You built a great destination. Now install the system that runs it.

Most DMOs are being asked to do more — more content, more campaigns, more reporting — with the same team size. We build and run the systems that make that possible.

Book Your Free Audit →

45 minutes. Free. No strings.

March 2026
Operations Audit
Destination Overview & Findings
Time Allocation
Audit Report
Capacity Analysis
Where your team's time goes
62%
Admin tasks
23%
Strategy
15%
Growth
Opportunity Score
Action Plan
Recommendations
90-day system roadmap
Priority Systems
Board reporting automation
Partner newsletter system
Content calendar & delivery
AI search visibility audit
Data consolidation layer
Visitor email reactivation

Hey, I'm Matthew. I run Powered by Tourism.

I've spent 15 years inside destination organizations across North America — boardrooms, strategic planning sessions, levy conversations, grant reviews. From Destination Ontario and Indigenous Tourism Ontario to municipalities from the Maritimes to the Rockies. I also run Parkbus, a national tourism transportation company operating across Canada.

Every single one has the same problem.

Big ambitions. Real talent. Not enough capacity to execute. Teams buried under the operational load: pulling stats from four platforms for a board report, copy-pasting partner listings at 9 PM, building PowerPoints the week they're due.

Your destination has an ambitious plan. It just doesn't have a process. We're going to bring that process to life.

I hold a master's degree in strategic foresight and innovation. I've never been more optimistic about the future of destination organizations than I am right now. The tools available today are going to help some destinations leap ahead in ways that simply weren't possible two years ago. Others will be left behind — not because they lack strategy, but because they never built the systems to actually run it.

I built Powered by Tourism to change that. Not another tool to log into. Someone who builds the systems and runs them, so your team gets back to the work that actually grows the destination.

Your team isn't underperforming. Your systems aren't set up yet. We're here to fix that.

Matthew Hardy Thomas

Matthew Hardy Thomas

CEO, Powered by Tourism

There's a 12–18 month window right now.

AI is moving fast, but adoption inside tourism is still slow. That creates an opportunity. The organizations that build systems now will get further ahead every month. Late movers will spend years trying to catch up.

Late 2025
AI stopped being a demo.
For years, AI tools were impressive in demos and frustrating in practice. Then the models crossed a real threshold. Reliable enough to run production workflows without supervision — on-brand content, automated reports, repetitive communications at scale. AI search changed where visitors start researching destinations. A small team could suddenly produce the output of a much larger one.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 AI search emerges Production-ready tools
Right now — Spring 2026
Three paths are forming.
Most DMOs will wait too long and fall behind.
Others will experiment without direction and get little real value.
Some will quietly build internal systems and move faster than everyone else. If you start building now, here's what the next two years look like.
Spring – Summer 2026
Your systems come online.
Within 6–8 weeks of starting, your core workflows are running. Content goes out on schedule. Reports are automated. Partner communication stops slipping. Your team isn't scrambling to produce the basics anymore — what used to take three days now takes three hours, and most of it runs without anyone touching it.
Systems live Content on schedule Team unblocked
Late 2026
The compounding begins.
Six months of consistent content and outreach starts showing up in the numbers. Your destination appears in AI search results where competitors aren't showing up at all. Stakeholders receive regular updates without anyone manually pulling data. You're producing more than you ever have — with the same team.
AI visibility building Content compounding Stakeholders informed
2027 — 2028
You're far ahead. And others are asking how you did it.
By 2027, your team has headspace again. You're going to conferences instead of skipping them. You're presenting results stakeholders didn't think were possible at your budget level — with 12 months of data to back it up. By 2028, other destinations are only now starting to build what you finished two years ago. They're looking to you for advice on what the future of a destination actually looks like.
Further ahead every month Industry reference point Two years ahead

AI is not a trend to watch. It is a tool that improves your work.

Most destination teams don't have a strategy problem. They have a capacity problem.

Without the proper systems in place, your work week looks like this:

Social content goes out when someone has time — which lately means it doesn't go out.
Visitors are asking AI where to go. Your destination isn't showing up in the answer.
Your team is talented and committed. They're also completely underwater.

We build the systems that fix this.

The Destination Operating System

A complete, installed system that runs your core marketing and operational workflows.

Built for small, stretched DMO teams that need to produce more — without hiring.

What gets installed

⚙

Content Engine

A system that plans, generates, and schedules your content.

  • Social posts, blogs, and campaigns produced consistently
  • Always-on content without last-minute scrambling
  • Aligned to your seasons, priorities, and brand
📊

Reporting System

Board-ready reports generated automatically from live data.

  • No more pulling from 4–5 platforms
  • Stakeholder updates ready when you need them
  • Clear visibility into what's working
📬

Partner Communication System

Ongoing communication that runs without manual effort.

  • Automated partner newsletters and updates
  • Keeps operators informed and engaged
  • No more last-minute sends or missed touchpoints
🔍

AI Search Visibility Layer

Your destination shows up when visitors ask AI where to go.

  • Structured content designed for AI discovery
  • Visibility in tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity
  • Early advantage while competitors are invisible
📈

Data Layer

A simple, connected view of your destination's performance.

  • Key tools and data sources brought together
  • Less time jumping between platforms
  • Better decisions, faster
👥

Stakeholder Management System

Your destination's people, listings, and events. Organized and always current.

  • Operator and attraction listings that stay accurate without constant editing
  • An event calendar that populates from submissions, not staff chasing details
  • A living directory of the people behind the businesses, not just company names
  • Stakeholder activity tracked so you know who's active, who's drifting, and who needs a check-in

We built this inside a real tourism business first.

Everything we offer was built and pressure-tested running Parkbus — a national tourism transportation company operating across six Canadian cities with two people, no office, and no marketing department.

No content team.
A content system that produces campaigns every week.
No CRM manager.
An automated partner sequence that keeps everyone informed.
No data analyst.
A dashboard that shows what's working before anyone asks.
No reporting coordinator.
A system that builds stakeholder-ready reports from live data.
30%
Revenue growth YoY
36%
Profit growth YoY
6
Cities across Canada
2
Full-time team

We didn't grow by hiring more people. We grew by building systems that actually run the work.

How it works

1

Diagnose

We map your current workflows and identify the highest-impact systems to install first.

2

Install

We build and deploy your Destination Operating System — tailored to your organization, but based on proven modules.

3

Run & Improve

We refine and maintain the system as your needs evolve and the tools improve.

What this replaces

Before:

  • Manual content creation
  • Last-minute reporting
  • Inconsistent communication
  • Constant backlog

After:

  • Content runs on schedule
  • Reports generate automatically
  • Partners stay informed
  • Your team has time to think again

Is this right for you?

This works great if…

  • Your team is small or stretched thin
  • You're being asked to increase output without increasing budget
  • You want practical systems, not theory
  • You know AI matters but need a clear way forward
  • Things fall behind because there's never enough time

Probably not the fit if…

  • You think AI is a trend
  • You're starting from zero (no data, no channels)
  • You're not open to changing how work gets done

Start with the audit.

45 minutes. We map where your time is going, identify the biggest opportunity, and give you a clear plan.

If it makes sense to work together, we'll build the first system. If not, you still leave with something useful.

Book Your Free Audit →

or email: Matthew@PoweredByTourism.com

March 2026
Operations Audit
Destination Overview & Findings
Time Allocation
Audit Report
Capacity Analysis
Where your time goes
62%
Admin
23%
Strategy
15%
Growth
Action Plan
Recommendations
90-day roadmap
Priority Systems
Board reporting
Partner newsletter
Content calendar
AI search audit
Data consolidation

From the blog

Thinking about AI, operations, and destination marketing.

Reporting

I Used to Write Those 40-Page Reports. Here's What I'd Build Instead.

DMO reporting doesn't have to be a quarterly fire drill. There's a way to get the same result in a fraction of the time.

Matthew Hardy Thomas 12 min read
Strategy & Systems

Your Destination Has a Strategy. Now It Needs a System.

Most destination marketing plans are thorough, well-researched, and sitting in a drawer. Here is how to turn strategy into something that actually runs.

Matthew Hardy Thomas 8 min read