Destination marketing bridges tourism, marketing, economics, and public policy — each with its own vocabulary. This glossary defines 35 terms commonly encountered by DMO professionals, tourism marketers, and destination management practitioners.
A
ADR (Average Daily Rate)
The average revenue earned per occupied room per day in a destination's accommodation sector. Calculated as total room revenue ÷ rooms sold. ADR is a primary indicator of destination pricing power — destinations with strong brands and high demand command higher ADR. Cornell research links review quality to ADR: a 1-point online review improvement correlates with up to 11.2% ADR increase.
Attribution
The process of determining which marketing activities caused a visitor to choose the destination. DMO attribution is inherently difficult because multiple touchpoints (advertising, PR, trade agent, word-of-mouth, social media) influence a single booking decision. Common models include last-click attribution, survey-based attribution, and econometric modelling. See measuring DMO impact.
AVE (Advertising Value Equivalent)
An estimate of how much media coverage would cost if purchased as advertising. Calculated by multiplying coverage size/duration by advertising rate card. Widely used in PR reporting but increasingly criticised as an imprecise measure. More meaningful alternatives include coverage reach, sentiment analysis, and website traffic correlation.
B
Benchmarking
Comparing destination performance against competitor destinations or industry averages. STR provides accommodation benchmarking data. VisitBritain publishes comparative destination performance. Benchmarking identifies where a destination over- or underperforms relative to its competitive set.
Brand Architecture
The structure of a destination brand, including master brand, sub-brands (regional, thematic), and the relationships between them. See destination brand positioning.
C
Conference Bureau
A function within or alongside the DMO that attracts and supports conference and business tourism. Services include bid support, venue coordination, delegate experience, and MICE marketing.
Content Marketing
Creating and distributing valuable content (guides, articles, videos, social posts) to attract and engage potential visitors. For DMOs, content marketing is typically the primary digital strategy, with AI tools enabling content production at scale.
D
Destination Management
The broader discipline encompassing marketing, product development, visitor flow management, sustainability, and stakeholder coordination. Modern DMOs increasingly function as destination management organisations, not just marketing organisations.
DMO (Destination Marketing Organisation)
An entity responsible for promoting a destination to potential visitors. DMOs operate at national (VisitBritain), regional (Visit Cornwall), and local levels. Funding models include government grants, industry levies, membership fees, and commercial revenue.
E
Econometric Modelling
Statistical analysis correlating marketing spend with visitor outcomes. Used by sophisticated DMOs to demonstrate marketing ROI beyond simple attribution. Requires multi-year data and statistical expertise.
F
FAM Trip (Familiarisation Trip)
An organised visit for travel trade professionals or media to experience the destination firsthand. DMO FAM trip strategy should integrate pre-trip AI training and post-trip knowledge reinforcement to maximise return on investment.
G
GVA (Gross Value Added)
The economic value tourism adds to the local economy — calculated as tourism revenue minus the cost of inputs. GVA is the standard UK measure of economic contribution and the primary metric for communicating tourism economic impact to government stakeholders.
I
IVS (International Visitor Survey)
ONS-conducted survey measuring international visitor numbers, spending, and behaviour in the UK. A primary data source for national and regional tourism performance analysis.
L
Leakage
The proportion of tourism spending that leaves the local economy — through imports, external wages, corporate profits extracted from the area, and supply chain spending outside the destination. Lower leakage indicates stronger local economic benefit from tourism.
Leverage
Maximising the value of DMO assets and activities by encouraging partner contribution. A FAM trip where accommodation is partner-funded and the DMO provides coordination leverages partner resources to achieve shared objectives.
M
MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions)
The business tourism segment encompassing corporate meetings, incentive travel, conferences and conventions, and exhibitions/trade shows. MICE visitors typically spend 2-3x more than leisure visitors.
Multiplier Effect
The phenomenon where direct visitor spending generates additional economic activity through indirect (supply chain) and induced (employee spending) effects. Tourism multipliers typically range from 1.5x to 1.8x in UK destinations.
N
NPS (Net Promoter Score)
A metric measuring visitor loyalty based on likelihood to recommend. Calculated from survey responses: % Promoters (9-10 score) minus % Detractors (0-6 score). Used to assess destination experience quality and brand health.
O
Occupancy Rate
The percentage of available accommodation that is occupied. A primary KPI for accommodation-dependent destinations. Season-on-season occupancy trends indicate whether marketing is converting interest into visits.
Overtourism
Excessive tourism volume or concentration that negatively impacts resident quality of life, environmental sustainability, or visitor experience quality. DMOs increasingly balance promotion with visitor flow management to prevent overtourism.
P
Positioning
The distinctive identity and promise a destination communicates to differentiate itself from competitors. See destination brand positioning. Effective positioning answers "Why visit here instead of there?"
R
RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room)
A key accommodation performance metric combining occupancy and ADR: RevPAR = ADR × Occupancy Rate. Higher RevPAR indicates stronger destination demand. DMO marketing that improves both occupancy and ADR maximises RevPAR impact.
S
Seasonality
The distribution of visitor demand across the year. Most destinations experience peak, shoulder, and off-peak seasons. Seasonality extension — growing shoulder and off-peak visitation — is a primary DMO objective because it increases total economic impact without increasing peak-season pressure.
Source Market
A geographic area from which visitors originate. Understanding source markets informs targeting, messaging, and channel selection. International market development involves prioritising and investing in the most valuable source markets.
STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor)
The most widely used economic impact model for UK destinations. STEAM combines accommodation, transport, and survey data to estimate visitor numbers, spending, employment, and economic impact. Provides standardised output enabling year-on-year and destination-to-destination comparison.
Subvention
Financial support provided by a DMO to attract a specific event or conference. Subvention may include cash contributions, in-kind services, or marketing support, justified by the event's expected economic impact.
Sustainable Tourism
Tourism managed to meet present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs (UNWTO definition). DMOs are increasingly responsible for integrating sustainability into destination marketing.
T
TIC (Tourist Information Centre)
A physical facility providing visitor information, booking services, and local knowledge. While declining in number, TICs remain important data collection points and visitor service touchpoints.
Trade Channel
The network of travel agents, tour operators, and OTAs that sell the destination to consumers. DMO trade engagement aims to increase destination knowledge and selling confidence within the trade channel through AI-powered training, FAM trips, and sales tools.
TRevPAR (Total Revenue Per Available Room)
An extension of RevPAR including non-room revenue (F&B, spa, parking, etc.). Provides a more complete view of accommodation revenue performance.
U
USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
The specific feature, experience, or characteristic that makes a destination unique. A strong USP forms the basis of destination positioning. "Beautiful beaches" is not a USP (many destinations have them). "Britain's only subtropical garden coast" is.
V
Visitor Economy
The total economic activity generated by visitors, including direct spending, indirect supply chain effects, and induced employee spending. The visitor economy encompasses all sectors that benefit from tourism — not just accommodation and attractions.
Visitor Journey
The sequence of touchpoints from initial inspiration through planning, booking, experiencing, and sharing. DMOs should deliver relevant content and engagement at each stage of the journey.
Using This Glossary
This glossary covers terms commonly encountered in DMO and destination marketing. For AI-specific terminology, see our AI in Travel Glossary. For hotel training terms, see our Hotel Staff Training Glossary. For sales terminology, see our Sales Enablement Glossary.
For a comprehensive introduction to DMO marketing, read our Complete Guide to DMO Marketing.
This article is part of our DMO Marketing series. Related reading:
