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21: Is Tourism Funding Broken? (Brad Dean)
The funding model for Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) is outdated and failing. So, what’s next?
In this episode of Destination Discourse, hosts Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker sit down with Brad Dean, the former CEO of Discover Puerto Rico and Visit Myrtle Beach, to discuss how he built multi-million dollar, resilient funding models that changed tourism forever.
We break down:
✅ How Myrtle Beach went from a $5M to $50M+ tourism budget
✅ Why Puerto Rico’s marketing was broken before Discover PR
✅ The biggest mistake DMOs make when advocating for funding
✅ How to win over politicians…
The skinny
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