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Published on : Friday, February 26, 2021
The Delaware Tourism Office has decided to launch the Destination Development Program, an incubator and workshop training program for the state’s tourism industry. The program will provide resources to empower small business owners and non-profit organizations to develop and promote their tourism assets and to assist small businesses and nonprofit organizations that have limited time, staff and resources.
The Destination Development Program includes a business incubator that will provide participants with a free guided program of business development resources and assistance from national travel and tourism marketing experts. Three tourism-related businesses or nonprofit organizations, one in each of Delaware’s three counties, will be chosen for the incubator program. In addition to the incubator, DTO will offer free training workshops for 15 professionals working for tourism-related businesses or nonprofits, five in each county.
The workshops will provide participants with the tools and ongoing support for tourism professionals to develop and implement a robust communications and marketing strategy. Over the course of six months, participants will learn at sessions on a new topic each month led by subject matter experts from a top marketing agency. The training also includes one-on-one follow-up sessions to expand on that month’s topic. Applications for the incubator and workshop programs are already available and must be submitted by March 15.
Jeff Bullock, Secretary of State, Delaware said in a statement that the Delaware tourism destinations have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He mentioned that the program from the Delaware Tourism Office builds on the resources the state is providing during the challenging time to industries like tourism that have a substantial impact on the economy. Liz Keller, Tourism Office Director, Delaware added that in the ever-changing landscape of online marketing and at a time of severe budget and staffing constraints in the industry, the Destination Development Program aims to provide the tools and resources to help tourism-related businesses and organizations better reach potential travellers. She mentioned that the goal is for participants to learn from this program how to develop sustainable marketing programs that can help them for years to come.