55: Are DMOs Ready to Teach, Not Just Market? (Kara Franker)

The game has changed, and not just for marketers. In this episode of Destination Discourse, Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker are joined by Kara Franker, CEO of the Florida Keys & Key West, for a candid conversation about how artificial intelligence is forcing DMOs to redefine their purpose.

Kara argues that the future of destination marketing isn’t just about promotion, it’s about education. As AI transforms how travelers discover, plan, and book trips, DMOs must become teachers and translators, helping their stakeholders adapt to a new machine-readable world.

Together, the trio explores:
 • Why even AI “early adopters” are struggling to keep up with the speed of change
 • How DMOs can shift from being channel owners to community educators
 • What it means to prepare local businesses for “agent-driven discovery”
 • How schema, structure, and storytelling make destinations visible to AI
 • Why job descriptions and success metrics must evolve beyond vanity metrics
 • The coming shift from paid to earned media in LLM search results
 • Why consolidation and radical collaboration may be the only path forward

Kara shares how she’s helping Florida Keys stakeholders future-proof their digital presence, from captains to hoteliers, while Adam and Stuart debate how AI will upend the DMO business model.