Four Words That Build a Destination

“You did great work on this.”

Four simple words. But for a leader in a Destination Marketing Organization, they may be the most powerful words you can say. Not in a board presentation or a press release—but in the hallway, over coffee, or in the quiet after a long event. Leadership doesn’t always look like a podium. Often, it sounds like genuine encouragement.

We talk a lot about visitor experience. What will they see? How will they feel? What will they remember? But there’s a direct line between how your team feels and how your destination is perceived. When the people doing the work feel seen and valued, their work gets better. More thoughtful. More creative. More inspired.

“You did great work on this” is more than praise. It’s acknowledgment. It’s leadership that sees beyond deliverables and into the effort behind them. The grant proposal that took three late nights. The itinerary brainstormed over lukewarm coffee. The front desk team member who turned a complaint into a compliment. These moments don’t often make headlines—but they make the culture.

And culture is everything.

When you foster a culture where appreciation flows freely—not just top-down, but in every direction—you create an organization that people want to be part of. Staff retention improves. Partnerships deepen. And the energy that visitors feel. That’s no accident. It’s the result of a team that takes pride in their work because their leadership takes time to notice it.

Of course, words alone aren’t enough. Leaders must also model consistency, trust, and accountability. But don’t underestimate the role of encouragement in that mix. Especially in lean times—when budgets are tight, expectations high, and wins harder to come by—those four words can keep a good team going.

Great leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about recognizing the answers your team already carries. Sometimes it’s the new hire who sees the flaw in an old system. Sometimes it’s the veteran staffer who quietly keeps things running. In the fast-paced world of tourism, it’s easy to move from one task to the next without pausing to say what matters: You did great work on this.

Here’s a challenge: This week, find three people on your team or in your network and thank them for something specific they’ve done. Not a vague “good job,” but a clear acknowledgment of their effort and impact. Watch what it does. Watch how it shifts the conversation, the posture, the next meeting.

In the end, destinations don’t market themselves. People do. And people, like places, flourish when they’re appreciated.

So say it, and mean it.