Meet the Team

Will - Our Managing Partner & Project Lead has over 20 years in the marketing industry, with more than a decade working in destination marketing specifically. He brings a wealth of experience and strategic insight into each of the projects he works on.

Will’s overall role is providing strategic direction, and he collaborates closely with clients to define project goals and success metrics. His fundamental approach is grounded in collaboration and a deep understanding of both client needs and market trends. By blending strategic foresight with hands-on involvement, he ensures that each project is not only well-executed but also delivers tangible results.

“For me, a project can only truly be successful it is a genuine collaboration and partnership between us and our clients. By that I mean using the skills and expertise that exist from every person involved in the project. That could be a junior developer in the DestinationCore team, or the CEO of one of our clients. Everyone has a part to play in making a great website, and everyone involved should be willing to take on the thoughts, ideas and opinions of others.”

“For example, the developers working in our service desk team are at the sharp end, they receive messages and input directly from those using the site. They are able to see common trends and day to day issues. This can provide valuable input on the small things that make a big impact on the overall user experience – whereas the Destination Director or CEO on the client side take a more global view of things, looking at the overall picture. Both of those viewpoints are essential in the creation of a truly exceptional destination website.”

“As for the future, it’s difficult to say as technology moves so fast, but one thing that is not going to go away is the trend towards users seeking greater personalisation. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning clearly have a huge part to play in that, but for me you have to get the balance right. Users still want to feel like they are getting recommendations from a real human who has actually experienced what it is like to walk that trail, see the amazing view or taste the food at the recommended restaurant.”

Jay - our Technical & UX Lead has over 20 years of experience in design and development. His extensive knowledge is invaluable in the design and build of any destination website.

Jay’s provides technical oversight, helps define product requirements, and ensures that our solutions are both practical and innovative.

When it comes to designing and developing any website, Jay’s guiding principle is simplicity. As he succinctly puts it, “KEEP IT SIMPLE!”

“Users don’t want to have to work hard. Overly flashy websites which have all the bells and whistles but are hard to navigate generally turn users off as they put obstacles in the way of allowing users to do what they came to the website for: Find content that interests them!”

As we look to the future, Jay remains engaged with emerging technologies and their potential impacts. While excited about innovations like AI as it continues to grow, he remains cautious - emphasising the need for cost-effective and practical solutions that can work within his commitment to simplicity.

“Users want to feel like they are discovering things for themselves. As it stands I think users know when AI is being used to sell them things, rather than make genuinely useful recommendations. If it’s used in the right way and it feels helpful then AI is a brilliant tool, but it should be subtle and understated rather than in your face and forceful.”

“The use of AI and ML to help with the interpretation of data has a big part to play in the future of destination marketing. Most destinations are great at collecting data, but it can be hard to understand what all that data is telling them, and how they can use it to understand their audiences. That’s where AI can help. We’ve been considering the best way to utilise AI in the DestinationCore product for a while now, and we have a few ideas up our sleeve, but it might take a little while to finesse those ideas so they are genuinely helpful to us, our clients and most importantly of all users.”

We like to think that every website we deliver is guided by a commitment to precision, coordination, and timely delivery. At the heart of this effort is Holly - a cornerstone of our project management team. Her time at the company has been incredibly impactful, with Holly playing a key role in some of our most notable projects such as Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, Visit York, Visit Worcestershire and Visit Winchester to name just a few.

“For me, the key ingredient in any successful project is an engaged client. The clients who pride themselves in promoting their destination and have deep local knowledge, are the ones who can get the most out of the products and features that DestinationCore offer.”

“The website content is where expert knowledge can be showcased. It’s hard to look past AI for the future, but I still believe that content is king no matter what technology is involved. I’m a keen traveller myself and I trust destination websites where the content feels well researched, well written and has attractive imagery. User generated content and reviews are also important in building user confidence. AI is great for idea generation and will be utilised, but real people’s experiences and knowledge will always make for engaging content.”

Overall, the team at DestinationCore believe that a successful destination website should be visually appealing, highly functional, but most importantly always focussed on the needs of the user and not forgetting, easy to use!.

Below are our top tips for creating an engaging destination website that helps destinations convert online visitors into physical visitors.

• Understand who the target audience is: the type of visitor each destination is looking to attract is different for every client. Who that audience is will have a big effect on the features, functionality and tone of voice that is required.
• Unified vision: it’s essential that both the website agency and client are aligned on goals and objectives. Spend time at the outset of the project discussing what you’re looking to achieve, and if possible, agree on how success should be measured,
• Be innovative: leveraging emerging technologies can be a great way to get ahead of the curve and offer new experiences to users that may increase the likelihood of a digital visit converting into a physical one. However this should be done with caution and in a piecemeal approach to ensure that that any new, bleeding edge functionality has the time to have its usefulness to the end users properly evaluated.
• Invest in great content: all the best destination and tourism websites have fantastic imagery and well written, keenly researched text. Even the best features and user functionality will fall flat with the user if the content the best it can be.