Destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are juggling challenges including technological change and measuring return on investment from promotional initiatives, according to a report from Sojern.

“From juggling the complexity of multichannel campaigns to meeting the needs of various stakeholders, DMOs are under constant pressure to deliver meaningful results,” the travel marketing specialist said in its State of Destination Marketing 2025 report.

“The hurdles facing DMOs in digital marketing today are uniquely complex. With shrinking budgets, rising expectations and rapid technological change, the stakes have never been higher.”

The wide-ranging study also revealed opportunities for DMOs such as the use of emerging technology.

The report found 85% of DMOs are either keeping or adding to their digital advertising budgets year over year. And while 83% of DMOs are using programmatic advertising due to its trackable nature, respondents said they face hurdles when it comes to navigating an evolving digital marketing environment. Ninety-one percent of respondents are using social media marketing, which ranked among the top five channels for 99% of survey participants, according to Sojern.

While the majority of respondents are using the same channels, destination marketers may be missing the mark when it comes to key performance indicators, according to the report. Sojern said that there is a misalignment between the KPIs that are prioritized by organizations, such as content engagement and clicks, when compared to DMO goals such as improving bookings, for example.

“While clicks and impressions are easier to measure, they don’t always reflect the success of a campaign in achieving tangible outcomes,” Sojern said. “This makes it harder for DMOs to justify their efforts and demonstrate their value. Bridging this divide requires clearer alignment between digital KPIs and organizational priorities.

But there are opportunities through emerging technology to move past those hurdles.

DMOs could employ location data, for example, to improve performance measurements and targeting, Sojern said. It also referenced low usage of advanced personalization and said while artificial intelligence is being employed for content creation by many DMOs, data analysis is an area of opportunity.

The report is based on data from Benchmark Research Partners that was gathered with support from Sojern from 200 participants from DMOs globally. Destination Canada, Brand USA, the European Travel Commission and the Caribbean Tourism Organization also helped with the study.