We’re proud to celebrate Clay County Tourism for earning “Destination Verified” status from Wheel the World - a meaningful recognition of their commitment to creating welcoming, inclusive travel experiences.

We’re excited to welcome Paula Vann to Advance Travel & Tourism as a Senior Account Executive. With more than a decade of experience across destination leadership and visitor intelligence, Paula brings a strong understanding of how tourism supports both travelers and the communities they visit.

Google recently pulled back the curtain on its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) — a new open framework designed to help AI agents discover, compare, and complete purchases seamlessly. While the announcement focused largely on retail, the implications for travel and tourism are worth paying attention to.

Today’s travelers don’t just want to be inspired—they expect every interaction to feel personal. In 2025, hyper-personalization is redefining how destinations attract, engage, and convert visitors.

In the fast-moving world of travel and tourism, getting visual campaigns out quickly, staying on-brand, and adapting designs across platforms is more important than ever. That’s why the newly unveiled Canva Creative Operating System is such a game-changer for marketers in our industry.

At Advance Travel & Tourism, the people behind the work are just as important as the campaigns we create. This month, we’re excited to introduce Melanie Arnold-Muse, who brings more than two decades of travel experience—and a genuine passion for connecting people with unforgettable places.

Recently, our team attended a state of the bourbon industry event that left us energized about the future. Despite some global headwinds, the outlook for bourbon — and the tourism that supports it — is incredibly strong, and Kentucky is poised to continue building on its $9 billion economic impact.

We want to be your partner through it all, which is why attending events like the Destinations Florida Annual Meeting is so imperative to us. In December 2024, Adrianne Glass and Laura English traveled to historic Ybor City to meet with some of Florida's finest. 

Holiday travel is a growing trend with as estimated two-thirds of American’s planning to take at least one holiday trip this year*. So, we asked ourselves, what are our favorite holiday destinations and what are they doing to bring in the holiday cheer? Here’s a list of some of our favorites to bring you peace, joy, and inspiration! 

Christy Betz is next up for our employee spotlight series. She is responsible for all things Tennessee tourism and we love having her on the team. Find out a little more about her below.

The tourism industry in the [...]

When the data speaks loud [...]