How Destination Marketing Organizations Help Maximize Your Marketing Budget

by Sara Currier | March 6, 2025

Marketing is an essential expense for every tourism business. If you’ve never heard of a destination marketing organization (DMO) or if you’ve been wondering if your local DMO’s membership fee is worth it, then this episode is for you. Dan Bevilacqua, the Executive Director of Superior Country, explains how Northern Ontario’s DMOs can help you maximize your marketing dollars and bring the right visitors through your doors.

What is a Destination Marketing Organization?

DMOs are  membership-based not-for-profits that aim to attract visitors to a given region by investing in marketing tactics that are too expensive for most businesses to do on their own.

They differ from Destination Ontario and Destination Northern Ontario because local DMOs are hyper focused on their particular target market. For example, Superior Country mostly targets Midwestern U.S. visitors interested in the region’s four product pillars of Fish and Hunt, Touring, Nature and Adventure, and Culture and Heritage.

Are DMO Membership Fees Worth It?

DMO fees typically range from $300 to $500 per year. 

Dan Bevilacqua says it’s a small fee with a big reward: “ You are leveraging yourself into a much larger marketing budget. So for instance, I spent probably around a couple hundred thousand dollars a year in advertising through different means.  So, a $300 membership is needed in order to leverage yourself into a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of advertising.”

The fee also gives you access to the large amount of market data collected by DMOs and the expertise of their staff. Dan’s members regularly pick his brain about the latest trends and how to attract new customers to their particular business.

Dan recommends getting in contact with your local DMO to find out who they are, what they do, and what they can offer you. 

The Destination Management Organizations in Northern Ontario (West to East) are:

• Sunset Country https://visitsunsetcountry.com/ 
• Superior Country https://superiorcountry.ca/ 
• Algoma Kinniwabi Travel Association https://www.algomacountry.com/ 
• Northeastern Ontario Tourism https://www.northeasternontario.com/ 

Next time on the podcast, we’ll tackle another topic many tourism business owners struggle with. Follow us on your favourite podcast platform to be notified when the episode drops.