The Challenge
Before partnering with Learn Tourism, Discover Kalamazoo faced both a challenge and an opportunity. Their previous ambassador training program—while once appreciated—had become costly, outdated, and difficult to manage, offering little in terms of continuing education or alignment with new organizational priorities like event support and volunteer engagement. At the same time, there was an untapped opportunity to create a more inclusive and accessible program that could inspire local pride, empower frontline staff and volunteers, and help reshape perceptions of Kalamazoo as a destination. With staff time limited and a reorganization underway, the team needed a modern, flexible solution that could deliver lasting impact without adding operational burden.
The Solution
Discover Kalamazoo began exploring new training solutions after realizing their former Tourism Ambassador Certification program no longer met their evolving needs—it was expensive, inflexible, and didn’t support volunteer training or new staff onboarding. In search of a more scalable, modern, and locally tailored solution, the DK team—led by Amber and Ashley—connected with Learn Tourism. They reviewed a custom slide deck, sample modules, and a transparent pricing structure, ultimately choosing Learn Tourism for its ease of use, inclusive design, and commitment to building content around Kalamazoo’s unique identity and needs. Competing options lacked the flexibility, ownership of content, and depth of community integration that Learn Tourism offered.
Once onboard, Discover Kalamazoo worked with Learn Tourism’s team to co-create a fully customized training experience. The platform’s self-paced, mobile-friendly courses allowed anyone—residents, hotel staff, volunteers—to access materials anytime. Features like multilingual support, built-in dashboards for real-time analytics, and course design grounded in behavioral psychology enabled DK to easily manage, update, and expand the program. Learn Tourism also engaged local attractions and stakeholders during content development, ensuring the training was authentic and relevant.
"This gave us a way to educate and inspire our entire community—on our terms. It wasn’t just a replacement for our old program; it was an upgrade in every sense."
The Results
Since launching the Kalamazoo Academy with Learn Tourism, Discover Kalamazoo has seen powerful, measurable results across the board. More than 200 unique learners have participated in the program, with over 100 certificates issued, reflecting strong engagement across hotel staff, volunteers, and community members. The team reports saving more than 60 hours per year in administrative work thanks to streamlined course management tools and digital dashboards, while the program has already delivered over $15,000 in cost savings compared to their previous solution. With 275 video loads and growing community interest, the training has become a vital part of Discover Kalamazoo’s outreach and volunteer strategy.
The program’s accessibility, available on-demand, free to all, and built to support multiple learning styles and languages, has helped remove barriers and inspire a sense of civic pride among participants.
By turning what was once a challenge into a meaningful opportunity, Discover Kalamazoo has transformed its ambassador training into a model of community empowerment and sustainable tourism development.
