AI. Sustainability. Biodiversity. Advocacy. Economic uncertainty.

Spend enough time at tourism conferences in 2026, and those themes begin to sound familiar.

That isn't because the industry has run out of things to discuss. Quite the opposite. These conversations reveal an industry wrestling with a much bigger question:

What is a destination organization supposed to be now?

The answer is increasingly bigger than marketing.

Destination organizations are becoming technology adopters, community conveners, workforce developers, destination stewards, educators, economic development partners, and advocates for an industry whose value can no longer be taken for granted.

That evolution was visible throughout 2026. Destinations International's annual convention, for example, centered conversations around AI, innovation, community stewardship, workforce development, leadership, and organizational culture. Its DestinationNEXT research similarly points toward an expanding mandate for destination organizations amid AI adoption, geopolitical instability, workforce challenges, and new definitions of success.

So, what happens next?

Here are three themes that defined tourism conferences in 2026—and our predictions for how each will evolve in 2027.

2026 Theme #1: Operationalizing AI

The AI conversation changed significantly this year.

We moved beyond:

"Have you tried ChatGPT?"

The better question became:

"How are we actually redesigning the way our organization works because AI exists?"

That's an important distinction.

Research on destination marketing in 2026 shows how quickly adoption is moving. Two-thirds of surveyed destination organizations were already using AI for content creation, while AI use for data analysis reportedly jumped from 28% to 51% in a year. More than half were preparing for a disruption to search caused by AI.

Meanwhile, the OECD identifies AI and digitalization as opportunities not merely for marketing, but for tourism management, operational efficiency, personalized experiences, visitor-flow management, and better decision-making.

Our 2027 prediction: AI moves from a tool strategy to a people strategy.

The destinations that gain the greatest advantage from AI won't necessarily have the fanciest software.

They'll have the most AI-capable people.

That means 2027's conversation needs to shift toward AI literacy across the tourism ecosystem.

Not just the marketing department.

Not just the CEO.

Not just the resident "AI nerd."

Destination organizations will increasingly need to help staff, visitor services teams, partners, attractions, hotels, restaurants, and small businesses understand how to use AI thoughtfully and responsibly.

Imagine a destination where hundreds—or thousands—of tourism professionals understand how to:

• use AI to improve visitor recommendations;
• personalize itineraries without losing the human element;
• analyze customer feedback and reviews;
• identify emerging visitor needs;
• improve accessibility and multilingual communication;
• create better marketing content;
• automate repetitive administrative tasks; and
• recognize the ethical, privacy, and accuracy risks associated with AI.

That is a fundamentally different competitive advantage.

2026 was about giving people AI tools.

2027 will be about teaching people what to do with them.

And that makes tourism training an AI strategy.

2026 Theme #2: Sustainability & Biodiversity

Sustainability discussions also became more sophisticated in 2026.

The conversation isn't simply about encouraging visitors to reuse their towels or carry refillable water bottles anymore.

Destination leaders are confronting much harder questions:

How many visitors can a place reasonably accommodate?

Where should those visitors go?

When should they go there?

Who benefits economically from their presence?

What happens to natural resources, biodiversity, infrastructure, and the residents' quality of life when visitation grows?

And perhaps most importantly:

Can tourism leave a place better than it found it?

The OECD's 2026 tourism report describes governments shifting toward models that balance economic, social, and environmental outcomes. It specifically highlights visitor-flow management, environmental stewardship, community engagement, and stronger destination management as increasingly important priorities.

That's an enormous evolution from tourism's traditional obsession with arrivals.

Our 2027 prediction: Sustainability becomes behavioral.

Policies matter.

Infrastructure matters.

Measurement matters.

But destinations cannot achieve sustainability goals through strategy documents alone.

Eventually, somebody has to do something differently.

A hotel employee needs to know how to explain local conservation practices.

A tour operator needs to understand why a particular ecosystem is vulnerable.

A visitor center employee needs alternatives to recommend when a popular attraction is overcrowded.

A resident needs to understand how visitor behavior affects their community.

A visitor needs information precisely when they make a decision.

And tourism businesses need to understand how their individual actions contribute to destination-wide goals.

That means sustainability increasingly becomes an education and behavior-change challenge.

As Sarah Benoit, Lead Instructor for Learn Tourism, puts it:

“A strategy only becomes meaningful when people can see themselves in it. If we want visitors, residents and tourism professionals to make more sustainable choices, we have to do more than tell them what matters. We have to help them understand why it matters, give them practical ways to participate and make the better choice feel possible in everyday life. That’s where learning turns a destination’s values into behavior.”

— Sarah Benoit, Lead Instructor, Learn Tourism

We expect destinations in 2027 to invest more heavily in tourism training that connects destination stewardship with everyday decisions made by residents, employees, businesses, and visitors.

This is where tourism ambassador programs can become considerably more powerful.

Instead of simply teaching people what there is to see and do, programs can help communities understand:

How do we want tourism to happen here?

That might include responsible recreation, accessibility, cultural stewardship, Leave No Trace principles, visitor dispersal, local purchasing, transportation choices, Indigenous perspectives, or destination-specific conservation priorities.

The destination's sustainability strategy shouldn't live exclusively in the DMO's strategic plan.

It should live in the behavior of the people who deliver the destination experience.

2026 Theme #3: Defending Tourism's Value

Tourism leaders spent considerable time in 2026 talking about advocacy.

There's a good reason.

Destination organizations are operating amid economic uncertainty, affordability concerns, political polarization, changing government priorities, and increased scrutiny of public investment.

Simply saying "tourism creates jobs" isn't enough anymore.

Even the metrics DMOs prioritize are changing. Research examining more than 350 destination organizations found that economic impact measurement is becoming a top strategic priority, ahead of more traditional measures such as visitation and engagement.

But we think 2027 will push this conversation another step further.

Our 2027 prediction: Tourism stops defending itself and starts demonstrating its usefulness.

Economic impact will remain important.

But tourism's value proposition is bigger than visitor spending.

The stronger argument is that tourism can make communities better places to live.

Tourism supports restaurants that residents enjoy.

Tourism helps sustain museums, cultural institutions, and events.

Tourism can support transportation and infrastructure.

Tourism creates opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Tourism can help preserve culture and natural resources.

Tourism can create career pathways.

Tourism can generate revenue that supports community priorities.

And tourism can create something harder to put on a spreadsheet: community pride.

Travel Oregon's 2026 resident sentiment research offers an interesting glimpse into this broader equation. Residents rated tourism's positive impacts higher than its negative impacts overall, with economic and cultural impacts receiving the strongest positive ratings. At the same time, environmental and social impacts produced the strongest negative perceptions.

That tension matters.

The future of tourism advocacy isn't convincing residents that tourism is wonderful.

It's demonstrating that tourism leaders understand both sides of the equation.

Our Bigger 2027 Prediction: Education Becomes Destination Infrastructure

Put all three trends together and something interesting happens.

AI requires education.

Sustainability requires education.

Advocacy requires education.

Community engagement requires education.

Workforce development requires education.

Visitor experience requires education.

Maybe the most important infrastructure investment a destination makes in 2027 won't be another advertising campaign.

Maybe it will be building a community that understands tourism.

“For years, destinations have invested heavily in telling the world what makes their communities special. The opportunity now is to invest just as intentionally in teaching the people who live and work there how to make tourism better. AI, sustainability, advocacy and visitor experience may look like separate challenges, but they all depend on people having the knowledge and confidence to act. That’s why I believe education is becoming essential destination infrastructure.”

— Stephen Ekstrom, CEO, Learn Tourism

We believe the strongest destination organizations will increasingly create learning ecosystems connecting DMO employees, hospitality workers, tourism businesses, residents, community leaders, and visitors.

That could mean:

Tourism ambassador training that develops knowledgeable advocates for the destination.

AI training that helps tourism stakeholders adopt emerging technology responsibly.

Destination stewardship training that turns sustainability objectives into everyday behaviors.

Frontline hospitality training that improves tourism service quality and visitor satisfaction.

Community education that helps residents understand both the benefits and tradeoffs associated with tourism.

Professional development that prepares tourism professionals for an industry changing faster than traditional training models can keep pace with.

We've already seen what happens when destination education reaches the people actually delivering the visitor experience.

Learners participating in destination programs supported by Learn Tourism routinely report greater knowledge of tourism's economic impact, local businesses, accessibility resources, visitor tools, and destination offerings. In one destination program, learners specifically described becoming better equipped to recommend experiences and understanding tourism's contribution to their community. In another, participants repeatedly reported feeling more confident in creating memorable visitor experiences after completing their tourism ambassador training.

That's more than course completion.

That's destination capacity.

The Question Destination Leaders Should Ask for 2027

The big question isn't:

"What should our DMO market next year?"

Try this instead:

"What does our community need to know, understand, and be able to do for tourism to succeed here?"

That question changes everything.

Because tourism's future won't be built exclusively by the people working inside destination organizations.

It will be built by the hotel employee answering a visitor's question.

The restaurant owner is experimenting with AI.

The resident explains why a natural area matters.

The elected official decides whether tourism deserves investment.

The attraction employee is creating an accessible experience.

The small business owner is recommending another local business.

And the thousands of other people who collectively create a destination long before—or long after—a marketing campaign reaches a traveler.

Our prediction for 2027 is therefore pretty simple:

The next competitive advantage in tourism won't just be knowing your destination.

It will be how quickly your destination can learn.

How Learn Tourism Can Help

Learn Tourism works with destination organizations, tourism boards, and industry partners to turn strategy into learning experiences that drive behavior change.

From tourism ambassador programs and tourism certification to AI education, custom tourism training, workforce development, instructional design, workshops and professional development, we help destinations build learning ecosystems that reach beyond the walls of the DMO.

Because the destination experience isn't delivered solely by the destination organization.

It's delivered by everyone.

Learn more at learntourism.org.

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.