Dirt Road

Destination Nevada Academy

Tourism is in our DNA.

The road to success can sometimes feel a bit winding. How do you know which way to go?

  • What strategies should you use to promote your destination?
  • How do you know craft a compelling grant narrative?
  • How do you reach your target audience with your marketing efforts?
  • What are your goals, and how do you know if you’ve met them?

You can learn all this and more, plus find support from colleagues, academy instructors, and Travel Nevada staff at our brand new Destination Nevada Academy.

What is DNA?

The Destination Nevada Academy (DNA) is a skill-building course to increase capacity, preparedness, and efficacy for rural communities to engage in destination development, expand marketing and outreach, improve the visitor experience, and grow their local tourism economy.  

DNA 101 will build foundational skills and awareness for destination development and tourism, helping participants develop an understanding of what questions to ask and the things to consider as they work to promote rural destinations.  

DNA aims to cultivate a consortium of rural tourism professionals, community representatives and tourism advocates with the knowledge and skills to foster a robust and thriving tourism economy while maintaining alignment with Travel Nevada’s content pillars and strategic long-term goals.  

The foundational skills presented in DNA 101 will be expanded upon in the 201 course (coming early 2024), where participants will have the opportunity to dive deeper into specific methods and platforms for tourism marketing and connecting with industry partners. 

Enrollment Requirements: There is no pre-requisite for enrollment in DNA. Enrollees must:

Who should enroll?

  • Visitors Authority/Tourism
  • Destination Management Organizations
  • Elected/Appointed officials
  • Economic Development Authority
  • Business owners with ties to tourism
  • Chambers of Commerce
  • Non-Profit organizations related to tourism or community development
  • Anyone who is interested in promoting travel and tourism in their communities

Registration opens early 2023.

Download the Syllabus (coming soon)