Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker are joined by Amir Eylon (Longwoods International) broadcasting from “Snowmageddon Aftermath” in Ohio to talk about what matters beyond the AI headlines. Yes, they still touch AI, including early chatter about ads inside ChatGPT and what that could mean for destinations. But the heart of the conversation is a 2026 reset: get back to basics, remember why people travel, and build marketing (and stakeholder comms) that makes people feel something.

Amir shares fresh readouts from Longwoods’ American Travel Sentiment Tracker: demand is still strong, but uncertainty is everywhere. Travelers are still planning trips, yet financial anxiety is rising, and the middle is getting squeezed. The opportunity, he argues, is to double down on emotional connection, regional drive markets, and storytelling that cuts through the noise.

The trio also flips the lens inward: DMOs are often great storytellers in-market, but show up to stakeholder meetings with logic-first “data dumps.” They unpack why stories should lead and numbers should support, and Stuart shares a Myrtle Beach example where one influencer video did more to change a city council member’s perspective than any report ever could.

What you’ll hear in this episode
 • Why 2026 is a “back to basics” year: togetherness, escape, and emotional needs driving travel
 • What Longwoods is seeing: strong intent to travel, but growing financial pressure and a squeezed middle
 • The rise of regional/drive travel and how “more trips” may look like more getaways
 • A practical watchlist: gas-price “sweet spots,” unemployment by feeder market, and household debt as a leading indicator
 • The marketing warning: over-optimizing for performance can starve the emotional storytelling that actually moves people
 • The creative gut check: stop making collage ads that list assets; start telling human stories people see themselves in
 • “18 Summers” (Idaho) as the gold-standard example of emotion-first destination storytelling
 • Stakeholder comms 101: make them feel something first, then use data as proof
 • Quick AI thread: ChatGPT ads could increase urgency for DMOs to align content, truth, and narrative consistency

Memorable lines / themes
 • “Travel has become a need versus a want.”
 • “You want to be the winning DMO? Get their heartstrings better than your competitor.”
 • “The data should be the supporting material when you tell that story.”