Tourism Board Co-Marketing That Converts for Destination Festivals

Why Festival and Tourism Board Partnerships Matter

Destination festivals aren’t just about music, food, or art – they’re powerful tourism engines. When a festival draws travelers from afar, it boosts local economies through visitor spending on hotels, restaurants, and transportation. Tourism boards (from city convention bureaus to national destination marketing organizations) recognize this value. In fact, festivals often become cornerstones of a destination’s brand: for example, the Edinburgh Festivals collectively generated an estimated £407 million for the local economy in 2022, with 31% of attendees coming from outside Scotland (www.visitscotland.org). Likewise, Coachella and its sister festival Stagecoach in California have been projected to drive over $700 million in spending in their region (www.latimes.com). These figures underline why tourism agencies are eager to support and co-market events that bring in visitors.

For festival producers, partnering with a tourism board can unlock extra marketing muscle, funding, and credibility. The tourism board gains exciting content to promote the destination, while the festival gains a broader reach and often financial support or in-kind resources. It’s a classic win-win: the festival grows its audience, and the destination reaps economic and cultural rewards. As the Kenya Tourism Board’s CEO noted, festivals can lead to hotels and local businesses seeing “full bookings” and widespread benefits across the tourism value chain (www.capitalfm.co.ke). In short, a successful destination festival puts a place on the map – and savvy festival organizers leverage that to form strategic partnerships.

However, securing and maximizing tourism board support requires a thoughtful approach. It’s not just about asking for money or logo placement – it’s about co-marketing that truly converts. This means structuring collaborations (like media swaps, list sharing, and co-funded campaigns) in ways that drive measurable results, and providing clear attribution so both the festival and the tourism board can see the return on investment. Done right, this turns your festival’s proven economic impact into justification for larger budgets and earlier support from the destination’s stakeholders in the future.

Laying the Groundwork: Align Goals and Build Trust

Before diving into specific co-marketing tactics, ensure alignment of goals. A tourism board’s primary mission is to increase visitation and enhance the destination’s image. As a festival producer, be prepared to present how your event contributes to those goals. Start the conversation early – ideally 12+ months before your festival – so you can be integrated into the tourism board’s annual marketing plan or budget cycle.

Research the tourism board’s strategy and past partnerships. What target markets are they focusing on? Do they promote off-season travel or specific niches like adventure tourism, culture, or food? Position your festival as a timely opportunity for them. For example, if a regional tourism authority wants to boost off-peak season visits, highlighting that your festival fills hotels in a slow month can be very persuasive. (Many tourism agencies explicitly value this: the Croatian National Tourist Board launched a program to collaborate with top events outside the typical tourist season, noting that events are “often the main reason for many guests to come” (hrturizam.hr).)

Present data and a clear value proposition when approaching a tourism board:
– Estimate the percentage of attendees coming from out of town, out of state/province, or overseas. If you’ve run the festival before, use postal codes or attendee surveys to show this breakdown.
– Calculate the potential economic impact. Even basic figures – e.g., “2,000 visitors staying an average of 3 nights, spending $150/day on lodging and food” – help illustrate the dollars your festival injects into the local economy. Tourism boards and city officials love to see projections of hotel room nights, restaurant sales, and tax revenue.
– Emphasize intangible benefits too: media exposure for the destination, cultural showcase, and long-term brand value. Perhaps your music festival will get international press or social media buzz showing off the host city – that’s valuable marketing the tourism board would otherwise have to pay for.
– Have a clear ask: are you seeking promotional support, a marketing budget contribution, help with permits, or all of the above? It could be in-kind support (e.g. they share your content) or direct funding. In many cases, tourism boards have grants or co-op marketing funds earmarked for events – make it easy for them to slot your festival into those programs by providing the necessary information early.

By demonstrating how the partnership benefits the destination, you build trust and show you’re a serious collaborator. Once the tourism board is on board (pun intended), it’s time to design the co-marketing campaign.

Media Swaps: Exchanging Promotional Platforms

One of the simplest and most effective tactics is a media swap between the festival and the tourism board. This means each party shares promotional real estate on their media channels to amplify the other’s message. Consider these media swap strategies:

• Website and Blog Features: Ensure the tourism board’s official website (and travel blog, if they have one) highlights your festival in their event calendar or as a feature story. A dedicated landing page about the festival – with info on the lineup, the destination, and travel tips – can entice potential tourists. In return, offer to feature the tourism board’s logo and a link on your festival website (e.g., “Plan your trip with [Tourism Board Name]”) or write an article about the host city’s attractions for your blog. This cross-linking not only swaps audiences but also boosts SEO for both parties as travelers search for information.

• Social Media Cross-Promotion: Coordinate a social media exchange. The tourism board can post about exciting festival announcements, artist reveals, or behind-the-scenes looks to engage their followers, framing the event as a compelling reason to visit. Meanwhile, your festival accounts can share content about the destination – beautiful local landmarks, cultural experiences, or practical travel info – to get attendees hyped about the trip. For example, if you produce a beachside festival in Goa, India, the official Goa tourism Instagram might share your festival after-movie, while your channels share Goa’s top 5 beaches or nightlife spots. Schedule these posts strategically in the lead-up to the event, and use each other’s hashtags to maximize reach.

• Email Newsletter Mentions: This is a classic “you mention us, we mention you” deal. The tourism board includes your festival in their outgoing newsletters (especially those targeting travelers in key markets or niche interest groups like “music tourism” or “foodie travelers”). In exchange, you highlight the tourism board’s travel resources or special offers in your festival newsletter. For instance, the tourism board might have a newsletter section like “Upcoming Events in [Destination]” featuring your festival with a ticket link. Your festival newsletter can have a sidebar saying “Explore [Destination] – Visit [Tourism Board site] for travel guides and exclusive hotel deals.” By swapping content in email campaigns, both sides tap into fresh but relevant audiences. Note: Be mindful of data privacy – it’s usually better to swap content or send on each other’s behalf, rather than literally exchanging email lists, unless users have opted in. Each party should maintain control of their own list to comply with regulations like GDPR, while still collaborating on messaging.

• Press and PR Coordination: Work together on press releases and media outreach. A joint press release announcing the partnership can be powerful: it positions your festival as a hallmark event for the destination, and the tourism board’s endorsement adds credibility. The tourism board’s media relations team might have contacts at travel magazines, newspapers, or influencer networks that you haven’t tapped. They can pitch your festival as part of a broader story on why to visit the region. Meanwhile, you can include a positive quote from the tourism board in your festival’s press materials, highlighting their support. Media swaps in PR ensure a unified narrative and broaden the publicity reach for both parties.

The key to successful media swaps is clear communication and scheduling. Create a shared promotional calendar so both the festival team and tourism board know when cross-posts and mentions will happen. Align on messaging – both sides should portray consistent facts and enthusiasm. And be sure to track engagement (clicks, shares, and traffic spikes) from these swaps for later analysis.

Leveraging Lists and Data (Legally and Effectively)

A more targeted extension of media swapping is leveraging mailing lists and data through partnership. Direct access to each other’s contact lists is sensitive, but when done right, it can significantly boost conversion by reaching warm leads on both sides.

Here are actionable approaches to list-based co-marketing:

• Joint Email Campaigns: Rather than literally handing over email addresses (which can raise privacy issues), coordinate on joint e-blasts. For example, craft an email about the festival that the tourism board sends to their subscriber base. It could be framed as “Experience [Destination] through [Festival Name]”, highlighting both the event and the travel opportunity. This message coming from the official tourism authority carries weight for readers — it’s an endorsement that this festival is a must-see attraction. Conversely, you can send an email to your ticket buyers or fan database with a travel angle: “Make a Vacation Out of Your [Festival] Trip – Special offers from [Tourism Board]”. This might include info on hotels, local tours, or airfare deals, provided by the tourism board’s partners. Each side is essentially renting out their list’s attention for the other’s benefit, without violating trust or privacy, since each email comes from the list owner.

• Segmentation and Personalization: If the tourism board can segment their list, they might target portions of it that align with your festival’s audience. For instance, if your festival is a food and wine event, the tourism board can send that content specifically to subscribers interested in culinary travel. As a festival organizer, you can likewise segment your attendees (e.g., VIP ticket holders might appreciate luxury hotel packages, international attendees might need info on local transport). Use personalized touches in these emails – include the recipient’s first name, reference their city if known (“Hello from [Destination]!” to someone living in a nearby state). Personalized, well-targeted emails have higher open and conversion rates than generic blasts.

• Shared Remarketing Pools: If both your festival and the tourism board use digital marketing (like Facebook Ads or Google Ads), consider sharing remarketing audiences indirectly. For example, you could embed the tourism board’s Facebook Pixel on a page of your site (with consent notices as required) so that visitors to your festival site later see ads about the destination from the tourism board. Likewise, the tourism board can tag users who visit their “events” page or your festival listing on their site, and you can then serve those people your festival’s ticket ads. This kind of data collaboration needs technical setup and transparency, but it’s a powerful way to continue the conversation with potential attendees who showed interest.

• Opt-In Lead Sharing: Another approach is to create a co-branded sign-up opportunity. For instance, run a contest or giveaway together (e.g., “Win a Trip to [Festival] in [Destination] – flights, hotel, and tickets on us”). People enter by providing their email and consent to receive updates from both the festival and the tourism board. Those leads can then be shared since the users explicitly opted in for both. This tactic not only builds excitement but also legally grows both parties’ marketing lists with highly qualified leads (folks clearly interested in the festival and destination).

Throughout any list-sharing initiative, compliance and trust are paramount. Always follow opt-in laws and let subscribers know what they’re signing up for. It’s wise to have a simple agreement (even an email exchange) outlining how the data will be used, to avoid any misunderstandings. When executed carefully, list sharing initiatives can directly drive ticket sales and trip bookings, leveraging the marketing reach both you and the tourism board have spent years building.

Co-Funded Campaigns: Pooling Budgets for Bigger Impact

Perhaps the most high-powered form of tourism board co-marketing is co-funded advertising and campaigns. Here, both the festival and the tourism board contribute resources (money, creative assets, or media buys) to a joint marketing effort. The advantage is clear: you can double the budget or reach of your promotion, and each side’s investment goes further by leveraging the other’s strengths.

How to structure co-funded campaigns effectively:

• Advertising Campaigns with Shared Costs: Agree on a budget and split it. For example, you might each put in $5,000 to run a $10,000 digital ad campaign targeting key feeder markets (cities or countries from which you want to draw attendees). Decide together on the channels that make sense: Google search ads for people searching travel or festival keywords, Facebook/Instagram ads showcasing the festival experience, or even targeted YouTube videos. The ads should carry co-branding – e.g., festival imagery with a tagline that also highlights the destination (“Enjoy the ultimate beach festival in beautiful Bali – Presented by [Festival] x [Visit Bali]”). Co-branding ensures the tourism board is visibly supporting (which can increase traveler confidence) and the destination appeal is front and center (enticing those who might not travel just for a festival, but will for a vacation + festival combo).

• Influencer and Content Campaigns: Another approach is funding content creation together. Perhaps the tourism board has a budget to work with travel influencers or create video content. Collaborate to invite a couple of influencers or content creators to the festival and to explore the region. Split the costs of their trip. In return, they produce blogs, vlogs, or Instagram stories that highlight both the event and the destination’s attractions. A well-structured itinerary might have them attending the festival by night and touring local sights by day, giving followers a full picture of the experience. The tourism board wins authentic destination exposure; your festival gets organic promotion to the influencer’s audience. This co-investment in content can live beyond the event dates too – the tourism board might use the videos to promote future travel, and you can use them for next year’s festival marketing.

• Traditional Media and Out-of-Home (OOH): Don’t overlook traditional channels. Jointly buying a billboard or a print ad in a major magazine can be smart when sharing costs. For example, a tourism board might already be planning billboards in a major city; by adding your festival into the creative, they turn it into a timely call-to-action (e.g., “Visit Queensland this Summer – Don’t miss the Brisbane Beats Music Festival!”). If you have connections with music or culture magazines, propose a co-branded advertorial where the festival and destination are featured together. Some tourism boards also attend travel trade shows or roadshows; see if you can piggyback on those efforts by providing festival brochures or a VR demo of the festival experience at their booth, effectively extending their paid efforts with your content.

• Merchandise and Collateral: Co-funding isn’t only about ads. Perhaps the tourism board will cover printing costs for beautiful city maps or guides to give your festival attendees, effectively turning them into ambassadors who explore and spend money locally. Or you might split the cost of festival swag that features both logos (e.g., a limited edition poster or tote bag with festival art and a “Visit [Destination]” slogan). These physical takeaways continue promoting the partnership after the event, reminding attendees of the great time they had and encouraging word-of-mouth.

When planning a co-funded campaign, formalize the agreement. Draft a simple contract or MOU that outlines each party’s contributions (funds, staff time, ad inventory, etc.), the campaign timeline, and deliverables (number of ads, impressions goals, etc.). Include a plan for performance tracking and a clause on mutual approvals (both parties should sign off on creative content to ensure brand standards are met). Clear documentation prevents misunderstandings and helps maintain a professional relationship – especially important if the tourism board is committing taxpayer-funded budgets.

Tracking and Attribution: Proving ROI to Everyone

All the co-marketing in the world won’t mean much if you can’t prove it worked. Clear attribution is the cornerstone that turns your festival’s tourism impact into leverage for future support. Both you and the tourism board need to see tangible results from the partnership, whether it’s in ticket sales, tourist attendance, or brand visibility.

Here’s how to ensure your collaborative efforts are trackable and attributable:

• Unique Tracking Links and Promo Codes: For every digital campaign or link the tourism board uses to promote your festival, generate a unique URL with tracking parameters (UTM codes or similar). For example, your festival’s ticket page URL might have ...?utm_source=TourismBoard&utm_campaign=SummerPush appended for the tourism board’s campaigns. This way, your ticketing platform analytics will clearly show how many ticket buyers came via the tourism board’s efforts. If you’re offering special travel packages or discounts, create a unique promo code for the tourism board’s audience (“VISITXYZ” for example) and track how many times it’s redeemed. This direct attribution is gold – you can literally say “Tourism Board promotions yielded 500 ticket sales” or “X% of our attendees used the tourism discount code.”

• Analytics Dashboard Sharing: Use a ticketing system or analytics tool that allows you to break down sales by source. Modern event platforms like Ticket Fairy provide real-time analytics and referral tracking dashboards (blog.ticketfairy.com). Set up the tourism board as an affiliate or referrer within the platform – for instance, give them a special referral link to tickets. If 1,000 people click that link and 200 purchase, you’ve got a 20% conversion to report. Share these numbers in a live dashboard or in periodic reports to the tourism board. Seeing the direct pipeline from their efforts to tangible outcomes (ticket revenue, hotel bookings through partner links, etc.) will reinforce the value of the partnership. It also makes end-of-campaign evaluations much easier and more objective.

• Surveys and Data Collection: Sometimes attribution isn’t obvious from clicks alone. Implement a post-event or during-purchase survey asking attendees how they heard about the festival, and include options related to the tourism board’s marketing (e.g., “Saw an ad on Visit Destination website” or “Heard via destination’s newsletter”). You can incentivize attendees to fill these surveys (perhaps a drawing for a free festival T-shirt or VIP upgrade). The survey data can reveal broader influences on attendance. Maybe only 50 attendees bought via the tracked link, but 300 more heard about it from the tourism board’s campaign and later came through directly or via other channels. Compile data on attendee origin as well: zip code analysis or anonymized GPS data can show how many people came from over 100 km away or out of state/country. All of this supports the narrative that “This festival brought X number of tourists into town.”

• Economic Impact Studies: For larger festivals, consider partnering with the tourism board to commission an economic impact analysis. This might involve hiring a local university or consultancy to estimate total spending by attendees, job creation, and tax impacts. Tourism boards often have methodologies for this or even funds allocated for research. By doing a formal study (and splitting the cost), you get an authoritative report stating something like “The festival generated $5 million in direct tourist spending and an additional $8 million in indirect economic impact.” It’s hard for stakeholders (like city councils or sponsors) to ignore that. Such a report effectively attributes a slice of the destination’s economic growth to your event – a powerful argument for increasing support. Many tourism boards will turn around and use that data in their own reports to government, making them look good too, which further incentivizes them to continue backing the festival.

• Iterative Improvement and Reporting: Throughout the campaign, monitor the key metrics agreed upon. Have regular check-ins with your tourism board contacts (weekly or monthly leading up to the event). Share interim results: “Our joint Instagram campaign reached 500,000 users and drove 5,000 clicks so far” or “200 travel package deals have been booked through the co-promo”. This keeps both teams engaged and allows tweaking tactics if something isn’t performing. After the festival, prepare a succinct post-mortem report highlighting all the wins: media impressions, ticket sales from tourism channels, attendee demographics, and qualitative feedback (e.g., a quote from a traveler saying they came because they saw the tourism board’s ad). When a tourism board sees clear evidence that their $5k or $50k was well spent in delivering tourists, you’ve basically paved the way for a bigger budget next year. You’re turning data into persuasion.

Remember, attribution is about telling the story with numbers. You want to show that the festival wasn’t just a fun party, but a driver of tourism that the board can proudly claim in their success metrics. When they can claim wins, they’ll be more inclined to support you earlier, perhaps committing funds or promotional help in advance of the next festival cycle (instead of waiting to “see if it succeeds”). Clear ROI tracking makes the intangible tangible – and that’s often what decision-makers need to green-light larger support.

Success Stories and Cautionary Tales

To inspire and caution, let’s look at a couple of real-world examples that illustrate the impact of tourism board co-marketing:

• Success – The Power of Early Partnership: In Ireland, the national tourism authority Fáilte Ireland has a program explicitly designed for festivals that attract tourists. They define a “tourism festival” as a multi-day event that “creates a substantial economic boost for the region, increasing both dwell time and spend in the destination” (www.failteireland.ie). One recipient of this support was the Púca Halloween Festival in Meath/Louth. By working with Fáilte Ireland from the concept phase, the festival secured co-funded marketing well ahead of its launch, allowing international promotion that helped draw visitors from across Europe. The result was a new event quickly punching above its weight in visitor numbers. With robust tracking in place, organizers could show how many hotel nights were booked through festival packages, reinforcing to the tourism board that their early support paid off – leading to a multi-year funding commitment that helped the festival grow even more in subsequent editions.

• Success – Local Festival, Global Reach: A mid-sized electronic music festival in Indonesia reached out to its provincial tourism board to collaborate on marketing. The festival took place in a lesser-known beach town. Through media swaps and a small co-funded digital campaign, the tourism board promoted the event in neighboring countries as part of a “visit our beaches” campaign. The festival, in turn, showcased local tourism spots on its live streams and artist promos. That year saw a noticeable uptick in foreign attendees, injecting new spending into local businesses. Because the organizers rigorously tracked ticket sales by country (using unique ticket links for each ad placement), they provided evidence that, say, 300 attendees from Singapore and Malaysia came due to the campaign. Impressed, the tourism board not only renewed support but increased the marketing budget, and even helped fast-track visas and advertising approvals the next year, getting involved in the planning six months earlier than before.

• Lesson Learned – The Importance of Clarity: Not every partnership goes perfectly. A food festival in a U.S. city once brokered a deal with the city’s tourism bureau for a media swap and promised funding, but failed to clarify responsibilities in writing. The tourism board assumed the festival’s team would handle all social media content creation; the festival expected the tourism board to provide a photographer and assets for destination imagery. As a result, some cross-posts never happened because each was waiting on the other. Moreover, the festival had planned on $10,000 of tourism board co-op marketing money that only was disbursed after the event (as reimbursement), causing a cash flow hiccup. The takeaway: always hash out the details – who does what, when, and how payment works – before launching campaigns. After a frank post-event discussion (with lessons learned on both sides), the festival and tourism board adjusted their MOU for the next year, and the partnership got back on track with much smoother execution.

• Lesson Learned – Upholding Brand and Values: Another festival in Australia partnered with a state tourism agency for a broad campaign. Midway, the tourism board pushed for using certain slogans and imagery that the festival felt didn’t match their brand or attendee expectations. The festival organizers had to diplomatically push back to maintain authenticity. The collaboration taught them to include brand guidelines in the agreement and to schedule creative review meetings early. In the end, a compromise was reached on the campaign visuals, and the festival still benefited from the tourism board’s vast advertising reach. But it was a reminder that while tourism boards have their own marketing agendas, festival producers must ensure the festival’s identity isn’t drowned out. Align on messaging from the start to avoid tension later.

By studying such scenarios, it’s clear that thoughtful planning, constant communication, and a willingness to adapt are key to a thriving festival-tourism board alliance. When both parties stay focused on the shared outcome – more happy visitors experiencing both the event and the destination – the partnership tends to stay positive and productive.

Turning Impact into Ongoing Support

Ultimately, the goal of tourism board co-marketing is not just a one-off bump in ticket sales or a temporary influx of tourists – it’s to forge a long-term partnership that benefits your festival and the destination year after year. To achieve this, festival producers should proactively turn short-term wins into sustained support:

• Share the Glory: When your festival hits milestones (sold-out attendance, record out-of-town visitor numbers, glowing press reviews highlighting the locale), publicly acknowledge the tourism board’s role. This could be a shoutout in your post-event press release, a thank-you on stage or on social media, or inclusion in an official recap video. When stakeholders beyond your team see the tourism board being credited, it reinforces their involvement as integral, making it easier for tourism officials to justify continued collaboration. It also makes them feel like a true partner rather than just a checkbook.

• Debrief and Iterate: Schedule a debrief meeting with the tourism board soon after the festival. Come with a report (as discussed in the tracking section) and be candid about what worked and what didn’t. Maybe the list-sharing emails underperformed but the social media contest blew up beyond expectations – analyze why. Treat the tourism board like part of your team in this discussion. This collaborative reflection sets the stage for even better campaigns next time and shows the tourism board that you’re committed to mutual improvement, not just cashing their sponsorship and walking away.

• Propose Bigger Ideas (Early): With one successful partnership cycle under your belt, don’t wait too long to propose the next initiative. Budget timelines for governments and tourism boards often require proposals many months in advance. If your festival is annual, you might be pitching next year’s co-marketing plan almost as soon as you finish the current year’s event. Use the data and successes you’ve gathered to justify a bigger budget ask or an extended agreement. For instance, if you proved 1,000 hotel nights and $1M in tourist spend, you could propose: “Imagine what we could do next year with double the marketing budget – perhaps a multi-city promotional tour or an international ad blitz co-funded with you.” Paint a vision where the festival becomes a flagship event for the destination (if it isn’t already), worthy of front-and-center placement in the tourism board’s own marketing plan.

• Explore Broadening the Partnership: If the tourism board is regional or national, they might help replicate your success in other areas. Conversely, if your festival brand travels, you might team up with their overseas offices or sister cities. For example, a successful partnership with Visit Mexico for a destination festival in Cancún could lead to Mexico’s tourism board involving your team in travel fairs or campaigns in the U.S. or Europe to promote Mexican festivals. Be open to evolving the relationship beyond just marketing the one event – perhaps into year-round content collaborations, cultural exchange initiatives, or advisory roles. The deeper the integration, the more indispensable your festival becomes to the destination’s identity and calendar.

• Build Community and Political Goodwill: Tourism boards often have oversight from government or local councils. If your festival’s impact is significant, consider presenting the results (with the tourism board’s blessing) to local government committees or at tourism industry conferences. When city council members or tourism ministers hear directly that “Festival X brought a 20% increase in visitors during off-season,” it bolsters political support for funding both the tourism board and your event. Community-wise, engage local businesses and residents as well – show that you’re not just extracting value from the locale but contributing to community vibrancy. When the whole city or region sees the festival as a boon, there’s a natural push to keep it thriving (and funded).

In essence, convert your festival’s economic and cultural impact into a compelling story of why continued and earlier support is a smart investment for the destination. Many tourism boards start modestly with new events, perhaps offering in-kind promotion first, then small grants, and eventually large-scale sponsorship once the event proves itself. By hitting your marks and communicating results, you accelerate that timeline. The next wave of support might come in the form of larger marketing budgets, earlier commitments (so you’re not begging for last-minute funds), and possibly multi-year agreements that give your festival financial stability.

Key Takeaways

• Align Interests from the Start: Highlight how your festival boosts tourism (visitors, spending, off-season travel) to get tourism boards invested early. Mutual goal-setting lays the foundation for a win-win partnership.

• Media Swaps & Cross-Promotion: Leverage each other’s channels – websites, social media, email newsletters, and PR – to cross-promote the festival and the destination. Swap content, not just logos, to tap into new audiences while keeping messaging authentic.

• List Sharing with Care: Coordinate on email and data-driven campaigns without violating privacy. Send joint emails or run co-branded contests to reach each other’s followers, but ensure subscribers have opted in. The right collaboration can greatly extend your marketing reach.

• Co-Fund Marketing Campaigns: Pool budgets for ads, influencer campaigns, or content creation to achieve more impact than either could alone. Establish clear agreements on who contributes what and co-brand the promotions to highlight both the event and the locale.

• Insist on Clear Attribution: Use unique tracking links, referral codes, and surveys to measure exactly what the tourism board’s involvement yields (ticket sales, hotel bookings, etc.). Solid data demonstrating ROI is your best ally for securing future support.

• Communication & Agreements: Treat the tourism board as a true partner – keep communication frequent and transparent. Have written MOUs or agreements for roles, deliverables, and funding to avoid misunderstandings.

• Leverage Economic Impact: Translate your festival’s success into numbers (economic impact reports, occupancy rates, tax revenue) that stakeholders care about. Share these widely – it turns your event’s influence into a compelling case for increased budgets and earlier commitments from authorities.

• Plan for the Long Term: Don’t view co-marketing as a one-off boost. Nurture the relationship. Debrief after each event, refine strategies, and pitch bigger ideas. Over time, integrate your festival into the destination’s core identity so that tourism boards and local leaders see it as indispensable.

By mastering tourism board co-marketing, festival producers can dramatically amplify their event’s visibility and resources. It’s about working smarter together – using partnership to convert a festival’s traveler appeal into tangible growth for both the event and the destination. With practical collaboration and proof of impact, even a modest festival can unlock significant backing, ensuring it not only survives but thrives as a marquee attraction on the world stage.