Southern Arizona Attractions Level Up Destination Marketing With Practical AI Training
Tucson, AZ - November 24, 2025 - The Southern Arizona Attractions Alliance (SAAA) hosted the second installment of its AI training series, led by Professor Greg Watson, at the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. The session focused on how destination marketing organizations (DMOs), museums, and tourism venues can use artificial intelligence to strengthen digital presence and storytelling without bloated budgets.
"The tourism industry stands at a critical juncture where artificial intelligence can dramatically streamline content creation while preserving the authentic character of each destination," said Dr. Greg Watson, Professor of Entrepreneurship and the workshop facilitator. "Our focus was on providing practical tools that allow smaller organizations to compete effectively in the attention economy without sacrificing their unique storytelling voice."
What Marketers Learned
- AI-driven multimedia: Image generation, short-form video workflows, audio, and motion graphics for fast concept-to-post production.
- Social optimization: Formats, hooks, and cadence tuned for the attention economy across key channels.
- Lean workflows: Tool stacks and processes that fit small teams with limited time and resources.
Why This Matters for DMOs and Cultural Venues
Tourism marketing depends on consistent content, local flavor, and relevance. AI can reduce the time from idea to publication while keeping each venue's voice intact.
For DMOs and small attractions, that means more high-quality assets, faster campaign iteration, and better audience fit-without adding headcount. If you're new to the term, a DMO is the organization that promotes a place as a travel destination (Destinations International offers a helpful overview).
Hands-On Results
Participants produced sample content for their own organizations, from refreshed social assets to new storytelling formats suited for short attention spans. The focus was doing, not theory-test, refine, and publish.
- Turn a single exhibit or event into a week of posts, shorts, and email snippets.
- Use AI to draft captions, calls-to-action, and alt text that stay on-brand.
- Build a simple content calendar and automate routine tasks like resizing, subtitling, and repurposing.
About the Workshop Series
SAAA organized the series to help member organizations adopt practical AI skills specific to cultural institutions and tourism venues. The goal: accessible training that addresses real production bottlenecks and the pressure to publish more with less.
About Professor Greg Watson
Professor Watson is a recurring guest expert on regional media platforms, including KVOI's Thursday Morning Voice and the Cowboy Up Podcast, where he discusses artificial intelligence, economic innovation, and strategy for Southern Arizona businesses. His educational platform covers entrepreneurship, marketing, advertising, and business ethics, with programs built for real-world application-small business operations, marketing principles, and ethical decision-making.
Marketers seeking structured upskilling in AI can explore focused programs such as the AI Certification for Marketing Specialists for practical, job-ready workflows.
Media Contact
Professor Watson
Greg Watson
(520) 270-7020
gregwatson@professorwatson.com
1255 N. Stone Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85709-3000
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