Why smarter destination data, stronger visitor services, and better-trained teams will shape the future of tourism.

Over multiple decades, destination marketers have been told that data is the answer.  Collect more data. Build more dashboards. Track more metrics.

But here's the truth: data by itself doesn't solve problems. Asking the right questions solves problems.

That’s why I believe we're entering a Hot Data Summer!

A moment when DMOs, CVBs, Chambers, attractions, accommodations, and tourism businesses have more access to information than ever before, while simultaneously facing more pressure to use it wisely.

The brands and organizations that thrive and grow won't be the ones with the most complicated dashboards or expensive tools. They'll be the ones asking better questions.

For tourism organizations, data isn't just about marketing performance or economic impact. It's also about understanding the visitor experience in real life. What questions are visitors asking? Where are they getting confused? What do frontline teams, tourism ambassadors, and local partners hear every day?

When we train teams to recognize, collect, and share visitor experience insights, data becomes more than a report. It becomes a long-term tool for destination development.

Data Isn't One Thing, It's a Collection of Stories

One of the biggest mistakes I see organizations make is treating "data" as a single category. In reality, organizations and businesses are managing multiple buckets of information, each telling a different story.

The goal is for these stories to build a compelling narrative that brings the brand to life in a way that resonates and connects with a variety of visitors, customers, guests, and even staff.

This includes the stories that frontline employees, visitor center teams, tourism ambassadors, and local partners hear every day.

Consider the different stories these data sources help us tell:

• Economic Impact data from Tourism Economics helps answer the question: What is the total financial value of tourism to our community? Other platforms like Adara provide campaign insights along with visitor spending and competition data.

• Location Intelligence platforms like Placer.ai help us understand where visitors come from, where they spend their time, and how they move throughout a destination.

• Visitor and Resident Engagement tools, such as Bandwango reveal how travelers and locals interact with businesses, attractions, visitor services, and destination experiences.

• Survey Feedback and Sentiment Research platforms like Typeform and Qualtrics  help you collect valuable first-party data and uncover visitor satisfaction, resident sentiment, and the reasons behind traveler behavior. Tourism research firms such as Longwoods International help uncover visitor satisfaction, resident sentiment, and the reasons behind traveler behavior.

• Marketing and Campaign Performance data from Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, and Meta Insights show us how travelers discover destinations and what inspires them to visit. Email marketing platforms of all kinds provide another layer of insight by tracking engagement, website traffic, conversions, and subscriber behavior, helping destinations understand which messages are resonating with audiences and driving action.

• Data Aggregation and Visualization platforms such as Datafy and Destination Insights by Rove are increasingly used by destinations and businesses. These tools bring data from multiple sources together into a single dashboard, making it easier to identify trends, measure outcomes, and connect insights across departments. This allows brands to tell a more complete story about the impact of tourism and destination marketing efforts.

Each unique bucket tells a different part of the story.

• One tells us what happened.
• Another tells us where it happened.
• Another helps explain why.

The most effective tourism and business leaders know how to connect those stories. Together, they help us understand how to create better experiences for visitors, residents, and local businesses.

AI Is Changing How We Understand Data

Artificial intelligence is transforming the analytics landscape at an incredible pace. Tasks that once took researchers and marketers days to complete can now happen in minutes. AI can summarize reports, identify trends, uncover anomalies, forecast demand, and surface insights hidden within massive datasets. This creates exciting opportunities for destinations of all sizes.

Smaller organizations that may not have dedicated research teams can now access analytical capabilities that were once available only to brands with significant budgets. But there’s a catch.

AI is not a replacement for critical thinking.

It can make mistakes. It can miss context. It can draw conclusions that sound convincing but are ultimately incorrect. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into tourism analytics platforms, quality control becomes one of the most important aspects of all of our jobs.

Human judgment, local knowledge, and curiosity still matter.

We also need to ensure that AI enhances privacy and security rather than compromising them. Everyone has a responsibility to use visitor data ethically, transparently, and in ways that create better experiences for travelers and residents alike.

Not All Metrics Tell the Truth

The rise of AI also highlights another important reality: data can be manipulated.

• A chart can be technically accurate while still being misleading.
• A dashboard can look impressive while hiding important context.
• A metric can tell a positive story while overlooking unintended consequences.

That's why tourism professionals must become stronger storytellers and more informed consumers of data.

Before accepting any report at face value, ask:

• What question is this data answering?
• What information is missing?
• Does this align with what we're hearing from visitors and residents?
• Are we measuring activity or meaningful impact?

The most valuable data isn't the data that makes us look good. It's the data that helps us make better decisions.

The Future Isn't More Data, It's Stronger Connections and Clearer Understanding.

One of the biggest shifts happening in tourism analytics isn't the creation of new data sources. It's the ability to connect information that has traditionally lived in separate systems. For years, destinations and tourism businesses have collected economic impact reports, website analytics, social media metrics, visitor surveys, partner engagement data, and marketing performance reports. The challenge wasn't gathering information, it was clearly understanding how all those pieces fit together.

Today, AI-powered reporting and data visualization tools are making it easier to connect those insights and identify patterns that might otherwise be missed. Instead of reviewing multiple reports independently, brands can ask more valuable questions:

• How does visitor sentiment impact visitation?
• Which marketing efforts influence visitor spending?
• How does workforce development affect the visitor experience?
• What trends should we prepare for before they become challenges?
• How do we know if our training initiatives and partner education are improving the visitor experience?

This is where ambassador programs become more than hospitality or tourism training; they become long-term systems for listening, learning, and improving the destination experience. The goal is no longer to create more dashboards. The goal is to transform information into insight and insight into action.

To thrive in the years ahead, organizations must use data, not simply to measure performance, but to solve problems, uncover opportunities, and make better decisions for their communities.

Final Thoughts: Better Data Leads to Better Decisions and Better Decisions Lead to Better Visitor Experiences

At its best, data helps communities solve problems. It can:

• Identify visitor pain points before they become larger issues.
• Help local businesses understand traveler behavior.
• Reveal opportunities to spread visitors throughout a destination and reduce overcrowding.
• Justify funding requests, support economic development initiatives, and measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

Perhaps most importantly, it helps tourism, hospitality, and travel leaders move from assumptions to evidence.

The future of tourism analytics isn't about collecting more data. It's about combining data, technology, AI, and human insight to create stronger communities, better visitor experiences, and smarter decisions.

That's why I'm declaring it’s a Hot Data Summer.

Not because we have more data than ever before, but because we finally have the opportunity to use it more effectively to build deeper relationships with the people we serve.

About the Author - Sarah Benoit

Sarah Benoit is a marketing strategist, technology expert, and adult educator passionate about helping destinations, nonprofits, tourism businesses, and purpose-driven brands connect with their audiences through authentic storytelling and innovative digital marketing. Since 2003, Sarah has spent more than two decades helping organizations navigate emerging technologies, build meaningful relationships online, and develop sustainable marketing strategies that drive measurable results. As Lead instructor at Learn Tourism, she is a sought-after speaker and trainer specializing in digital marketing, AI, social media, community engagement, and leadership. She empowers professionals to embrace change and lead with curiosity, creativity, emotional intelligence, and confidence. Through her work, Sarah champions lifelong learning and believes that technology is most powerful when it strengthens human connection.

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.