiring people, telling your destination's story, and building community relationships, it may make sense to partner with experts who can provide the learning platform, instructional design, analytics, and ongoing support.
If your team is excited to build every component internally, you'll have a clearer understanding of the investment and expertise required to make it successful.
Either way, the goal isn't simply to launch an ambassador program.
The goal is to create a learning experience that inspires people to become passionate champions for your destination—and continues delivering value for years to come.
