This article is based on insights from Wheresight’s latest AI report, drawing on real data collected from tourism businesses through our Digital Maturity Accelerator.

For decades, Destination Management Organizations have played a clear and important role. Promote the destination, attract visitors, and support tourism growth through marketing.

That role is still important, but it is no longer enough on its own.

The way destinations are discovered and experienced is changing. AI is reshaping how travellers search, how information is presented, and how decisions are made. At the same time, the digital capability of individual tourism businesses is becoming more visible and more important.

This creates a new challenge.

A destination is no longer defined just by how well it markets itself, but by how digitally ready its entire tourism ecosystem is.

Even the most effective destination marketing campaigns rely on what happens after the click.

Visitors move from inspiration to planning, from planning to booking, and from booking to experience. At each stage, they interact with local tourism businesses.

If those businesses are not digitally ready, the destination experience breaks down.

We are already seeing this in practice. Some businesses are adapting quickly, improving their visibility, content, and booking experience. Others are falling behind, creating inconsistency across the destination.

That inconsistency matters.

In an AI-driven environment, where information is aggregated and summarised, gaps at a business level can impact how the entire destination is represented.

AI is not just adding complexity, it is increasing the importance of getting the basics right.

Accurate data, structured content, clear messaging, and strong digital foundations are now critical. AI tools rely on this information to generate recommendations and answers.

If the underlying data is inconsistent or incomplete, the output will be too.

This means DMOs can no longer focus solely on external promotion. They need to play a role in strengthening the digital capability of their business community.

Not by doing the work for them, but by enabling them to improve.

This is where the role of DMOs begins to shift.

Instead of focusing only on attracting visitors, leading destinations are starting to focus on enabling their tourism businesses to perform better digitally.

That includes:

• helping businesses understand what good looks like
• identifying gaps in digital capability
• providing practical guidance on how to improve
• and building confidence around new areas like AI

This shift does not replace marketing. It strengthens it.

Because when businesses are more capable, marketing becomes more effective.

Destinations that invest in capability building gain a clear advantage.

They create more consistency across their tourism ecosystem. They improve the visitor experience. They increase conversion opportunities. And they become more resilient as digital trends continue to evolve.

Most importantly, they are better prepared for the shift toward AI-driven discovery.

Destinations that do not make this shift risk becoming dependent on a small number of strong performers, while the rest of the ecosystem struggles to keep up.

Over time, that gap becomes more visible.

In practice, this shift is about moving from assumptions to understanding.

Rather than guessing how businesses are performing digitally, DMOs need a way to:

• assess digital capability across their ecosystem
• identify where support is needed most
• and track progress over time

This allows them to move from broad initiatives to targeted, practical support.

It also helps create alignment across the destination, so that businesses are not left to figure things out on their own.

The destinations that succeed over the next few years will not just be the ones that market themselves well.

They will be the ones that understand their ecosystem, support their businesses, and build digital capability at scale.

That is what will define competitiveness in a world where AI is shaping how destinations are discovered and chosen.

This article explores how the role of DMOs is evolving as AI reshapes tourism.

If you want to understand the full picture, including how digital maturity is measured across destinations and what practical steps DMOs can take, click here to access the full report.