Stewardship at the Core: Redefining How Destination Organizations Operate

If your destination is feeling the pressure, from visitor growth to community pushback to climate-related disruptions, this is your sign: it’s time for a shift. Stewardship can no longer be treated as a side project or a once-a-year campaign. It must become the central operating system of your destination organization. Embedded in your strategy, baked into your operations, and championed by every department.

In this session, we’ll explore how to make that transformation. You’ll learn how to integrate stewardship into your organization’s core functions: planning, marketing, funding, and measurement. We’ll cover how to establish baseline assessments, build cross-sector stewardship committees, and realign your performance metrics to reflect true community value.

You’ll also hear two case studies that show what this looks like in practice. 4VI has redefined its entire mandate around stewardship, moving from a traditional marketing organization to a values-driven social enterprise that puts community benefit first. Visit Durango built one of the first dedicated destination management and stewardship departments in the U.S., creating a model for how DMOs can lead with sustainability, community alignment, and long-term impact. Their stories will offer real-world insights, lessons learned, and practical next steps.

This session is for any tourism leader who is ready to stop bolting stewardship onto the side of their organization and start building it into the foundation.