Traditionally, tourism and economic development have been treated as two distinct functions. Separate organisations, separate budgets, and separate ambitions and objectives to deliver against. This model has been changing over the past few decades, as cities, regions, and nations increasingly recognise that these are two sides of the same coin.

“Tourism and economic development are two expressions of the same place promise, not competing mandates,” explained Royce Chwin, President & CEO at Destination Vancouver. “Visitors, investors, talent and residents are all responding to the same fundamentals: quality of life, connectivity, innovation, culture, sustainability, and opportunity.”

Whether you’re attracting Greentech investment or encouraging young families to relocate, the reality is that you’re still promoting the same ‘product’ – your place. As Nicole Vilalte, CMO at Invest Puerto Rico, told us: “The success of a destination is fundamentally anchored in how a place is perceived – and both sectors are architects of that perception.”

However, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to pivot to an overarching place brand and marketing strategy. The existing infrastructure of economic development and tourism attraction create legacies that you often need to work within and around to deliver a single vision for your place. 

“There’s no silver bullet to pre-emptively avoiding challenges,” shared Christy Gillenwater, President & CEO at Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, “but strong partnerships that are built before something goes wrong are the most critical asset to have in solving any problems.”

The question then, is how do you forge those partnerships between tourism and economic development teams? Ahead of the City Nation Place Americas conference in Vancouver this April 22-23^rd, 2026, we reached out to our speakers to get their practical advice on how you can break down the silos between teams and embrace a holistic, place-led approach.

Step one: Education is essential to bring your stakeholders on the journey with you.

When tourism and economic development and civic pride exist independently from one another, the first step is getting your fellow place promoters to understand the value of a joined-up approach. According to Katie Shorey, Director of Engagement at Live + Work in Maine, “the most effective way to break down these silos is to stop viewing the visitor and resident as distinct groups. My hope is that we move towards a ‘Place-First’ strategy where our outdoor access and strong communities are the hook for both the weekend trip and the career move. The silo breaks when you realise you’re not selling a vacation or a job: you are selling a life.”

A visit is often the first step on the journey to becoming a resident. And residents benefit equally as much from investments into public spaces and programming as visitors do – if not more. These are all chapters of the same story, which need to reach people at different stages of their relationship with your place.

As Marjette Upshur, Director of the Office of Economic Development & Tourism at the City of Lynchburg, explained, “tourism is the most dynamic form of economic development.” And nowhere is that clearer than in the work Destination Canada have undertaken to value tourism’s contribution to their citizens – and thereby demonstrate to stakeholders why their work is so valuable.

“Reframing tourism through an economic lens presents a much stronger story, and if we want to share the value of tourism, it is one we must start telling,” explained Destination Canada’s Joe Amati and Suzanne Reeves. “The results are even clearer when we measure return on investment. Destination Canada, as Canada’s national tourism organisation, delivers a very strong $24 return on every dollar invested.”

Engaging stakeholders on this journey requires two narratives: an emotional argument on why a joined-up approach aligns with the realities of your place, and the data that irrefutably demonstrates the clear linkage between tourism, economic development, and resident satisfaction.

Step two: Establish a common language, built on a shared strategy

“A common misconception is that alignment means uniformity,” shared Invest Puerto Rico’s Nicole Vilalte. “In reality, clarity of roles enables effective collaboration. To prevent misalignment, collaboration must happen at the strategy level, not during campaign execution.”

Shared messaging isn’t necessarily the hallmark of a strong, cohesive approach to place branding and marketing. An audience of prospective holiday-goers will need different information and emotional levers than someone who’s considering relocating their HQ. However, by identifying the common truths about your city, region, or country, you can ensure that the breadth of communications all contribute to and strengthen your overall place identity – even when conducted by different teams with different objectives.

To get this right, you must have a crystal-clear understanding of who you are as a place and a community. This becomes the north star that ensures the actions of all stakeholders are built on a common set of shared principles – or your place DNA, if you will. “Not every place is meant to be everything to everyone,” explained David Goldstein, CEO at Travel Alberta. “Knowing which pool you’re swimming in, and building accordingly, is what separates the places that endure from the places that chase trends… and often at the expense of the communities they claim to serve.”

The secret to understanding what – and who – you are?

Your citizens.

Invest the time and the resources into understanding how your community perceives itself. Because at the end of the day, your community is your unique point of difference. They are what separate you from the other destinations with pristine beaches or a state-of-the-art sports arena.

Identifying your place narrative does more than provide a common foundation for your communications; it also provides you with the starting blocks of a shared language to communicate your ambitions for your place. Done right, this means that you can develop a lifetime relationship with someone – from visitor to resident to investor.

“The most effective approach we’ve found,” said Destination Vancouver’s Royce Chwin, “is to align around a shared long-term vision for place prosperity, supported by common language, data, and outcomes. When tourism, investment attraction, and talent strategies are developed together – rather than in sequence – you unlock compounding benefits[,] and storytelling becomes more authentic and consistent across audiences.”

Step three: Develop a shared set of success metrics

What gets measured, gets done. And more importantly, it gets funded. Aligning activities between organisations can be challenging, and having a shared set of targets that you’re working towards is critical to keeping everyone on track.

“It’s tempting to move quickly into campaigns or initiatives as a knee jerk response to opportunity, but without shared definitions of success, friction is inevitable,” explained Destination Vancouver’s Royce Chwin. “Taking the time upfront to align governance, metrics, and decision-making frameworks pays dividends later.”

Live + Work in Maine’s Katie Shorey shared similar advice, suggesting the conversion rate from visitor to resident as an example metric that helps ensure that “both teams are incentivised to tell a cohesive story about quality of life.”

Adopting this approach also provides you with the structure you need to manage any resistance. City of Lynchburg’s Marjette Upshur highlighted that legacy organisations could feel threatened by a shift from promotion to strategy and impact but acknowledged that you have to move forwards despite the resistance. “Lead with outcomes, not organisational charts,” she advised, “unify metrics early so success is measured consistently across disciplines, and build internal alignment before seeking external buy-in.”

The leadership challenge

We’ve broken down this article into ‘three steps’ that you need to take to break down silos between organisations to deliver a joined-up approach to place promotion. The reality is far more complex than the words glibly imply, though. ‘Establishing a shared language’ isn’t a task you can complete in a day, after all.

However, they are essential processes that you need to go through. Which means you also need to have strong leadership to make sure that you’re bringing everyone with you on that journey.

“When leaders champion a unified vision for a place and actively encourage cross-sector collaboration, alignment becomes cultural rather than forced,” stated Invest Puerto Rico’s Nicole Vilalte. Travel Alberta’s David Goldstein shared a similar sentiment, saying that “good intentions aren’t enough: this work requires real investment, with the financial, political, and organisational capital to back it up.”

This means that as a place leader, the onus is on you to live by the principles of collaboration and to continually remind your stakeholders just why this is important.  “It’s easy to let communication across divisions slip through the cracks,” explained Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s Christy Gillenwater. “Our monthly all-staff meetings include presentations that rotate between divisions so that the entire organisation understands our body of work. This often sparks new ideas, opportunities for further collaboration, or resource sharing.”

Ultimately, as Destination Vancouver’s Royce Chwin shared, “strong place leadership isn’t just about bold vision – it’s about creating durable systems that make collaboration the default, not the exception.”

Join Destination Canada’s Joe Amati and Suzanne Reeves, Destination Vancouver’s Royce Chwin, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber's Christy Gillenwater, Travel Alberta’s David Goldstein, Live + Work in Maine’s Katie Shorey, City of Lynchburg’s Marjette Upshur, and Invest Puerto Rico’s Nicole Vilalte in Vancouver this April 22-23^rd at City Nation Place Americas to discover how to structure and manage a joined-up and cohesive place brand and marketing strategy. See the full agenda here to learn more.