Sojern Highlights Key Global Trends in Destination Marketing, Revealing Insights That Will Shape the Future of Travel Marketing in North America, Europe, and Beyond

Published on February 4, 2025

Sojern, a leader in digital marketing solutions for the travel industry, announced the release of the State of Destination Marketing 2025 report. This report, developed in collaboration with Benchmark Research Partners and supported by various tourism organizations, including Brand USA, Destination Canada, the European Travel Commission, and the Caribbean Tourism Organization, offers valuable insights into the evolving trends in destination marketing. Drawing from the experiences of nearly 200 global destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and other key tourism entities, the report builds upon its predecessor, the State of Destination Marketing 2024, and highlights the growing resilience of digital advertising strategies in the tourism sector.

Strong Shift Toward Digital Advertising

The report reveals that a significant majority of DMOs, around 85%, have either maintained or increased their digital advertising budgets compared to the previous year. This demonstrates the continuing commitment of DMOs to invest in digital platforms and sophisticated marketing strategies. The growing investment reflects the need to reach and engage travelers effectively across various stages of the customer journey. Noreen Henry, Chief Revenue Officer at Sojern, pointed out that as DMOs invest more in digital marketing, they must also demonstrate a return on investment (ROI), necessitating the use of advanced tools and data to effectively engage travelers throughout the entire marketing funnel.

• Key Stats on Digital Advertising:
  • 85% of DMOs maintaining or increasing digital ad budgets
  • 60% use clicks as the top metric to track success
  • 54% struggle to show clear ROI

Complex Campaigns and Rising Challenges

Destination marketing organizations face a host of challenges in today’s landscape, particularly when it comes to managing limited resources while still delivering clear, measurable results. These challenges are amplified by increasing expectations from both consumers and stakeholders, as well as the rapid pace of technological change. The complexity of modern marketing campaigns, which span multiple channels, often makes it difficult for DMOs to demonstrate success effectively. Despite the growth in programmatic advertising, which 83% of DMOs now use for its precision and trackability, many still find it difficult to measure the effectiveness of full-funnel campaigns.

• Top Challenges:
  • 54% struggle with tracking ROI
  • 37% face difficulties with tracking and attribution across channels

The Growing Role of Artificial Intelligence

A particularly noteworthy trend in the report is the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) within the destination marketing industry. While 63% of DMOs already utilize AI for content creation, only 28% are using it for data analysis. This indicates a significant opportunity for DMOs to harness AI for deeper insights and more effective decision-making. However, to fully unlock AI’s potential, it will be crucial for DMOs to address existing resource limitations and close training gaps. The growing integration of AI into marketing strategies is expected to enhance targeting precision and customer personalization, leading to more relevant and impactful marketing campaigns.

A Shift Toward Always-On Campaigns

The traditional model of running seasonal campaigns is gradually being replaced by the more continuous nature of always-on campaigns. The report found that 52% of DMOs now prefer always-on strategies, a significant rise from 40% who favored them in previous years. These campaigns have shown substantial benefits, with 42% of DMOs reporting that brand awareness is the most significant impact of an always-on marketing approach. This shift indicates that DMOs are moving away from short-term, reactive marketing tactics in favor of long-term, sustained engagement with travelers.

Brand-Building Becomes a Priority

After the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, when DMOs were focused on driving bookings and generating immediate results, there is now a clear shift toward long-term strategic goals. With the travel industry stabilizing, DMOs are rebalancing their efforts and prioritizing brand-building as a key focus. The report highlighted that the proportion of campaigns focusing on brand awareness has increased, with a more even split between stage-specific and full-funnel strategies compared to 2024. This trend suggests that DMOs are looking to build lasting relationships with travelers, rather than focusing solely on short-term conversions.

• Campaign Strategy Shifts:
  • A move from full-funnel dominance (70% in 2024) to a 50/50 split between stage-specific and full-funnel strategies

The Power of Data and Its Challenges

Data continues to play a crucial role in the success of destination marketing efforts. However, many DMOs struggle with effectively utilizing data to shape actionable strategies. Over half of DMOs report that data analysis is one of their greatest challenges, and 45% find it difficult to turn data insights into practical marketing decisions. Despite these hurdles, the majority of DMOs already leverage data for various aspects of their digital marketing efforts. Data insights are being used extensively for tracking visitor statistics, digital marketing optimization, and market research.

• Data Insights Utilized:
  • 84% use data for digital marketing insights
  • 75% use it for tracking visitor statistics
  • 69% for market research

Co-Op Marketing Continues to Grow

The concept of co-op marketing is gaining traction, particularly in Europe, where participation in cooperative marketing initiatives has risen by 16% year-over-year. By partnering with hotels, attractions, airlines, and other key stakeholders, DMOs are able to pool resources, extend their reach, and better scale their efforts. This collaborative approach allows DMOs to achieve greater impact with their campaigns while optimizing costs and resources.

The Rise of Video and Social Media

Social media remains a dominant force in the destination marketing landscape, with 91% of DMOs using it for marketing and nearly all DMOs (99%) ranking Facebook and Instagram among their top channels. However, newer platforms like connected TV (CTV) and short-form video are emerging as increasingly important tools for DMOs. These formats offer immersive and visually rich opportunities for engaging with travelers and creating highly impactful campaigns that resonate more deeply with audiences.

Global Impact on Travelers and the Travel Industry

The trends highlighted in the State of Destination Marketing 2025 report underscore the growing importance of digital strategies and data-driven decision-making in the global travel industry. As DMOs adapt to new technologies and audience expectations, travelers will benefit from more personalized, seamless, and engaging travel marketing experiences. With an increasing focus on AI, programmatic advertising, and always-on campaigns, the future of destination marketing will likely see more dynamic and relevant interactions with potential travelers. This will lead to greater opportunities for travelers to discover tailored experiences, more timely travel offers, and richer content that speaks to their interests.

The State of Destination Marketing 2025 report highlights several key trends in the travel marketing industry, including increased reliance on digital strategies, the growing importance of AI and data, and a shift toward continuous, always-on campaigns. For DMOs, these shifts represent both challenges and opportunities, requiring them to innovate and adapt to stay competitive. As these trends evolve, the impact on the travel industry will likely be profound, with more personalized experiences for travelers, and smarter, more data-driven marketing strategies from DMOs.