2025 State of Rural Tourism Report
Executive Summary
Rural Tourism Network surveyed 68 Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) in rural communities across 16 states. Survey topics included staffing, budget, technology, collaboration, and operational challenges to identify unique obstacles and opportunities in rural tourism. Despite seeing strong visitor growth (79% report stable or growing visitation), these organizations often lack the resources to demonstrate impact and capitalize on demand effectively.
To our knowledge, this represents the first multi-state survey to specifically examine rural DMO operations from the organizations' perspective, providing empirical data on technology needs, collaboration patterns, and resource constraints where previously only aggregated industry statistics existed. While extensive research documents destination management and theoretical frameworks, few studies examine the operational realities of small rural DMOs: how they function day-to-day and what infrastructure would help them succeed.
What’s Inside This Report
Resources & Capacity: Who rural DMOs are today; budgets and staffing levels
Challenges & Gaps: Where capacity breaks down, and why common solutions aren’t working
Technology, Collaboration & What Works: Tools DMOs use, how they collaborate, and the conditions that enable progress
Key Survey Findings at a Glance
of the DMOs Surveyed...
73% operate with budgets under $1 million 54% have three or fewer full-time staff
79% experienced stable or growing visitation in the past 3 years
69% cite limited staff capacity as their top challenge
67% need better visitor data and insights
36% struggle to prove economic impact
60% collaborate with neighboring DMOs monthly or more
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Benchmark data from 68 DMOs across 16 states, including budget realities, staffing challenges, and collaboration patterns.
