New research from the Tourism Management Institute (tmi) highlights the growing challenges facing destination management organisations across the UK and Ireland. Drawing on insights from 91 destination leaders, the State of Destination-Making 2026 report reveals increasing pressures on staffing, funding and resources, while highlighting the vital role these organisations play in supporting the visitor economy.
Co-authored by Dr Peter Robinson of Leeds Beckett University and Dr Natalie Semley of Falmouth University, the report draws on responses from 91 destination leaders and paints a picture of a sector of major economic importance operating with increasingly limited capacity.
The UK visitor economy contributed approximately £147 billion to the economy in 2024, supporting 2.4 million jobs and generating around £52 billion in tax revenue. However, despite its significant economic contribution, tmi’s research highlights the increasing pressures facing the organisations responsible for supporting and developing destinations across the country.
The research reveals significant challenges facing destination organisations, with half of respondents employing five or fewer full-time staff and around one in six operating without any full-time employees. More than half reported a reduction in core funding since 2022, while a similar proportion said their local authority had no dedicated tourism lead. Despite these pressures, destination teams are taking on increasingly wide-ranging responsibilities, from supporting economic growth and sustainability to developing skills, strengthening communities and improving the visitor experience.
The report argues that the challenge is not simply about tourism marketing. Destination professionals are increasingly being asked to convene partners, manage places, support businesses, demonstrate economic and social impact and respond to major structural change, often without the resources or recognition to match.
Dr Peter Robinson, Head of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management at Leeds Beckett University and co-author of the report, said, “There is a fundamental contradiction at the heart of our visitor economy. We rightly celebrate tourism’s contribution to jobs, businesses, and economic growth, yet too often overlook the people and organisations responsible for making that success possible. This much-needed research reveals a growing disconnect between the expectations placed on destination leaders and the resources available to them. They are increasingly responsible for economic development, sustainability, skills and community wellbeing, often while operating with small teams, shrinking budgets and limited capacity. Successful destinations do not happen by accident. They require effective leadership, specialist expertise, strong partnerships and sustained investment. We cannot expect a £147 billion visitor economy to thrive while the organisations underpinning it are continually being asked to deliver more with less. If we are serious about the future of our destinations, we must recognise destination management as essential economic infrastructure, not an optional extra.”
Dr Natalie Semley, Associate Professor of Tourism and Destination Management at Falmouth University and co-author of the report, said, “Behind the headline value of the visitor economy are people working extraordinarily hard to make destinations function. What the research shows is that many are doing so with very small teams, reduced resources and growing responsibilities. There is enormous resilience and innovation across the sector, but resilience cannot become a substitute for proper capacity. If we want visitor economies that work for businesses, communities and visitors, the people responsible for shaping them need the tools and support to do the job.”
Alongside highlighting the challenges facing the sector, the report outlines four key priorities for strengthening destination management. These include giving greater recognition to the visitor economy and the professionals supporting its development within national and local policy, as well as ensuring destination organisations have the funding, resources and long-term stability needed to deliver effectively.
The report also calls for stronger connections between national policy and local delivery, greater collaboration between destinations, industry, academia and government, and improved access to the skills, research, data and practical tools that destination professionals need to navigate their increasingly complex roles.
The research also supports tmi’s wider efforts to bring together destination professionals across the UK and Ireland, recognising the importance of working together to support the visitor economy. Launched at the tmiAnnual Convention on 15 October 2026, the report aims to encourage further discussion on how the industry can address these challenges and strengthen destination management for the future.
Kathryn Davis, President, Tourism Management Institute, and CEO, Visit West, said, “This research matters because it gives us the evidence that many people across the sector have been feeling for some time. The role of tourism and the impact of the visitor economy is hugely important, but too much of the system supporting it is operating on fragile foundations. The answer is not simply to ask already-stretched destination teams to do more, or cut services deemed as not profitable enough. We need to recognise the role they play, connect the system more effectively, acknowledge their professional skills and make sure destination-makers have the capacity to deliver the outcomes we increasingly expect from them”.
The ‘State of Destination-Making 2026’ is available to download here.
