ABSTRACT
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, issues such as overtourism and destination stewardship have emerged as central topics for the tourism industry. Rural destinations in particular face unique challenges as they work to promote economic prosperity through tourism. While theoretical models, toolkits, and futures models exist as guides for destinations, there are few practical examples of how rural destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are innovating to successfully balance their dual mandates of preservation of place and visitation growth. This chapter describes the innovative responses of three West Virginia destinations to the changing environment of destination management, and the successes and challenges rural DMOs face as they work to balance economic development, sustainable tourism, and residents’ quality of life. We also describe how the Cooperative Extension Service can facilitate network building for innovation in rural tourism settings. Our research shows that when the relationships and local expertise of rural DMO leaders are combined with the explicit knowledge of university and Cooperative Extension partners new and innovative structures and knowledge sharing networks are formed that enhance both local and regional destinations.
