What if the job of a DMO isn’t to grow tourism…

In this episode, Eric sits down with Nate Wyeth, Chief of Staff at Visit Bend, to unpack a deceptively simple idea:

If the community doesn’t benefit, the destination eventually breaks.

This is a conversation about regenerative tourism—not as a buzzword, but as an operating system.

And it starts with a North Star Nate has been chasing for two decades:

How do we grow in a way that actually benefits the people and places we serve?

Tourism isn’t just an economic engine.

It’s a relationship:

Break that relationship…

1. Community isn’t a stakeholder—it’s the starting point

Because:

If you ignore that… you’re borrowing time.

2. The real definition of sustainability

It’s not branding.

It’s literally in the word:

Sustain = make it last.

That forces a shift from:

3. The balancing act every DMO avoids (but shouldn’t)

Tourism creates:

But also:

The job isn’t to eliminate one side.

4. The smartest resource allocation analogy you’ll hear

Most DMOs:

Walk into a casino and drop everything on the first slot machine.

Better approach:

5. Why some communities “get it” faster than others

It’s not geography.

It’s people.

Places like Oregon work because:

That’s the unlock.

6. How to build buy-in (even in skeptical markets)

You don’t start with:

“We need sustainability.”

You start with:

Then expand the aperture.

7. The “toddler on a sugar high” economy metaphor

Right now, tourism feels like:

The real question:

What happens when the sugar crash hits?

Smart DMOs are already planning for that moment.

8. The most underrated discipline: postmortems

The industry bias:

What’s missing:

Nate’s take:

If you don’t learn from failure, you’re just repeating it faster.

9. Collaboration isn’t optional—it’s structural

Visitors don’t respect boundaries:

So DMOs can’t either.

The Bend model:

Everyone at the table.

Because impact doesn’t stay in one place.

If your AI talk is about being found,

Most destinations are still optimizing for:

This is about:

There are really two futures for DMOs:

Nate is clearly building the second.

If this hits, here’s where to start:

Catch more episodes of Field Notes for grounded conversations with people shaping the future of travel marketing.

Fresh off a keynote in Massachusetts, this episode is a live drop of Eric Hultgren’s latest thinking on AI for Travel 2.0

It starts with a simple story: a traveler who books a trip, adjusts her schedule, and plans her entire experience…without saying a word.

That’s not the future.

And it leads to a harder question:

If a traveler never visits your website…did you actually lose?

We’ve entered a Copernicus moment for marketing.

Your website is no longer the center of the universe.

Less important to humans.

In this episode, Eric sits down with Scott Larson, President & CEO of Visit Central Oregon, to unpack how destination leaders navigate uncertainty, prioritize what matters, and make long-term bets in a short-term world.

From accessibility as both a moral and market imperative to using the World Cup not as a campaign—but as a test, this conversation is a masterclass in disciplined thinking.

This isn’t about doing more.

1. Why most conference energy dies—and how to keep it alive

Momentum isn’t about inspiration.

2. Accessibility isn’t a feature—it’s a system

The real insight:

3. The missed opportunity in travel UX

“Here are 5 trails… one of them works for you.”

Future state:

“Tell us your needs → we’ll show you only what works.”

What happens when a destination decides it’s not just selling visits—but protecting a place? In this episode, we head to the Oregon Coast to talk with Stacey Gunderson about the evolving role of DMOs in a world where tourism growth, environmental responsibility, and community trust are all colliding. This isn’t a conversation about campaigns. It’s about philosophy.

From seafood trails and cross-industry collaboration to the real (and often unmeasurable) ROI of stewardship, Stacey Gunderson offers a grounded look at what it takes to build a destination brand that people don’t just visit—but respect.

🧭 What You’ll Learn

1. How to filter signal from noise at conferences The shift from “take everything in” to “know what actually matters” comes down to strategic clarity—and collaboration opportunities.

2. Why trails are really about ecosystems, not itineraries The Oregon Coast Seafood Trail isn’t just a product—it’s a platform for local businesses, partnerships, and layered visitor experiences (beer, wine, seafood all working together).

3. The subtle power of “Coast Like a Local” It’s not just a tagline—it reframes the visitor mindset from consumption to participation. → You’re not visiting a place. You’re borrowing it.

4. Stewardship as a marketing function (not a side initiative) From social content choices to on-the-ground infrastructure, stewardship shows up everywhere: What you post What you don’t post How partners align What behaviors you normalize

5. The hardest question: What’s the ROI of doing the right thing? You can’t always measure it. But you can see it: Cleaner beaches Better visitor behavior Stronger emotional connection Long-term sustainability This is marketing beyond attribution.

6. AI adoption—intentionally slow, strategically aware The Oregon Coast approach: No rush to deploy AI-facing tools Focus on making content AI-readable and discoverable Real concern about environmental impact Watching, learning, and choosing moments carefully It’s restraint as strategy—not hesitation.

🔑 Key Takeaways Visitors don’t think in regions—DMOs do. Collaboration beats territorial thinking. Behavior is shaped by signals, not rules. Show, don’t tell. Stewardship is brand. If it’s not embedded everywhere, it’s not real. Not everything that matters can be measured—but it still compounds. AI readiness ≠ AI adoption. Structuring your content may matter more than deploying tools (for now).

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Arturo Gaona and Sofia Bravo from Wheel the World, a company focused on making travel more accessible for people with disabilities.

Recorded during the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism, the conversation explores how accessibility data, trust, and verification are transforming how travelers with disabilities plan trips—and why destinations that ignore this market are leaving billions on the table.

Wheel the World operates both a consumer booking platform and a verification system for destinations and hospitality businesses, helping travelers confidently plan accessible trips while giving destinations a clearer way to understand and promote their accessibility offerings.

Wheel the World operates two core services.

On the consumer side, travelers with accessibility needs can use the platform to search and book accessible experiences—from hotel rooms to multi-day trips around the world.

On the industry side, the company works with destinations, hotels, and tourism organizations to verify accessibility information and improve how those offerings are communicated.

To gather that information, the company deploys trained “mappers” who physically visit properties and collect more than 200 accessibility data points, ranging from door widths and bed heights to mobility considerations throughout a property.

Traditional hospitality listings often describe accessibility in vague terms—simply labeling a room as “accessible.”

But for travelers with disabilities, that binary description doesn’t provide enough information to plan a trip confidently.

Wheel the World solves that problem by combining detailed property measurements with personalized traveler profiles.

Travelers can create accessibility profiles that include information about mobility needs, assistive devices, or comfort requirements. The platform then uses that information to match travelers with properties that best fit their needs.

The goal is simple: replace uncertainty with trust.

Oregon has become a national leader in accessible tourism.

The state has invested roughly $8 million in accessibility initiatives over the past six years, funding improvements, training programs, and verification projects across destinations.

Through partnerships with Wheel the World, Oregon has verified more than 770 tourism businesses, making it the most accessible-verified state in the country.

That verification effort began along the Oregon Coast and later expanded statewide as more destinations saw the benefits of standardized accessibility data.

Accessibility is often framed as a compliance issue or a diversity initiative.

But Arturo and Sofia argue that the travel industry should view it as something else entirely:

A massive growth opportunity.

In the United States alone:

• Travelers with disabilities and their companions generate about $25 billion in travel spending annually

Despite that demand, the industry frequently fails these travelers.

Research suggests that three out of four accessible trips experience a problem, ranging from incorrect accessibility information to inadequate facilities.

Interestingly, the biggest barrier isn’t technology or booking systems.

It’s trust.

Travelers with disabilities often struggle to find accurate, detailed information about accessibility before they arrive at a destination.

That uncertainty prevents many people from traveling at all.

Studies show that half of travelers with disabilities would travel more frequently if they had reliable accessibility information before booking.

Providing transparent data—even when a property isn’t perfectly accessible—builds trust and allows travelers to make informed decisions.

One of the more interesting insights from the conversation touches on how accessibility data intersects with AI and search.

Because Wheel the World has spent years collecting structured accessibility data, their platform has become one of the most comprehensive databases of accessibility information in hospitality.

As AI systems increasingly rely on trusted data sources to answer travel questions, platforms that provide structured, authoritative data are more likely to surface in AI-generated search results.

In other words:

The future of travel discovery may depend heavily on who owns the best data.

Wheel the World has also built a large online community of travelers with disabilities who actively share experiences and recommendations.

Their Facebook group alone has grown to more than 40,000 members, where travelers exchange insights about destinations, hotels, and accessibility challenges around the world.

For destinations that successfully serve this audience, the payoff can be significant.

Travelers with accessibility needs often become highly loyal visitors, returning to destinations that provide reliable and welcoming experiences.

This episode highlights several strategic lessons for destination marketers:

• Accessibility is a major economic opportunity, not just a compliance issue

Arturo Gaona

Sofia Bravo 

Wheel the World is a global platform dedicated to making travel accessible for people with disabilities. The company partners with destinations and hospitality businesses to verify accessibility information and help travelers plan trips with confidence.

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Carol Skeeters Stevens, Chief Marketing Officer at Travel Medford, to explore how curiosity, community partnerships, and evolving marketing strategies shape tourism in Southern Oregon.

Recorded during the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism, the conversation touches on the changing role of destination marketers, the power of third-party validation in shaping perception, and how Medford’s connection to Oregon’s wine industry plays a critical role in its tourism story.

Stevens also shares how staying curious—about travelers, industries, and experiences outside our comfort zones—can help tourism leaders remain effective in a rapidly evolving marketing landscape.

Stevens notes that one of the biggest changes in destination marketing over the last three years has been the shift from traditional media toward digital channels.

For many destination marketers who came up in more traditional advertising environments, this shift requires a level of trust in targeting systems and audience segmentation that can feel unfamiliar.

Rather than physically seeing an ad placement, marketers must rely on data signals to ensure the message is reaching the right traveler at the right time.

In 2025, Sunset Magazine named Medford one of the best small towns in the West.

For Stevens and her team, recognition like this serves as valuable third-party validation that helps reshape perceptions of the destination.

While awards don’t necessarily translate directly into immediate bookings, they provide credibility and open the door to new conversations with potential travelers.

The real value lies in the ripple effect:

Before joining Travel Medford, Stevens spent years working in the wine industry—an experience that continues to shape how she approaches destination marketing.

Oregon’s Rogue Valley is now the second-largest wine region in the state, following the Willamette Valley, and wine tourism plays a central role in the region’s visitor experience.

But Stevens emphasizes that wineries represent more than just tasting rooms.

They serve as hospitality hubs where visitors learn about local restaurants, outdoor experiences, and community culture.

In that way, the wine industry functions as both an economic engine and a storytelling platform for the region.

Stevens also highlights several emerging trends shaping the wine experience in Oregon:

• Growth in sparkling wine production

Rather than focusing solely on traditional tastings, wineries are increasingly creating social spaces where visitors gather for music, food, and shared experiences.

Curiosity is a central theme of the conversation.

Stevens believes staying curious requires constantly reminding yourself that your personal preferences are not the audience.

Destination marketers must step outside their own travel habits and consider the needs, fears, and motivations of different traveler segments.

That might mean asking simple but powerful questions:

• What barriers might prevent someone from trying this experience?

By examining those questions, marketers can better understand how travelers engage with destinations.

One of Stevens’ favorite aspects of tourism conferences is the opportunity for collaboration across destinations.

Oregon’s tourism leaders—from coastal communities to mountain towns—share a common goal: promoting the state while celebrating the diversity of its regions.

Stevens believes the industry benefits when destinations actively share ideas and best practices rather than competing in isolation.

Her philosophy mirrors a simple idea sometimes used at tourism conferences:

“Steal this idea.”

If a strategy works for one destination, it may inspire innovation elsewhere.

This episode highlights several lessons for destination marketing professionals:

• Digital targeting now requires trust in data-driven placement

Carol Skeeters Stevens

Carol Skeeters Stevens leads marketing strategy for Travel Medford in Southern Oregon. With a background in the wine industry, she brings deep experience in hospitality, regional storytelling, and tourism partnerships that help showcase the Rogue Valley as a destination.

Eric Hultgren sits down with Claire Fisher, CMO of Explore Tualatin Valley at the Oregon Governor's Conference for Tourism. Claire brings an agency background and broad DMO experience beyond Oregon and the US, and she shares how the CMO role has evolved, how her team is navigating AI and social media, and what's on the horizon for Tualatin Valley in 2026.

Key Topics & Takeaways The Evolving CMO Role at a DMO • Claire frames the CMO role today as fundamentally about alignment — breaking down organizational silos. • Constantly returning to the "why" behind strategy is critical as the marketing landscape shifts. • Favors a "compass, not a map" mindset: direction is set, but the route to get there must stay flexible. • Structure with flexibility — experiments should be allowed to guide the team down unexpected paths.

Social Media & Channel Strategy • TikTok: A priority growth channel — grew from ~300 followers to 5,000+ in about 18 months. • Younger audiences are increasingly using TikTok as a search tool; presence is non-negotiable. • Viral moments are meaningful for top-of-funnel awareness but shouldn't be confused with conversion. • Instagram is outperforming Facebook within their Meta investment. • Pinterest is on the radar as a pre-planning/inspirational tool, but KPIs and engagement benchmarks must be defined per channel before scaling. • Guiding principle: expand channels with purpose, not for the sake of presence.

AI — "Know Thy Frenemy" • AI is directly impacting DMO website traffic — AI-generated search overviews are reducing click-throughs. • The team is working to understand how their site is being referenced in AI summaries and ensure discoverability. • Uses a 28-day AI challenge program (one new AI tool per day, 10–20 min each) to build team fluency. • Explored tools across image generation, music, video, voiceovers (mentioned 11 Labs as notable), and content strategy. • Team-first philosophy: prefers directing feedback to human designers and writers over replacing them with tools — but acknowledges AI's value for under-resourced DMOs. • Sees parallels to early social media: the landscape is moving so fast that we won't know which tools survive until years from now. • Called for more regulatory structure around AI, drawing a direct comparison to how social media was left to grow unchecked.

2026 Priorities & World Cup • Excited for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — Tualatin Valley is positioned as a stopover between World Cup host cities San Francisco and Seattle. • Potential for international soccer teams to train in the region. • Internally focused on building a culture of "test and learn" and being data-forward. • Annual planning focus: fewer priorities, deeper impact — "a mile wide and an inch deep doesn't help you."

Destination Development & Partnerships • Strong existing relationships in wine, brewery/tap room, and cidery segments — these partners are becoming brand ambassadors. • Growth segments: agritourism, culinary, and outdoor — working to bring partnership trust up to the level of their beverage industry relationships. • Long-game thinking is essential, even when the instinct is to want results today.

Accessibility • Explore Tualatin Valley is a Wheel the World verified destination. • Completed Cohort 1 of Wheel the World assessments (10–20 locations: attractions, hotels, wineries, etc.). • Cohort 2 underway — expanding variety and geographic coverage within the destination. • Accessibility lens is broad: inclusive playgrounds, sensory rooms, and movie theater times for neurodivergent families. • Oregon is the #1 state in the nation for accessibility — a key point of distinction and storytelling. • Philosophy: accessibility isn't just a box to check — there are real stories to tell.

Leadership vs. Learning in Destination Marketing

Todd Davidson emphasizes that strong leadership requires knowing when to lead and when to listen. While Travel Oregon is often viewed as an industry leader, some of the best ideas originate from local communities and small organizations across the state. A key example is Oregon’s nationally recognized accessibility initiative, which began with coastal communities experimenting with ways to make tourism more accessible to travelers with disabilities.

Travel Oregon learned from those local innovations and scaled them statewide. Today, Oregon is the only U.S. state with tourism accessibility verified by Wheel the World, covering hundreds of businesses across dozens of communities.

The Evolution of Travel Marketing

Davidson reflects on the transformation of destination marketing over three decades—from the early days of the web to today’s AI-driven personalization. When Travel Oregon first proposed launching its website in the late 1990s, many state tourism leaders questioned whether the internet would matter for travel marketing. But the throughline across every technological shift has remained the same: travelers want experiences that feel personal and tailored to them. AI, Davidson argues, is simply the latest tool that allows destinations to deliver on that expectation.

The Rise of Hyper-Personalized Marketing

One of Travel Oregon’s major strategic goals has been moving toward true one-to-one marketing. Rather than sending one newsletter to hundreds of thousands of subscribers, Davidson challenged his team to imagine sending hundreds of thousands of individualized emails, each reflecting a traveler’s specific interests and stage in the planning journey. This approach led to the development of a visitor lifecycle marketing model designed to match content with where travelers are in the decision process—from inspiration to trip planning.

When Marketing Works Too Well

Davidson also discusses a challenge that many destinations now face: over-tourism and unintended impacts of successful marketing. Travel Oregon’s “Seven Wonders of Oregon” campaign significantly increased visitation to several iconic natural sites. At locations like Smith Rock State Park, the campaign drove visitor demand beyond what the infrastructure could support.

The experience prompted the organization to rethink how it promotes destinations, focusing more on:

• dispersing visitation geographically

• encouraging off-peak travel

• managing visitor expectations

• monitoring resident sentiment

Measuring the Industry’s Impact

During Davidson’s tenure, Oregon’s tourism industry saw substantial growth. Tourism-related jobs increased from roughly 40,000 positions to more than 120,000, while annual visitor spending rose from approximately $6.5 billion to nearly $14.7 billion. For Davidson, the true impact of tourism is not marketing awards or campaigns—it is the jobs and economic opportunities created for residents across the state.

Advice for Future Destination Leaders 

As he reflects on his career, Davidson offers three key pieces of advice for emerging leaders in tourism marketing:

1. Devour research Understanding evolving consumer behavior is essential to staying relevant in the travel industry.

2. Trust your team Great organizations succeed when leaders hire smart people and remove obstacles so they can do their work.

3. Trust your instincts Experience creates intuition. Leaders should balance data and research with the instincts developed over years in the field.

A Philosophy of Stewardship

When asked how he hopes to be remembered, Davidson rejects the idea of legacy. Instead, he frames his career as stewardship—caring for the role temporarily so the next leader can take the organization even further. For Davidson, the success of Oregon tourism isn’t measured in personal achievements but in the strength of the industry that remains after he steps away.

About the Guest

Todd Davidson CEO, Travel Oregon Todd Davidson has led Travel Oregon for nearly three decades and is widely recognized as one of the most influential leaders in U.S. destination marketing. During his tenure, Oregon’s tourism industry experienced significant growth and became known for its innovation in sustainability, accessibility, and destination stewardship.

About Field Notes Field Notes:

Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer explores the ideas shaping the future of destination marketing. Through conversations with tourism leaders, marketers, and industry innovators, the podcast uncovers strategies destinations can use to connect with travelers in an increasingly digital and personalized world.

Guest: Marcus Hibdon, VP of Communications, Travel Portland

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Market, Eric Hultgren speaks with Marcus Hibdon, Vice President of Communications for Travel Portland, about what makes Portland a distinctive destination and how DMOs can think strategically about infrastructure, storytelling, and evolving travel sentiment.

From Portland’s thoughtful transportation system to its globally recognized culinary scene, the conversation explores how intentional design, local culture, and authentic storytelling shape visitor experiences. Marcus also shares how international travel dynamics are affecting destinations today and why relationships—not campaigns—are the long-term strategy for global tourism recovery. 

Designing Cities for Visitors and Locals

The Airport as the First Brand Experience

International Travel Headwinds

Destination Differentiation

The Power of Local Stories

From chefs and farmers to servers and small business owners, the people who power a destination often become the most compelling storytellers.

Portland’s Culinary Culture

Marcus shares what visitors should do if they want to experience Portland beyond the typical tourist itinerary.

Highlights include:

• Exploring the city by bike

Portland’s geography makes it easy to combine urban experiences with outdoor exploration, with mountains, rivers, forests, and the Pacific coast all within easy driving distance.

When asked what he would do with unlimited funding, Marcus didn’t mention ad campaigns or infrastructure.

Instead, he pointed to creators.

If resources were unlimited, he would invest heavily in social media creators and travel influencers, funding them to produce authentic storytelling and amplifying their content with paid distribution.

The reasoning is simple:

For DMOs, the future of destination marketing may depend less on polished brand campaigns and more on trusted storytellers who already hold attention online.

In this short Field Notes episode, Eric frames a practical message for destination marketers: AI is moving fast enough that relying on free tiers can put a DMO behind, and the bigger unlock is using AI inside real work (strategy, data, reporting, and content) instead of just asking quick questions. He also flags the emerging “ads vs ad-free” positioning battle between AI platforms as part of the broader trust conversation.

Why this episode is relevant to DMOs

Resources referenced or strongly implied by the episode (for your show notes links)