Everything You Need to Know to Launch a Destination Workforce Development Project

Destination organizations and CVBs have always been storytellers, connectors, and champions for place. Increasingly, they are being asked to play another role—one that wasn’t written into the job description a decade ago but is now impossible to ignore: workforce development leader.

Staffing shortages, high turnover, inconsistent visitor experiences, and rapid changes in traveler expectations have collided into a single reality. Destinations cannot market their way out of workforce challenges. They must train, equip, and support the people who deliver the experience.

Workforce development is no longer a “nice-to-have” initiative or a side project delegated when time allows. It has become core infrastructure for destination success.

Why Destination Organizations Are Uniquely Positioned to Lead Workforce Development

No other entity understands the full visitor ecosystem as well as a destination organization does. DMOs and CVBs sit at the intersection of public-sector priorities, private-sector operators, frontline workers, and community stakeholders. That vantage point matters.

Employers often lack the time, resources, or instructional expertise to design effective training. Educational institutions may move too slowly to respond to real-time workforce needs. Destination organizations, however, already convene partners, curate narratives, and align messaging across the visitor journey.

Workforce development is simply the next evolution of that role—moving from promoting the destination to strengthening the people who power it.

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Step One: Define the Problem You’re Actually Solving

The most effective destination workforce development projects start with clarity, not content.

Are you trying to:

• Improve frontline confidence and consistency
• Reduce turnover among entry-level workers
• Build pride of place and community advocacy
• Prepare residents for tourism career pathways
• Align customer experience standards across partners

Trying to solve everything at once usually results in a program that solves nothing particularly well. Strong programs begin with a narrow, measurable objective and expand over time.

This is where instructional design becomes critical. Good training isn’t about dumping information—it’s about changing behavior.

Step Two: Design Learning for How Adults Actually Learn

Adult learners are practical, busy, and goal-oriented. They want relevance, flexibility, and respect for their experience. Long lectures, static PDFs, and one-size-fits-all workshops don’t work anymore—if they ever did.

Modern destination workforce development relies on:

• Short, modular lessons that fit real schedules
• Scenario-based learning tied to real visitor interactions
• Clear “why this matters” framing
• Opportunities to apply learning immediately

Research from the Association for Talent Development consistently shows that learners retain significantly more when content is delivered in focused, interactive segments rather than long-form presentations. In tourism, where time is scarce and turnover is real, this matters even more.

READ ALSO: Instructional Design for Tourism Teams

Step Three: Choose Technology That Scales Without Friction

A workforce development project lives or dies by its delivery system.

Learning management system (LMS) technology should never feel like the hardest part of the experience. The right platform allows destination organizations to:

• Enroll partners and learners easily
• Track engagement and completion in real time
• Update content instantly as the destination evolves
• Offer multilingual access without duplicating effort
• Share insights with stakeholders and funders

This is not about technology for technology’s sake. It’s about removing barriers to participation while giving leaders visibility into what’s actually working.

Step Four: Build Content With Subject Matter Experts Who Understand Tourism

Tourism training fails when it feels generic. Frontline workers can spot boilerplate content immediately, and disengagement follows quickly.

Effective workforce development blends:

• Destination-specific knowledge
• Tourism and hospitality expertise
• Behavioral science and adult learning theory

This is where partnerships matter. Programs developed with tourism practitioners, business psychologists, and instructional designers outperform those created in isolation. They reflect the realities of the job, not just the aspirations of leadership.

At Learn Tourism,this interdisciplinary approach is foundational—because tourism is both an economic system and a human one.

Step Five: Measure Impact, Not Just Participation

Enrollment numbers look good in reports. Impact looks good in communities.

Destination workforce development projects should measure:

• Confidence and readiness among participants
• Consistency in visitor interactions
• Knowledge of destination assets and values
• Engagement over time, not just completion

Data creates credibility. It allows destination organizations to refine programs, justify funding, and demonstrate leadership beyond marketing metrics.

READ ALSO: Data for Tourism Training & Education

Why This Work Can’t Be Deferred Any Longer

Destinations that invest in workforce development now are quietly building a competitive advantage. They are creating more consistent experiences, stronger community buy-in, and more resilient tourism economies.

Those that don’t will continue to absorb the costs of turnover, retraining, and brand inconsistency—often without realizing the root cause.

Workforce development is not outside the mission of destination organizations. It is the natural extension of it.

A Final Thought

Marketing brings visitors once. People bring them back.

Destinations that understand this truth—and act on it—will shape the future of tourism more than any campaign ever could.

About Learn Tourism the nonprofit academy

Learn Tourism is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the tourism industry through innovative educational practices and professional development initiatives. Our mission is to harness the power of science, business psychology, and adult education to build sustainable economies and enrich the tourism landscape. Visit us at learntourism.org.