The only nationwide annual survey focused on rural tourism. The full 2026 report comes out at the end of November.
207 organizations
41 states
Fielded July 22 to November 6, 2026
The Only Nationwide Survey of Rural Tourism Offices
Rural tourism has been studied for more than three decades, but rarely from inside the small organizations that manage it. The State of Rural Tourism survey is the only nationwide annual survey focused on rural tourism, and as far as we know it is the largest study of rural tourism organizations in the United States. This year it adds the chambers of commerce and local governments that fund much of the work.
118 of 125
Rural tourism studies that were single-place case studies
Limited Regional and U.S. Research
Of 125 rural tourism studies reviewed by Rosalina and colleagues in 2021, 118 were single-place case studies and only 5 were in the United States.
17
National DMO benchmark
2
Rural DMOs, this survey
Median full-time staff
National Benchmarks Miss Rural Offices
The national DMO benchmark from Destinations International reports a median of 17 full-time staff. The median rural DMO in our survey has 2.
Sources: Rosalina, Dupre and Wang (2021), Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management; Destinations International, Destination Organization Performance Report. Full references are in the report.
207 Organizations in 41 States
Three times the 68 organizations that took part in 2025, and no state accounts for more than 10% of responses. Most came from DMOs and from chambers of commerce and local governments, the two groups this report is built on.
How they describe their community
Rural
38%
Small town
27%
Larger town or small city
29%
Not sure or edge of metro
6%
Respondents define rural for themselves.
Who answered
DMOs, CVBs and tourism associations
116
Chambers of commerce, economic development and local government
82
Nine state and regional bodies also took part. Business and resident answers are not reported as findings this year.
Most responses by state
Indiana
20
Minnesota
20
Montana
15
Tennessee
15
Idaho
13
Colorado
12
Organizations. Each of these states had an office or association share the survey.
About This Survey
The State of Rural Tourism survey is the only nationwide annual survey focused on rural tourism, now in its second year. As far as we know, it is the largest study of rural tourism organizations in the United States. The 2026 edition was fielded July 22 to November 6, 2026, by direct email to DMOs and chambers in all 50 states and through more than 20 state tourism offices and associations.
It received 295 responses. This report is based on the 207 from organizations in 41 states: 116 DMOs; 82 chambers of commerce, economic-development organizations and local governments; and 9 state and regional bodies. Rural status is self-identified. Answers are confidential and reported only in aggregate.
Read the 2025 Report While You Wait
State of Rural Tourism 2025
68 rural DMOs in 16 states. 79% reported stable or growing visitation; 69% named staff capacity the top challenge.
Get the 2026 Report
The 2026 State of Rural Tourism report comes out at the end of November. To get it, sign up for our newsletter. Every subscriber gets the report by email the day it’s published.