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How to Make a Destination More Desirable: The Invisible Lever That Sets Today’s Tourism Apart
In tourism, we often talk about visibility, but much less about desirability. Yet, it’s the key factor that influences travelers’ choices even before they look at prices, itineraries, or reviews. In this article, I explore a fundamental question: how is true desire built, and why do some destinations manage to spark it while others remain unnoticed?
In tourism we often talk about visibility, positioning, campaigns, and content. But there’s a much deeper concept that determines the choice of a destination even before searching on Google or comparing on a booking portal: desirability. It’s an invisible yet decisive lever. You can sense it in places that manage to reach travelers on an emotional, cultural, and imaginative level, even before on an informational one.
Summary
In my work with organizations, administrations, and operators, I notice a clear difference: some destinations spontaneously generate desire, not because they invest more, but because they have worked on the meaning of the place, its identity, and what it evokes. Others, instead, continue to communicate in a technical, institutional manner—sometimes correct, but unable to make a promise. In the coming years, this gap will only widen.
According to analyses by the European Travel Commission, desirability will influence over 70% of travel choices in the years to come. It’s not about aesthetics, but about storytelling, positioning, experience, and perception. In this article, I explore what makes it so important and how a destination can truly enhance it.
1. Desirability comes from the promise, not the list of attractions
Tourism does not work by inventory: no one chooses a place for “how many things there are to see.” The choice comes from the desire to have a certain type of experience. Destinations that focus on long lists often fall behind those that communicate a clear promise. I also discussed this in my article on tourism storytelling: today, imagination matters far more than a catalog.
Let’s look at a fact: according to Skift, 65% of travelers choose a destination because “it resonates with their own identity or with who they wish to become for a few days.” It’s a deep, almost anthropological topic, but a decisive one. Desirability does not arise from information: it comes from interpretation.
2. Build a clear identity (and defend it over time)
Many destinations change their message every season. One year “land of events,” the next “land of nature,” the following one “creative city.” Each change weakens the identity and makes the destination less recognizable. The most desirable destinations are those that, even in the absence of communication, continue to evoke the same image.
A study by ETC shows that destinations maintaining a stable positioning over time achieve an increase in awareness of up to 38%. Memorability matters more than the quantity of content: a blurred identity does not generate desire.
3. A place’s “narratability”: a strategic value
Desirability increases when a place is easy to tell stories about. It’s no coincidence that many internationally attractive destinations aren’t necessarily those with the richest heritage, but those with the highest “narratability.” Each place has a story, a rhythm, a way of being perceived. When that story becomes sharable, desirability grows.
That’s why articles focused on “slowness” and quality of experience, like the one I dedicated to the relationship between slowness, overtourism, and slow culture, work so well in contemporary tourism. They don’t offer a list—they offer a way of reading the world.
4. Take care of the digital experience: desire is born online, too
According to Google, over 70% of travel decisions are influenced by the digital experience even before reaching the official site of the destination. This means that photos, videos, microtexts, searches, articles, and reviews create a “mental pre-trip” that has a huge impact on desirability.
The quality of the digital experience is therefore an integral part of building desire. I’m not just talking about aesthetics, but also about clarity, consistency, quotability. Well-indexed, rich, fluent content that is connected to other relevant content increases the perception of reliability and, consequently, desirability itself.
5. Community as a desire amplifier
A destination that speaks only for itself communicates very little. A destination that is also told by those who live, inhabit, visit, and interpret it, communicates much more. Desirability grows when the community becomes part of the story and when there is a balance between residents, operators, tourists, and institutions.
Analyses by the OECD and by the ETCconfirm that destinations with an active digital community see a 25% increase in propensity to visit. Not because they “publish more,” but because they generate trust. And trust is one of the fuels of desire.
6. Desirability as a KPI (and why it will be central in 2026)
Many destinations measure arrivals, overnight stays, and views. But they rarely measure perceived value. In 2026, desirability will be a strategic KPI: an indicator capable of anticipating flows, activating new market segments, and generating competitiveness less reliant on large promotional budgets.
In my article dedicated to seasonality reduction in tourism, I demonstrated how perceived value influences the distribution of flows more than many seasonal campaigns. Desirability is not a goal: it is a consequence. And as such, it must be built day after day.
7. Experience and consistency: what remains in memory brings people back
A desirable destination is a consistent destination. Consistency between what it promises and what it delivers, between what it communicates and what it offers as an experience. According to Booking.com, consistency is the main factor that drives travelers to return to the same place within two years. And return visits don’t depend on the number of attractions, but on the quality of the relationship.
Desirability is born here: from a place’s ability to remain true to itself, to be interesting even when it’s not speaking, recognizable even when it’s not showing itself. It’s what remains in memory when the vacation is over.
Conclusion
The winning destinations will be those that understand that competition is not about quantity, but about depth. Not about the urgency to communicate, but about the ability to evoke. Not about constant presence, but about long-term consistency. Desirability is not a campaign: it is a continuous, cultural, narrative, and strategic effort.
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