Happy Residents Make Greater Destinations

While the majority of European destination marketing organizations have embraced resident sentiment KPIs as part of their annual destination performance metrics, only a limited number of North American tourism organizations have followed suit. However, gauging community perspectives on local tourism development is more than just a sustainability measure – it’s a crucial investment in protecting and enhancing destination brand equity. This impacts not only the visitor experience but also the overall reputation of the destination.

Unfortunately, many DMOs only begin to assess residents’ perceptions once the early signs of tourism resistance appear – or worse, when protests have already sparked negative media coverage and viral social conversations. By contrast, proactively integrating residents into destination planning, management and marketing can significantly elevate destination performance. After all, residents are the face, heart and soul of a destination and are a key component of the visitor experience.

A correlation analysis from the 2024 MMGY TRAVELSAT Competitive Index reveals that the primary factor driving differences in overall visitor satisfaction is the hospitality of the locals. While friendly resident interactions aren’t something visitors can purchase, they do significantly shape their destination experience. In fact, our data shows local friendliness can influence the visitor experience as much, if not more, than the quality of accommodations, dining, attractions or shopping, making it a critical competitive advantage – or a potential drawback – for destinations.

It’s also well known that residents are often the first tourists in their own community and can be exceptional ambassadors for their area. The 2024 Resident Sentiment Index (RSI) survey highlights that 8 in 10 residents across the U.S. and Europe take pride in welcoming visitors, 7 in 10 enjoy sharing tips and advice with tourists they encounter, and half express a desire to be more involved in local tourism development. Recent trends indicate that residents are increasingly expecting to be recognized as local ambassadors through special “privileges,” such as discounts or exclusive previews, allowing them to share their experiences with potential visitors. This creates a mutually beneficial scenario where locals promote their destinations enthusiastically.

Even if only a small percentage of the community officially serve as “greeters,” residents naturally enhance the visitor experience without even realizing it. For instance, did you know that the TravelSat Net Promoter Score for U.S. destinations increases by an average of 10 points among international visitors who stay with friends and family?

In short, happy residents lead to happy visitors, who in turn spend more during their stay and become advocates for future visitors. Over 30% of international visitors to the U.S. choose their destination based on the experiences of friends and family, according to TravelSat. So every dollar invested in engaging with residents not only improves the return on investment for your destination marketing but it also strengthens the long-term success of your place.

Tourismphobia is making headlines once again. Hardly a day goes by in Europe without national media covering protests by locals against overtourism. Following in the footsteps of larger destinations like Venice, Barcelona, Majorca and Amsterdam, numerous smaller destinations are now raising their voices against the uncontrolled influx of visitors, which is either diminishing their quality of life or threatening the environment. While the media often amplifies these situations, the impact on a place’s reputation is undeniable. Take Barcelona – despite maintaining strong visitor satisfaction, its reputation score can plummet from +50 to -50 points in a matter of days due to local unrest, as evidenced by the TravelSat Brand Tracker’s Net Sentiment Score, which gauges the polarity of social conversations related to destinations.

The RSI tourismphobia survey results recently revealed that the number of tourism critics in European capital cities remains a minority yet has doubled over the past three years. Although this phenomenon is currently less pronounced in U.S. destinations (with the RSI tourismphobia results still significantly below European levels), it is crucial for North American destinations to take preventive measures. Protecting brand equity and ensuring that locals remain supportive rather than antagonistic toward tourism development is essential. The risks are especially high in areas with existing social and political tensions, where tourismphobia can easily be exacerbated – particularly during election periods. The reasons behind tourismphobia are complex and specific to each place, and tourism is an easy target for activists looking to advance their agendas.

Drawing on years of experience and 80-plus projects measuring communities’ perspective globally, MMGY Travel Intelligence offers key insights for DMOs looking to introduce or improve the resident sentiment KPIs in their destination management and marketing. Here’s a list of 10 basic do’s and don’ts where MMGY Travel Intelligence solutions can help:

1. Be proactive in anticipating resident sentiment rather than waiting for negative media coverage or protests. This allows you to develop creative, competitive and sustainable policies.
2. Engage residents by seeking their input. You’ll often find their views on tourism are more positive than you expected, and they will offer valuable and sometimes unexpected views of what makes your destination so great.
3. Leverage survey results to spark discussions on citizen web platforms and participative forums, creating momentum for further insights and suggestions.
4. Ensure your survey includes all residents, not just those in tourist-heavy areas. Tourism is a societal issue and a shared resource for everyone, not just those near popular attractions.
5. Conduct ample sampling to focus on regions of potential concern, such as areas outside city centers and near cruise terminals or large event venues.
6. Regularly gauge resident sentiment through an annual (or biannual) representative survey, and let our team monitor for red flags through curated local social listening between survey waves.
7. Avoid conducting surveys during atypical, large-scale events that could skew the results.
8. Incorporate RSI questions into your existing resident surveys and feedback systems to benchmark your scores against RSI norms, including comparable destinations and those that excel in resident engagement.
9. Identify and understand the profiles of your ambassadors and critics. They might differ from your assumptions and can guide targeted initiatives. (Younger generations, in particular, tend to be less supportive of tourism.) It’s also important to build in special support for residents working in the tourism sector. 
10. Balance resident perspectives with those of visitors and stakeholders to prioritize goals that are both sustainable and competitive for your destination.

MMGY Travel Intelligence offers countless ways of inspiring best practices that use proprietary data intelligence solutions that fit destinations of all sizes and tourism pressures, such as the Bordeaux Agora initiative that uses the RSI survey results to begin a discourse on the topic as well as moderate workshops within local communities.  

RSI, originally developed by TCI Research prior to its acquisition by MMGY in 2023, is the cutting-edge gold standard in resident sentiment measurement – a game changer for destination planning and branding that provides essential insights to empower the creation of more vibrant, sustainable and inclusive destinations. By seamlessly blending advanced survey techniques with insightful social data analysis, the RSI provides unparalleled benchmarking for 50-plus key sentiment and impact indicators with multiple ad hoc options that highlight both the positive drivers and key areas of progress for destinations. 

MMGY Travel Intelligence’s TRAVELSAT© solution is endorsed by UN Tourism as well as regional tourism authorities. This solution monitors destination brands’ experiences and reputations through advanced combinations of survey-based and social data that has been adopted by more than 100 DMOs globally.