DESTINATION DISCOURSE
Episode 73 March 19, 2026 · 63 min · with Christian Mengel

Are DMOs Facing an Identity Crisis?

Christian Mengel joins live from an airport with three 2026 predictions — and one uncomfortable question about what a DMO is actually for.

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#future of the dmo#real job
The question we're arguing about this week

Are DMOs Facing an Identity Crisis?

Three predictions for 2026: more mergers and acquisitions, earned media rising, and a real reckoning about DMO purpose. That third one eats the episode. How far should a DMO go into building tourism product? Where is the line between promotion and participation? What happens when an industry can measure more than ever before — and still struggles to explain what it's actually worth?

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The guest

  • Christian Mengel

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Three ways to be a Destie

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