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Image Credit Sojern
- Sojern’s “State of Destination Marketing 2025” report reveals that 85% of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are maintaining or increasing their digital advertising budgets compared to the previous year.
- The report highlights the growing adoption of AI in content creation by DMOs, with 63% currently using it, and the shift towards always-on campaigns over traditional seasonal ones.
Sojern, a leading digital marketing platform for travel, recently presented the “State of Destination Marketing 2025” report, which provides valuable insights into the current trends in destination marketing. The report, developed in partnership with Benchmark Research Partners, reveals that 85% of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are either maintaining or increasing their digital advertising budgets compared to last year.
The report also highlights the rising challenges DMOs face, such as managing limited resources while demonstrating clear results. Despite these challenges, digital advertising’s resilience is evident, with 83% of respondents focusing on programmatic advertising.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in destination marketing regarding technology adoption. The report shows that 63% of DMOs employ AI for content creation, although only 28% use it for data analysis. This highlights a significant opportunity for DMOs to leverage AI for more insightful data analysis and decision-making.
The study also reveals a shift in campaign strategies, with 52% of DMOs favoring always-on campaigns over traditional seasonal ones. This shift is driven by the improved brand awareness these campaigns deliver. However, despite these advancements, only 15% of DMOs use advanced personalization techniques for real-time channel adjustments.
The report emphasizes that data remains a powerful tool for DMOs, although effectively utilizing it can be challenging. More than half of DMOs (51%) admit that data analysis is a significant hurdle, while 45% struggle to transform that data into actionable strategies.
Regarding marketing collaboration, co-op marketing is growing, especially in Europe, where participation has increased by 16% year-over-year. Finally, while social media remains the dominant channel for DMOs, emerging formats like connected TV and short-form video are gaining traction.
ISojern’s “State of Destination Marketing 2025” report offers significant insights into the current trends and challenges in destination marketing. It underscores the importance of digital advertising, the potential of AI, the shift from seasonal to always-on campaigns, and the central role of data in effective destination marketing.
