Sample Benchmark Report
What your report will look like, built from example answers for a fictional county tourism office. You get the same sections: Key Takeaways, Your Benchmark at a Glance, Your Top Priorities, What’s Holding You Back, What’s Working and a question-by-question comparison.
This Is a Sample Report
Built from example answers for a fictional county tourism office with two full-time staff and a budget under $250K. Your report compares your own answers with the peer group that matches you.
Sample Benchmark Report
Your peers are the 44 DMOs with budgets under $250K in the 2026 State of Rural Tourism survey. Where it helps, we also show all 116 DMOs.
Key Takeaways
Overall, you’re close to most offices like yours: ahead on 2 of 7 measures, in line on 2 and behind on 3.
Start here: Report One Impact Number Every Quarter.
Biggest gap: AI Tools. You don’t use AI tools yet. 66% of peers do, and 83% of them say it saves time.
Strongest area: Full-Time Staff. You have 2 full-time staff. The typical peer has 1, and 78% of peers have fewer than you.
20% of peers also named seasonality as their biggest challenge. The most common was limited funding (30%).
Your Benchmark at a Glance
Each measure compares your answer with how your peers answered. Peers are the 44 DMOs with budgets under $250K in the 2026 State of Rural Tourism survey.
Behind Most PeersMore of your peers gave a stronger answer than you did.
In Line With PeersYour answer is close to the typical peer’s.
Ahead of Most PeersMore of your peers gave a weaker answer than you did.
Full-Time StaffYou have 2 full-time staff. The typical peer has 1, and 78% of peers have fewer than you.
Work Beyond CapacityYour work often exceeds what your team can handle. 66% of peers say often or almost always.
Economic Impact TrackingYou don’t track economic impact yet. 57% of peers track it regularly or informally.
Technology and CapacityYour technology drains your capacity a little. 27% of peers say theirs adds to it.
AI ToolsYou don’t use AI tools yet. 66% of peers do, and 83% of them say it saves time.
Visitation, Past Three YearsVisitation increased slightly. 57% of peers saw an increase.
Success This Past YearYou’re holding steady. 43% of peers say they’re doing well or thriving.
Your Top Priorities
The next steps we’d take in your place, in order. Quick Wins take a few hours. Bigger Lifts take planning or partners.
1
Measuring ImpactQuick Win
Report One Impact Number Every Quarter
Why: You don’t track economic impact yet, and 57% of peers do in some form. You said: no staff time and not sure what to measure.
How to start: Pick one number you can get without new work, such as lodging tax collections, and update it once a quarter. Put the number on one page next to last year’s and share it with your board every quarter.
Resources: Free Funding Case Deck →
2
Team and CapacityQuick Win
Protect Time for Strategic Planning
Why: Your work often exceeds what your team can handle, as it does for 66% of peers. You said strategic planning gets pushed aside, and 52% of peers put it in their top three.
How to start: Block two hours every other week for it and treat it like a meeting. To make room, list your recurring tasks and mark one to stop, one to share with a partner and one to do less often.
3
Your Biggest ChallengeBigger Lift
Build One Reason to Visit in Your Slowest Month
Why: You named seasonality as your biggest challenge, as did 20% of peers.
How to start: Pick your slowest month and work with three or four businesses on one package, itinerary or event for it. Promote it early and track bookings so you can repeat what works.
4
ToolsQuick Win
Cut or Fix the Tools That Drain Your Time
Why: Your technology drains your capacity a little. 27% of peers say theirs adds to their capacity. You said: too many separate tools and no time to learn or set up.
How to start: List every tool and what it does. Where two tools do the same job, keep one. Block one hour a week for a month to set up the one tool that would save the most time.
Resources: Free DMO Tech Audit →
5
ToolsQuick Win
Try AI on One Repetitive Task
Why: 66% of peers use AI tools, and 83% of them say it saves time.
How to start: Pick one task you repeat every week, such as first drafts of event listings, newsletter blurbs or social captions. Try a free AI tool for a month, check every fact and name before anything goes out, and keep it only if it saves time.
What’s Holding You Back
What you told us, with a first step for each.
Work that gets pushed aside
Strategic / long-term planning: 52% of peers put this in their top three.
Collecting visitor data & measuring impact: 45% of peers put this in their top three.
Applying for grants & new funding: 36% of peers put this in their top three.
Why you don’t track impact yet
No staff time
Pick one number you can get without new work, such as lodging tax collections, and update it once a quarter.
Not sure what to measure
Start with three numbers: lodging tax collected, overnight stays if you can get them, and attendance at your largest events.
What gets in the way with technology
Too many separate tools
List every tool and what it does. Where two tools do the same job, keep one.
No time to learn or set up
Block one hour a week for a month to set up the one tool that would save the most time.
What’s Working
Keep giving these time and support. They’re worth sharing with your board.
You have 2 full-time staff. The typical peer has 1, and 78% of peers have fewer than you.
Visitation increased slightly. 57% of peers saw an increase.
How You Compare, Question by Question
Each chart shows how your 44 peers answered one survey question. Gray bars are peers. The red bar marked You is your answer.
Team and Capacity
Peers are the 44 DMOs with budgets under $250K in the 2026 State of Rural Tourism survey. Bars show how peers answered. Your answer is marked You.
Full-Time Staff
You have 2 full-time staff. The typical peer has 1, and 78% of peers have fewer than you.
08%
169%
2You11%
38%
43%
5 or more0%
All 116 DMOs: the typical office has 2.
How Often Work Exceeds Capacity
Your work often exceeds what your team can handle. 66% of peers say often or almost always.
Never2%
Rarely5%
Sometimes27%
OftenYou39%
Almost always27%
Work That Gets Pushed Aside
You picked strategic planning, visitor data and measuring impact and grant applications. Peers most often pick strategic planning (52%).
Strategic / long-term planningYou52%
Collecting visitor data & measuring impactYou45%
Applying for grants & new fundingYou36%
Engaging residents & stakeholders30%
Developing new campaigns or content25%
Share of peers placing each item in their top three.
Context: in the 2025 State of Rural Tourism Report, 38% of rural DMOs had budgets under $250K, the same share as in 2026, and one full-time staff member was the most common setup in both years (34% in 2025, 32% in 2026). The 2025 report heard from 68 organizations, many of them in New York, so treat it as context rather than a trend.
Results and Impact
Peers are the 44 DMOs with budgets under $250K in the 2026 State of Rural Tourism survey. Your answer is marked You.
Visitation, Past Three Years
Visitation increased slightly. 57% of peers saw an increase.
Increased significantly11%
Increased slightlyYou45%
Stayed about the same20%
Decreased slightly18%
Decreased significantly2%
Don't know2%
Success This Past Year
You’re holding steady. 43% of peers say they’re doing well or thriving.
Struggling7%
Getting by20%
Holding steadyYou30%
Doing well36%
Thriving7%
Tracking Economic Impact
You don’t track economic impact yet. 57% of peers track it regularly or informally.
Yes, regularly34%
Occasionally / informally23%
No, but we want toYou34%
No, and it isn't a priority7%
Not sure2%
Tools and Funding
Peers are the 44 DMOs with budgets under $250K in the 2026 State of Rural Tourism survey. Your answer is marked You.
Technology and Capacity
Your technology drains your capacity a little. 27% of peers say theirs adds to it.
Drains it a lot11%
Drains it a littleYou20%
Neutral41%
Adds a little7%
Adds a lot20%
AI Tools
You don’t use AI tools yet. 66% of peers do, and 83% of them say it saves time.
Use AI tools66%
Don’t use AI toolsYou34%
Funding Sources
Lodging tax is one of your funding sources, as it is for 73% of peers.
Lodging / occupancy / bed taxYou73%
Membership dues20%
State or county grants18%
Municipal / county general fundYou18%
Earned revenue (events, co-op ads, services)7%
Peers could choose more than one source.
Biggest Challenge
Peers are the 44 DMOs with budgets under $250K in the 2026 State of Rural Tourism survey. Each peer named one biggest challenge.
Biggest Challenge Right Now
You named seasonality, as did 20% of peers. The most common answer is limited funding (30%).
Limited funding30%
SeasonalityYou20%
Limited staff / capacity16%
Housing / cost of living9%
Workforce / hiring7%
Lack of visitor data5%
Where to Go From Here
Compare Notes With PeersAsk other rural tourism offices how they handle the same challenges, and share what has worked for you.Join the Community Forum →Read the Full ResearchThe 2026 State of Rural Tourism report behind these comparisons. Free to read and share.Read the Report →Check Your TechnologyThe free DMO Tech Audit shows which tools to fix first and which ones your team barely uses.Take the Tech Audit →
If you’d like outside help, our Peer Benchmark Report adds new research on the tourism offices in your neighboring counties. Or book a free call to talk through your report.
Source: 2026 State of Rural Tourism Survey, Rural Tourism Network, fielded July 22 to November 6, 2026. Percentages are unweighted shares of organizations answering each question, so small groups can shift by several points. “Ahead,” “in line” and “behind” compare your answer with how peers answered the same question. Results are shown only for groups of 10 or more organizations and never identify a respondent. Your email and answers go to our mailing list so we can send your report. We never share them.