About Rural Tourism Network
We provide research and planning for rural tourism offices and the regions they work in.
Our Story
Nobody had measured how rural tourism offices actually run. So in 2025 Rural Tourism Network ran the first national survey focused specifically on rural DMOs: 68 organizations across 16 states. In 2026, 207 tourism organizations answered from 41 states.
The first finding set our direction. Visitors keep coming, and staff time is what runs out. In 2026, 59% of rural DMOs said the work exceeds their capacity often or almost always. Everything we offer is sized to that.
Our Founder
Briana grew up in rural Pennsylvania. Before founding Rural Tourism Network in 2025, she worked as an international tour guide, served in the Peace Corps and taught.
She holds a master’s degree in Tourism and Travel Management from NYU, where she won a pitch competition at the Tisch Center’s hospitality incubator. She leads every engagement directly, with trusted planning partners on larger projects.
Principles
We believe tourism is one of the best tools a rural community has. These principles shape how we help you use it.
Tourism Is a Tool
We work in tourism because it can drive economic development. We help communities use it on purpose and make sure it pays off for the people who live there: local jobs, businesses that stay open year round and tax revenue that funds the things residents use.
Community First
Residents come before visitors. We plan for the kind of tourism a town wants and can host, and we ask locals what they want to share before anything gets marketed.
Rural Voices at the Table
Rural tourism offices are often left out of industry research, funding and conversations. We make sure their experience is counted and heard.
Collaboration Over Competition
Visitors don’t stop at the county line. We bring neighboring towns, counties and partners to the same table and show where working together would pay off.
Sized to Your Staff
Every recommendation comes with a cost in staff days. If your office can’t carry it with the people it has, it isn’t a recommendation yet.
How a Project Runs
An Intro Call
You tell us what’s on your desk. We tell you honestly whether we’re the right fit.
Scope and Price
One page: what you get, when, and what it costs. We’re happy to scope the work to your budget.
Check the Record
We pull public records, verify what’s on the ground, and compare you with peer offices from the national survey.
A Plan to Act On
A report, a deck you keep and a live briefing. Every next step has an owner and a cost in staff time.
Most Requested Services
Regional Strategic Analysis
From $3,850 · 3 to 4 weeks
One fact base for a region. We inventory key assets, profile each county, find your shared story and say which neighbor to approach first.
Key assets and each tourism office profiled from public records
A shared story and cross-county opportunities, scored
Which neighbor to approach first, and your first moves
Often funded by a grant or split across counties
Destination Strategy Plan
Quoted · about 7 weeks
Where you stand, then three to five goals, a three-year roadmap and a first-year plan your board adopts. Built to be finished, not shelved.
A clear picture of where your office stands
Three to five goals with measures and targets
A three-year roadmap and 12-month action plan
A quarterly scorecard and a board deck
Peer Benchmark Report
From $910 · about 2 weeks
We compare your office with its survey peer group and research the tourism offices in your neighboring counties from public budgets, lodging tax and staffing records. It goes beyond the free benchmark to show where you stand in your region.
Survey peers in your budget band, groups of five or more
Neighboring counties researched from public records
Likeliest partner, funding gaps and one next step
The Research Behind Every Plan
Our recommendations draw on the State of Rural Tourism survey: 207 organizations in 41 states on how their work really runs.
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