Most destination teams do not need more tactics.

They need a baseline.

Without a clear starting point, digital maturity work turns into:

• budget debates without evidence
• too many priorities at once
• low operator participation
• hard to prove outcomes

In AI Tourism Talks, I spoke with Karl Llewellyn from Wheresight about a practical way to baseline digital maturity across an operator network, then turn the results into a plan a DMO can run.

Watch the replay on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27eGy6QZ8d4

Baseline first then budget

This was the core message.

If you start with a budget, you fund opinions.
If you start with a baseline, you fund progress.

A digital maturity baseline should be:

• clear
• practical
• repeatable
• focused on action, not theory

What the baseline should show

A good baseline gives you:

• the current state across operators
• the main gaps and inconsistencies
• a simple view of what good looks like
• a starting point for prioritisation

Participation is the real work

Most DMOs do not struggle with ambition.

They struggle with adoption.

Operators participate when you design for:

• low friction
• clear value
• supportive tone
• outputs that help their business

Turn results into a 30-day plan

The baseline is only useful if it turns into action.

A practical next step:

• Pick a small set of priorities
• Start with fixes that remove friction
• Align internal teams on the same plan
• Repeat the cycle and measure progress later

Watch the replay

If you work with an operator network, this episode is worth your time.

Watch the replay on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27eGy6QZ8d4