The Ecosystem Effect
How DMOs Can Turn Discovery into Shared Prosperity
A new way for destination marketing organizations to strengthen regions, support operators, and generate sustainable revenue
Part I – The Pebble
Destination marketing organizations sit at the center of their regional ecosystem. You connect storytellers, operators, municipalities, chambers, and travelers. You inspire visitation. You shape perception. You protect brand identity — and you do it well.
But inspiration alone doesn’t activate the full economic potential of a destination.
The next-level opportunity lies in turning traveler discovery into participation, participation into bookings, and ensuring those bookings ripple outward with complementary benefits across the entire region.
This is where ecosystem thinking matters.
From campaign to commerce
Most DMOs are exceptionally strong at awareness. Campaigns drive traffic. Social content builds desire. Influencer partnerships generate reach — all culminating in travelers arriving curious and motivated.
But once visitors begin searching for specific activities, the region often loses this connection. Travelers shift to global marketplaces or generic search engines where discovery is influenced by advertising spend and ranking systems that don’t align with regional priorities.
Inspiration happens locally but conversion happens elsewhere.
This is where Don’t BUGMe I’m On Vacation comes in.
An integrated, map-based discovery system changes that dynamic. When visitors can explore local experiences geographically — within the regional ecosystem — inspiration flows naturally into action.
And when that discovery layer includes preference filtering instead of static ranked lists and, as well explore, something even more powerful happens.
Pre-trip and post-arrival discovery both matter
Modern travel behavior happens in two critical phases — and both represent opportunity for the region.
Pre-trip discovery is where routes are shaped, anchor experiences are selected, and expectations are formed. If travelers can explore local operators geographically and filter by preference before arriving, they are more likely to build their itinerary around experiences within your region. This increases booking intent, strengthens alignment, and anchors discretionary spending locally from the outset.
Post-arrival discovery is equally important. Even with a planned itinerary, travelers make additional decisions once they are on the ground. Energy shifts. Weather changes. Time opens up. When visitors can continue exploring within the same map-based system — rather than reverting to external marketplaces — the region retains visibility at the moment of highest conversion probability.
By supporting both phases, the DMO doesn’t simply inspire visitation — it guides participation before arrival and facilitates incremental engagement after arrival. That continuity is where ecosystem impact accelerates.
Moving beyond lists: why preference filtering changes everything
Traditional tourism directories are generally list-based: top attractions, featured operators, alphabetical directories, sponsored placements.
But travelers don’t experience destinations alphabetically. And they don’t all necessarily want the “best”. They want what’s best for them.
Preference-based filtering allows visitors to explore based on what fits them specifically. Attributes such as:
Adventure level
Family suitability
Group size
Relaxed vs. high-energy experiences
Indoor vs. outdoor
Seasonal alignment
Proximity to where they are staying
Desired outcomes
This means businesses are surfaced when they are contextually aligned — not simply because they paid the most or accumulated the most reviews.
For DMOs, this has profound ecosystem implications. It levels the playing field.
Instead of funneling volume to the loudest operators, the system distributes attention based on alignment with traveler preferences.
Instead of rewarding scale, it rewards relevance.
Better-fit customers create better outcomes
When travelers discover businesses through preference alignment rather than ranking algorithms, local tour operators gain customers who genuinely want what they offer.
That leads to:
Higher customer satisfaction
Smoother on-site experiences
Better service interactions
Fewer mismatched expectations
Stronger reviews
More authentic word-of-mouth
Increased loyalty potential
When customers arrive already aligned with the nature of the experience, service improves naturally. Expectations are clearer. And experiences are delivered as intended.
Those positive reviews don’t just benefit the operator and customer — they elevate the region. Over time, the destination builds a reputation not just for volume, but for quality.
Better alignment leads to better experiences. Better experiences lead to better reviews. Better reviews strengthen the entire regional brand, reinforcing an Upward Spiral of Benefit.
The affiliate layer: additional revenue for DMOs
Beyond alignment and visibility, there is another structural advantage for regional marketers.
When a DMO participates as an affiliate within the Road Trip Pass ecosystem, the region earns revenue from pass sales generated through its promotional channels.
This creates a new model:
The DMO promotes local businesses (as it already does).
Travelers purchase a Road Trip Pass through the DMO’s unique link or QR code.
The DMO earns affiliate revenue for each pass sold.
Instead of relying solely on membership fees or grants, the region participates directly in the economic activity it inspires. When part of a DMO’s revenue is performance-aligned, they become a peer within the regional ecosystem, not only a promoter of it.
As well, rather than only spending (member fees, public funding, grants) to promote the region, the DMO is now being compensated for facilitating local participation (actually bookings).
This is especially valuable for smaller or volunteer-run tourism boards that operate with limited funding. Performance-based affiliate income strengthens DMO sustainability and engagement while potentially relieving financial pressure on member businesses.
The more effectively the DMO promotes local experiences (what it is already designed and set up to do) the more the ecosystem benefits – including the DMO itself.
As the DMO strengthens its own revenue through this affiliate layer, it gains greater capacity to reinvest in marketing, partnerships, and regional development — reinforcing, perpetuating, and accelerating the entire ecosystem cycle.
Part II – The Ripples
When a traveler purchases a Road Trip Pass, several things happen simultaneously:
Vacationers retain more discretionary spending power by saving 20% at participating businesses.
Participating businesses gain better-aligned customers while protecting margins.
Additional discretionary spending circulates locally.
The DMO generates revenue by facilitating the process.
A traveler who saves on rafting may spend more at a local restaurant. A family who saves on a guided tour may extend their stay or add another activity. A couple who unlocks savings may upgrade accommodations or book an additional experience.
Considering that many non-local OTAs charge commissions of 30% or more. That money is extracted from the region.
Within an ecosystem model however, that value stays local — as savings for the visitor, retained margin for the operator, increased incidental spending within the community, and affiliate revenue for the DMO.
The local multiplier effect
There is also a broader economic principle at work here: the local multiplier effect.
When a dollar stays in a community, it is spent again and again.
A saved dollar at a rafting company might be spent at a café. The café owner pays local staff. Staff spend wages at grocery stores. The grocery store sources from local suppliers. The same dollar circulates multiple times within the region.
When money is extracted through high commissions or external booking systems, that multiplier effect weakens. But when more value remains local, the economic impact strengthens.
Now, the traveler feels rewarded. The business retains more value. The DMO earns revenue. Secondary businesses benefit from increased circulation. And the community becomes more resilient.
This creates a compounding effect:
Operators benefit from increased, better-aligned visitation and healthier margins.
Adjacent businesses benefit from increased discretionary spending.
The DMO benefits from affiliate revenue and deeper involvement.
Travelers feel incentivized to explore more.
The regional brand strengthens through positive experience alignment.
The community at large benefits from increased economic activity.
Everyone is aligned. Everyone benefits more than under traditional pay-to-rank models.
Supporting independent operators more effectively
Many DMOs prioritize supporting small and independent businesses. Yet traditional mega-discovery systems often favor larger operators with stronger advertising budgets.
A map-first, non-pay-to-rank, preference-driven discovery model restructures visibility around relevance and geography rather than spend.
That means:
Smaller operators are equally visible when they are contextually aligned.
Niche experiences surface naturally.
Businesses compete on experience quality, not bidding power.
The regional narrative remains cohesive.
This strengthens destination identity rather than diluting it. Instead of local companies competing amongst themselves for visibility, the ecosystem encourages mutual benefit — because increased alignment lifts everyone.
Direct booking and data ownership
Another often-overlooked advantage of this ecosystem model is data continuity.
When travelers book directly with operators — rather than through third-party marketplaces — businesses retain customer data.
Operators gain insight into:
Customer demographics
Repeat visitation patterns
Seasonal trends
Purchasing behavior
Experience preferences
With this insight, businesses can refine offerings, improve service delivery, and build stronger follow-up relationships.
That improved intelligence leads to:
More personalized customer experiences
Stronger loyalty
Higher lifetime value per visitor
More informed product development
At the same time, the DMO gains meaningful ecosystem metrics. Comparing pass sales with redemption data reveals which experiences visitors prioritize and which traveler profiles engage most deeply with the region.
This supports smarter campaign targeting, stronger partner conversations, and more informed long-term planning.
When operators grow stronger and more informed, the entire regional ecosystem becomes more adaptive and resilient.
A stronger visitor experience
From the traveler’s perspective, the system feels simple and trustworthy.
They explore experiences in geographic context.
They filter based on preferences.
They book directly with operators.
They unlock consistent, transparent savings.
There are no confusing discount tiers. No awkward or confrontational negotiation dynamics. No ranking distortions.
Discovery feels exploratory rather than transactional.
Trust strengthens regional brand perception.
The ecosystem mindset
The traditional tourism funnel treats marketing, booking, and on-site experience as separate phases.
An ecosystem model connects them.
In this model:
The DMO inspires and facilitates while generating aligned revenue.
Operators gain aligned customers, retain data insight, and reduce reliance on high-commission channels.
Travelers feel supported and rewarded.
Revenue circulates locally multiple times.
Data informs future strategy.
Reviews strengthen regional reputation.
Secondary businesses benefit from amplified local spending.
When each layer reinforces the others, the region grows stronger — not just in visitation numbers, but in resilience, alignment, quality of experience, and long-term local economic impact.
Where BUGMe fits
BUGMe was designed as connective infrastructure for regional ecosystems.
It provides the shared, map-based discovery environment.
It supports preference-based exploration.
It eliminates pay-to-rank distortion.
It enables affiliate participation.
It strengthens direct booking relationships between travelers and operators.
It preserves customer data at the business level.
It does not replace DMO storytelling.
It amplifies it.
The opportunity for regional marketers
The question for modern DMOs is no longer simply: “How do we inspire people to visit?”
It’s: “How do we ensure that inspiration translates into equitable local participation — and how can the region share in that success?”
When geographic and preference-driven discovery, savings, affiliate revenue, data ownership, better-fit customers, stronger reviews, and amplified local spending align, the entire ecosystem benefits.
That alignment isn’t merely disruptive.
It’s an evolution in how regions capture the full value of the travel economy.
A Simple Next Step
If this ecosystem approach aligns with your mandate, strategic plan, or long-term regional goals, the next step is simple: start the conversation.
Let's explore what it would look like to integrate preference-driven, map-based discovery into your visitor journey. Evaluate how your operators could participate in the Road Trip Pass ecosystem. Consider how affiliate alignment could create performance-based revenue that strengthens your organization while supporting your members.
This is not about replacing what you already do well. We aren’t proposing you reinvent the DMO model, we’re proposing to compliment it. By helping you connect inspiration to participation, participation to measurable impact, and impact to sustainable regional growth.
Let’s discuss how this model could be adapted to your destination.
Because when discovery, participation, and regional value align, the entire ecosystem grows stronger.
Message Ray and Josh
Learn more on our Regional Marketing page
