Visit Cincy hosted the 2025 Professional Achievement in Community Engagement (PACE) Forum, coinciding with the first observance of Destination Professionals Day on February 19, 2025. PACE Forum is a conference of partnership and community engagement professionals at destination marketing organizations (DMOs) across North America. More than 130 people representing visitor bureaus from as far away as Calgary and Anchorage attended the three-day event at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati.
Destinations Professionals Day marks over a century since the establishment of the world’s first destination organization, acknowledging the pivotal role these professionals play in economic development and community enrichment.
According to a study released by Tourism Economics, visitors spent $4.4 billion in Hamilton County. Including Northern Kentucky in those results, visitors spent more than $6.5 billion in the Cincy Region. Visitors accounted for 25 percent of all local business revenue, up 8 percent from the previous year. These statistics demonstrate how important tourism is to the community, bringing new money into the region’s economy and contributing to the tax base.
Today, there are more than 10,000 destination organizations around the world representing a broad spectrum of entities, including destination marketing organizations (DMOs), convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), tourism boards, sports commissions and film offices. These organizations are a cornerstone of the travel and tourism industry, which employs almost 348 million people and was expected to contribute about 10 percent of global GDP—more than $11 trillion—to the global economy in 2024, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.
Recognizing February 19 as Destination Professionals Day aims to raise awareness by highlighting the vital contributions of destination professionals in enriching community life and inspiring future destination leaders by showcasing the diverse and rewarding career opportunities available in the sector to attract the next generation of professionals.
Here are a few highlights of the PACE Forum:
- Innovative sessions – The forum included sessions on evolving topics within the destination management field, combining expert presentations and interactive workshops.
- Local experiences – Attendees participated in a dine-around in more than a dozen area restaurants. The group was estimated to bring more than $275,000 in business impact to the region.
- Networking opportunities – The event will facilitate networking, providing opportunities for professionals at all career stages to connect and share insights.
For more information, go to www.visitvincy.com.
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