Destination marketing used to mean brochures, trade fairs and a glossy campaign film. Now a growing share of it happens in short videos made by people who actually went there. This guide sets out a repeatable method for how a destination markets itself through creators: who runs it, how to pick partners, how to measure results and where the money flows. It is written for tourism boards, DMOs, hotels and the creators who work with them.
What does a destination marketer do?
A destination marketer promotes a place as a whole rather than a single business. Their job is to make a city, region or country attractive to travelers, then send that interest toward the hotels, tours, restaurants and attractions that make up the visitor economy. They work with local communities, airlines, hotel groups and tour operators, and they are usually employed by a tourism board or a destination marketing organization, known as a DMO.
The core tasks are similar across most destinations:
- Define the story of the destination and the visitor types it wants to attract.
- Coordinate partners so the message is consistent across hotels, tours and transport.
- Run promotion across owned channels, paid media, press and creators.
- Measure visits, bookings and sentiment, then adjust the next campaign.
Creators now play a part in every one of those tasks. They help shape the story and extend reach into audiences a board could never buy directly. Their links can also show which content leads to a booking.
Why do destinations turn to creators?
Travelers research trips on the same platforms where they spend their free time. A short video of a beach at sunrise or a street food market feels like a recommendation from a person, which a banner advert rarely manages. Tourism marketing depends on that trust.
The shift has stuck for three practical reasons. First, creators generate content at a pace and variety that a small marketing team cannot match. Second, their audiences are specific, so a food creator reaches diners and a family creator reaches parents. Third, a creator video can carry a trackable booking link, which turns inspiration into measurable demand.
📝 NOTE
Creator content works best alongside the destination brand, with the brand setting the guardrails and the creator keeping their own voice.
How do digital marketing and content creation impact tourism?
Digital marketing changed tourism by shortening the path from dream to booking. A viewer can see a rooftop bar, save it, check availability and buy a voucher in the same session. Content creation feeds every stage of that path: discovery, comparison, confidence and purchase.
The effect on destinations is mixed and worth planning for. Popular spots can become crowded when a video spreads, while lesser known neighborhoods can gain visitors they never expected. Good destination marketing uses creator content to spread demand across seasons and districts instead of piling more people into the same famous square.
In ENTRO.LY's own data, creator posts show an engagement rate of 7.5%, so audiences do interact with this format instead of scrolling past it.
How has destination marketing changed over time?
The old model was broadcast: buy space, run the campaign, count arrivals months later. The newer model is closer to a conversation. Content creators publish continuously, audiences respond in comments, and the destination can adapt within days instead of seasons.
Neither approach is wrong. Most DMOs keep a hero campaign for brand building and use creators for always-on promotion and conversion.
The method: from goals to creator brief
The method below is the one we recommend for any destination, whether a national tourism board or a single seaside town.
Set one clear objective
Choose whether the campaign is about awareness, off-season visits, a new attraction or direct bookings. A single objective makes every later choice easier.
Map the visitor you want
Describe the traveler: where they fly from, what they spend on, what they already know about the place. This decides which creators fit.
Recruit partners across the visitor journey
Invite hotels, tour operators, restaurants and transport partners so a creator can show a complete trip, not a single stop.
Shortlist creators by fit, not follower count
Look at audience location, content quality, past travel work and how followers respond. A small, trusted account can outperform a large one.
Write a light brief
Give the story, the must-see places, the facts to get right and the disclosure rules. Leave room for the creator's own style.
Provide trackable links
Every video should point to a bookable offer where possible, so you can connect content to revenue.
Review and repeat
Compare results, keep the creators who performed, and refine the brief for the next wave.
Which creators suit tourism marketing?
Not every creator suits travel. The strongest partners tend to fall into a few groups: local guides who know hidden spots, food and drink creators, family and accessibility specialists, and long-form travel storytellers. Local creators matter especially because residents trust them and they help the destination avoid content that feels imported.
Accessibility needs separate attention. Destinations that invite creators to show step-free routes and sensory-friendly venues serve a real audience that is often ignored. Our guide to accessible travel content ideas for TikTok creators is a good starting point for briefs.
To find people who already cover stays and trips, see where to find creators who cover accommodation content.
How do hotels and partners fit into a destination campaign?
A destination campaign is only as strong as the businesses that convert the interest. Hotels are the clearest example: a viewer who loves a video needs somewhere to stay, and the hotel needs to be ready for that guest. Boards can help by briefing hotels on how creator content works and by encouraging consistent offers.
Many hoteliers are still unfamiliar with this channel. If you are the one doing the explaining, explaining TikTok GO to a hotel that has not heard of it gives plain-language framing. For hotel-side tactics, digital marketing for hotels covers the wider picture, and boutique hotel marketing helps smaller properties stand out.
Airlines, rail operators and local transport can join too. A campaign that links a flight offer, a room and an experience gives the viewer a complete itinerary and gives the destination a fuller loyalty story.
Gifted stays, fees or commission: how do you pay creators?
How you pay creators shapes the relationship. A gifted stay is simple but can feel one-sided when the creator also spends time and money producing content. A flat fee gives certainty but no link between pay and results. Commission aligns incentives, because the creator earns when viewers actually book.
Two guides cover the practical questions. Affiliate vs booking commission for creators explains how the payment types differ, and how creators make money from TikTok hotel and travel videos shows what the creator side looks like in practice.
❗ IMPORTANT
Always require clear disclosure of gifted stays and paid partnerships. A destination borrows trust from the creator, and undisclosed deals damage both.
How does a booking link turn views into visits?
The weak point of most creator campaigns used to be the gap between watching and buying. Platform features that let viewers purchase a hotel voucher or restaurant offer from the video itself close that gap. On TikTok, TikTok GO is the feature built for local businesses, and it lets creators attach bookable offers to their posts. If you want the mechanics, read how TikTok GO works for local business.
Expect modest conversion rates and plan around them. In ENTRO.LY's data on TikTok GO, 1.3% of posts carried a sale, and view-weighted engagement was 4.0%. Most posts therefore inspire without converting directly, so a campaign needs many posts across many creators instead of one big bet.
How do you measure a destination campaign in real-time?
Measurement is where destination marketing improves fastest. With creator links you can follow views, clicks, bookings and saves while a campaign is live, then shift attention to what works. This real-time loop is a major advantage over annual visitor surveys.
- Reach and engagement: who watched, saved, shared and commented.
- Conversion: link clicks, voucher purchases and completed bookings.
- Partner outcomes: occupancy, covers and ticket sales at participating businesses.
- Sentiment: what visitors say about the place in comments and replies.
Attribution is imperfect. A viewer may see a video, then book days later through another route. It helps to know which window your platform uses, and affiliate attribution windows explained for creators breaks it down.
Where does AI help destination marketing?
AI helps most at the edges of the process. Teams use it to analyze large volumes of comments, spot which themes lift engagement, draft brief variations and group creators by audience overlap. Some tools also help generate captions or translations so a campaign can reach visitors in several languages.
Authenticity is the risk. Generated imagery or scripted voices can undercut what makes creator content work. Use AI to improve planning and measurement, and leave the storytelling to people who have been there.
What mistakes should DMOs avoid?
Most failed campaigns make the same handful of mistakes.
- Over-scripting: a rigid brief produces content that reads like an advert and performs like one.
- Chasing follower counts: a large audience in the wrong country rarely books.
- Ignoring residents: heavy promotion without local buy-in can cause backlash.
- No tracking: without links or codes, you cannot learn which creators deliver.
- One-off activity: a single burst fades quickly, while steady partnerships build over time.
One last caution, on overtourism. Use creator promotion to point visitors toward quieter areas and shoulder seasons, and ask creators to model respectful behavior at fragile sites.
Can a small destination do this without a big budget?
Yes. A small town can start with a handful of local creators, a few willing hotels and restaurants, and one clear story. Commission-based offers reduce upfront spend, and gifted experiences can fill gaps. The aim is to learn: run a small pilot, review what the links show, and scale only what earns its place.
If you are a creator reading this to pitch a destination, our walkthrough on how much TikTok GO creators make helps set expectations before you negotiate.
Work with creators who cover your destination
ENTRO.LY helps TikTok affiliate creators and local businesses connect around bookable offers.
Explore ENTRO.LY →Where these numbers come from
- Engagement rate (7.5%): ENTRO.LY platform data, sample size 63784, measured in 2026.
- Go posts with sale share (1.3%): ENTRO.LY platform data, sample size 100017, measured in 2026.
- Go view weighted engagement (4.0%): ENTRO.LY platform data, sample size 1515044, measured in 2026.
FAQ
What does a destination marketer do?+
A destination marketer promotes a place as a whole. They define its story, coordinate hotels, tours and transport partners, run promotion across owned, paid and creator channels, and measure visits and bookings. Most work for tourism boards or DMOs and increasingly partner with content creators.
How do digital marketing and content creation impact tourism?+
They shorten the path from inspiration to booking. A traveler can watch a creator video, check availability and buy in one session. Used well, this spreads demand across seasons and neighborhoods. Used carelessly, it can overcrowd famous spots, so planning matters a great deal.
How should a destination pay creators?+
Options include gifted stays, flat fees, commission or a hybrid of those. Gifts suit early relationships, fees suit fixed hero content, and commission suits always-on promotion because pay follows actual bookings. Whatever the model, require clear disclosure of any gifted or paid partnership so audiences can trust the content.
Can a small destination use creators without a big budget?+
Yes. Start with a few local creators and willing partner businesses, offer commission-based or gifted experiences, and run a small pilot first. Review what the booking links show after a few weeks, then scale only the creators and content formats that actually deliver measurable results.
Where does AI fit into destination marketing?+
AI helps analyze comments, spot engagement themes, draft brief variations and support translations into several languages. It should improve planning and measurement rather than replace storytelling, because authentic first-person creator content is what makes this style of tourism marketing effective for travelers.
