30: What if the Critics of DMOs are Right? (Camden Bernatz)

In this episode of Destination Discourse, Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker are joined by special guest Camden Bernatz, who brings a bold thought experiment to the table: What if we asked AI to make the best case against DMOs? What followed was a fascinating debate that covers criticisms of the DMO model, potential vulnerabilities, and the critical need for evolution in the face of decentralization, AI, and shifting traveler behavior.

Camden walks us through the case against DMOs—from lack of attribution and over-reliance on vanity metrics to perceptions of over-tourism and irrelevance in the digital age. But then we flip the coin and explore the case for DMOs—including their role as economic engines, conveners of crisis response, and equalizers for small destinations and businesses.

We don’t hold back. And neither does the AI.

This episode explores:
 • The ROI argument—and why it’s not enough
 • What critics get right (and wrong) about DMO inefficiencies
 • How AI might arm DMO opponents with surprisingly good arguments
 • Why coordinated strategy still matters in a decentralized world
 • What DMOs can learn from being their own worst critic

View Camden's Thought Experiment: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bj2Rp0_VSeqDVKGxmRmkHCVMuNbBTQ_l8gKahSEWv_g/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.1c5ocsofqu6s