Sample Tech Audit 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 Tech Stack at a Glance, Your Top Priorities, What’s Holding You Back, What’s Working, and your tools and spending.
This Is a Sample Report
Built from example answers for a fictional county tourism office with a team of two or three. Your report will reflect your own answers.
Sample Technology Assessment
Prepared for Sample County Tourism. Based on your answers about the tools your team uses, how they’re working, and where your team is stretched.
Key Takeaways
Of your five areas, 4 are at the Building level and 1 at Foundation.
Start here: Send a Short Monthly Partner Update (Partner & Regional Coordination).
The biggest thing getting in the way: no time to use it properly (flagged in 2 places).
Before buying anything new, look at the tools you barely use in Visitor Engagement.
The paid tools you listed cost about $5,340 a year.
Your Tech Stack at a Glance
Each area gets one of four levels, based on two things: how many of the features you have, and how well they’re working for your team.
1. FoundationFew of the features we ask about, or tools that aren’t in use yet.
2. BuildingSome features in place, used lightly or unevenly.
3. EstablishedMost features in place and part of your routine.
4. AdvancedNearly every feature in place and getting real value.
Visitor EngagementYou have 6 of 11 features, plus 1 you added. Rated feature by feature: mostly part of the routine. Your team is stretched on 3 of 10 tasks.To reach Established: at least 7 of 11 features, part of your routine.
Content ManagementYou have 6 of 11 features. They’re not used to their full potential. Your team is stretched on 3 of 8 tasks.To reach Established: at least 7 of 11 features, part of your routine.
Data & ReportingYou have 5 of 10 features. They’re part of your routine. Your team is stretched on 3 of 7 tasks.To reach Established: at least 7 of 10 features, part of your routine.
Partner & Regional CoordinationNo tools in this area yet. Your team is stretched on 3 of 7 tasks.To reach Building: at least 3 of 9 features, in use.
Visitor ExperienceYou have 4 of 9 features. Someone else runs them. Your team is stretched on 2 of 6 tasks.To reach Established: at least 6 of 9 features, part of your routine.
Your Top Priorities
The next steps we’d take in your place, in order. Quick wins use tools you already have.
1
Partner & Regional CoordinationNeeds a New Tool
Send a Short Monthly Partner Update
Why: Your team said sending regular updates to partners is hard to keep up with.
How to start: Send a short monthly partner update from the email tool you already use, on its own list. This works best with a partner email list or newsletter, separate from visitors, which you don’t have yet.
Tools to look at: Mailchimp, Constant Contact
2
Visitor ExperienceQuick Win
Refresh Four Seasonal Itineraries a Year
Why: Your team said building seasonal or themed itineraries is hard to keep up with.
How to start: You already have itineraries and trip ideas visitors can follow, so start there. Refresh four seasonal itineraries a year and reuse each one in your newsletter and social posts.
Tools to look at: Your website platform, Canva
3
Content ManagementQuick Win
Let Businesses Update Their Own Listings
Why: Your team said adding and updating business listings in your directory is hard to keep up with.
How to start: You already have a searchable business and attraction directory on your website, so start there. Let businesses update their own listings through a simple form, then check the whole directory once a year.
Tools to look at: Google Forms, Airtable, your platform’s partner portal
4
Partner & Regional CoordinationNeeds a New Tool
Keep Every Partner in One Database
Why: Your team said managing partner records, renewals and invoices is hard to keep up with.
How to start: Keep every partner in one database with renewal dates and automatic reminders. This works best with a partner database or CRM, which you don’t have yet.
Tools to look at: Airtable, HubSpot free CRM, Google Sheets
5
Visitor ExperienceNeeds a New Tool
Add a “Last Checked” Date to Every Attraction
Why: Your team said keeping your list of attractions and points of interest accurate is hard to keep up with.
How to start: Keep one master list of attractions with a ‘last checked’ date on every entry. This works best with a master list of attractions and points of interest that you keep up to date, which you don’t have yet.
Tools to look at: Airtable, Google Sheets
What’s Holding You Back
What your team told us, most common first, with a first step for each.
What gets in the way
No time to use it properly
Visitor Engagement: automated emails · Content Management (whole area)
Pick one tool to get right this quarter instead of all of them, and block an hour a week for setup until it runs on its own.
Too hard to use or learn
Visitor Engagement: social media scheduling · Content Management (whole area)
Ask the vendor for a free onboarding session and record it. A one-page how-to for your three most common tasks saves the most time.
Too expensive for what we get
Visitor Engagement: paid digital ads
List what each tool costs and who actually uses it. Tools nobody has opened in three months are the first to cut, and many vendors offer nonprofit or government pricing if you ask before renewal.
Changes take too long
Visitor Experience (whole area)
Agree on a turnaround time for changes, in writing, and a named contact who handles them.
We can’t get to the data or results
Visitor Experience (whole area)
Ask for view access to the analytics, or a short report emailed to you each month.
Why some tools aren’t in place
Too expensive
Visitor Engagement: a chat or AI assistant on your website that answers visitor questions · Partner & Regional Coordination (whole area)
Start with the free version many tools offer, ask about nonprofit or government pricing, or split the cost with a neighboring county or regional group.
We don’t know where to start
Visitor Engagement: a media and influencer list with a record of pitches and visits
Pick the one gap that costs your team the most time each week and start there.
No one to run it
Partner & Regional Coordination (whole area)
Choose tools a part-time staffer or volunteer can learn in an hour, and write a one-page how-to.
Tools you barely use or haven’t set up
Look at these before buying anything new. A tool your team doesn’t use still costs money and still needs logins and updates.
Visitor Engagement: automated emails, social media scheduling
What’s Working
Here’s what your team said makes its best tools work. Look for the same things when you choose your next one.
Saves us time
Visitor Engagement: managing your destination’s Google Business Profile, Tripadvisor and Yelp pages · Data & Reporting (whole area)
Good value for the cost
Visitor Engagement: an email newsletter tool
Our audience responds to it
Visitor Engagement: text message alerts for events
Your Tools and Spending
You listed 3 paid tools, about $5,340 a year for the ones with a cost. Put each renewal date on your calendar two months ahead so you have time to compare before it renews.
ToolUsed forPer year
MailchimpVisitor newsletter$420
Canva ProGraphics and social posts$120
Website hosting and supportOur website$4,800
Tech you wish you had
Check first whether a tool you already pay for can do it. If not, these are good items for your next budget or grant request.
An events calendar we share with neighboring counties
Visitor location data we can afford
How Rural DMOs Compare
Share of 116 rural DMOs using each type of tool in the 2026 State of Rural Tourism survey. The survey grouped tools differently from this audit, so use it as context.
Website or CMS83%
Email marketing76%
Data and analytics74%
AI content or campaign tools68%
Visitor engagement platform31%
Social media management30%
CRM25%
Shared regional platform12%
Project management11%
44% of DMOs said their technology adds to their team’s capacity and 22% said it drains it. Among DMOs using AI tools, 77% said they saved time.
Where to Go From Here
Compare Notes With PeersAsk other rural tourism offices which tools they rely on and what they would skip.Join the Community Forum →Read the Full ResearchThe 2026 State of Rural Tourism report, including how rural DMOs use technology. Free to read and share.Read the Report →See How You CompareThe free Benchmark Report compares your office with similar rural tourism offices on staff, budget and workload.Get Your Benchmark →
If you’d like outside help, our Verified Asset Inventory checks every listing in your county by hand and gives you a clean spreadsheet you own. Or book a free call to talk through your report.
Scores come from your answers only. Levels follow the Rural Tourism Network tech audit framework. Tool names are examples, not endorsements; we don’t sell software. Survey figures: 2026 State of Rural Tourism Survey, Rural Tourism Network, 116 rural DMOs.