Rural DMO Transition Toolkit
Templates and talking points to help rural DMOs brief new state and federal leaders after the 2026 election. Free to use and adapt.
What It’s For
New governors, legislators and members of Congress are setting priorities between now and March. This toolkit helps a small office make its case in that window with templates, talking points and guardrails.
What You Get
A completed one-page fact sheet and letters for your governor, members of Congress and state legislators, with your numbers and the right names for each office. Everything appears on the page right away with five next steps for getting them sent, and we email you a copy.
How It Works
1
Read the fact sheet and letter templates below
2
Fill out the Build Your Letters form with your office and local numbers
3
Copy your letters, bring the fact sheet to meetings and check the guardrails before anything goes out
About 10 minutes for the form. If your state has a tourism association, coordinate with it first.
One-Page Fact Sheet Template
Fill in the brackets with your county’s figures. Use your state tourism office’s most recent economic impact study where you can, and name the source and year under each number. Leave out any line you cannot source.
Tourism in [County Name]: [one-line headline, e.g. “$48 million in visitor spending, 620 local jobs”]
By the numbers ([year], source: [study name])
Visitor spending: $[amount]
Jobs supported: [number]
State and local taxes paid by visitors: $[amount]
Lodging tax collected: $[amount]
Tourism businesses in the county: [number]
What brings visitors here
[Two or three sentences: trails, parks, farms, heritage sites, events.]
What we do with a small team
[Staff size and budget. One or two results from the past year.]
What would help most
1. [Specific ask, e.g. lower match requirement on state tourism grants]
2. [Specific ask, e.g. county-level economic impact data]
3. [Specific ask]
Contact
[Name, title, organization, phone, email]
Letter Template for Transition Teams and New Legislators
Keep it under one page and attach the fact sheet. Send it by email to the transition office or the member’s office, then follow up by phone a week later. The same letter works for a governor’s transition team, a state legislator or a member of Congress; change the second paragraph to fit.
Dear [Governor-elect / Senator-elect / Representative-elect] [Last Name],
Congratulations on your election. I am the [Title] of [Organization], the tourism organization for [County/Region]. I am writing to introduce our work and offer our help as you set priorities for [the state / the district].
Tourism is one of [County]’s largest sources of outside income. In [year], visitors spent $[amount] here, supporting [number] local jobs and paying $[amount] in state and local taxes. Most of that money goes to small, locally owned businesses on our main streets, farms and trails.
We do this work with [number] staff. Like many rural destinations, we have the opportunity to grow but limited capacity to pursue the state and federal programs built to help us. Three changes would make the most difference:
1. [Ask 1]
2. [Ask 2]
3. [Ask 3]
I have attached a one-page summary. I would welcome the chance to meet with you or your staff, and to host you in [County] at any time.
Thank you for your service to [the state / the district].
[Name]
[Title, Organization]
[Phone] | [Email]
Build Your Letters
Fill out this form and we’ll complete the fact sheet and letter templates above for you, with your numbers, your asks and the right names for each office. We match your office address to your governor, U.S. senators, U.S. representative and state legislators. Everything appears here right away, and we’ll email you a copy.
Only four things are required: your first name, organization, state and email. Everything else is optional, and the letters adjust to what you leave out.
Optional. We use your address with the free U.S. Census lookup to find your congressional and state legislative districts. It is not stored. Skip it and you can type your districts in later.
Optional. Fill in only what you can source, and leave the rest blank. Letters read well with any mix, or with no numbers at all.
Optional. A few details make the letters sound like you.
Optional. Pick as many as apply, or none. Each letter only includes the requests that fit that office. With none, the letters invite a conversation instead.
Letters are drafts for you to review. Check every name before sending, since some races were still being finalized. Rural Tourism Network does not send anything to officials on your behalf.
Talking Points That Work Across Party Lines
These messages land with officials of either party because they are about local jobs and local businesses, not ideology.
Jobs. Say: “Tourism supports [number] local jobs.” Not: “Tourism is a growth industry.”
Taxes. Say: “Visitors paid $[amount] in local taxes.” Not: “Tourism generates revenue.”
Affordability. Say: “We offer families an affordable trip close to home.” Not: “We market the destination.”
Small business. Say: “Visitors keep main street open year round.” Not: “We drive visitation.”
Capacity. Say: “Simpler grants would help our [number]-person team bring money home.” Not: “We need more funding.”
Public lands. Say: “When the park closes, our businesses lose customers.” Avoid federal politics.
Lodging tax. Say: “Each promotion dollar brings back $[amount]” (only if your data shows it). Not: “Lodging tax belongs to tourism.”
Always end with a specific, small ask and an invitation to visit.
Guardrails
Check these before anything goes out. When in doubt, ask your board chair or your county attorney.
Do
Brief both parties with the same message and numbers.
Congratulate every new official.
Tell your county board and directors before you reach out.
Coordinate with your state tourism association.
Cite a source and year for every number.
Avoid
Calling the election a win or loss, or using party labels.
Endorsing or thanking candidates for their campaigns.
Using public funds or staff time for anything that looks like campaigning.
Asking for money without naming the program, amount and result.
Calendar of Key Dates Through Spring 2027
Exact dates vary by state. Check your state’s inauguration date, budget schedule and legislative session calendar.
Now to mid-December 2026: Finish your fact sheet, brief local officials and write to transition teams.
December 11, 2026: Federal funding deadline. Watch for shutdowns at nearby federal sites.
January 3, 2027: New Congress sworn in. Send letters and request district meetings.
January 2027: New governors take office. Meet new state tourism leaders.
January to February 2027: Governors propose budgets. Compare tourism funding to last year.
Spring 2027: Congress collects local project requests. Ask your member for the deadline.
Spring 2027: 2027 spending bills and Brand USA reauthorization begin. Share your fact sheet with staff.