Tourism Academy 2026 Highlights

From a rain-soaked golf scramble to a saxophone-playing DJ on the St. Johns River, Tourism Academy 2026 delivered the kind of moments you don't see coming and can't stop talking about after. Here's a look back at everything that made this year one for the books.

PRE-CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES

Tee It Up (Rain and All)

Early arrivals kicked off the week at Bent Creek Golf Course for the Tourism Academy Golf Outing. The scramble format brought out everyone's competitive side, but Mother Nature had other plans. A torrential downpour rolled through mid-round but they played through, persevered, and came out the other side with great stories and bragging rights.

Downtown Jacksonville Walking Tour

While the golfers were braving the elements, another group laced up their walking shoes for a behind-the-scenes tour of Downtown Jacksonville hosted by AdLib Luxury Tours. They wound through historic buildings, stepped inside a 1909 bank vault, and explored the city's underground tunnels.

First-Timers Happy Hour

New to Tourism Academy? Welcome to the family. The First-Timers Happy Hour, presented by SnapSea, brought first-time attendees together for drinks, light bites, and icebreaker activities. There was also a surprise guest appearance from a certain giant monster who has become something of a fan favorite at TA.

Welcome Reception: Jacksonville River Cruise

Guests danced, ate, and took in the stunning views of the Jacksonville skyline during the St. Johns River Cruise. The highlight of the evening? The DJ put down his headphones, picked up a saxophone, and started serenading guests right there on the deck. That's the kind of thing you don't forget.

DAY ONE

We hit the ground running... literally. Attendees joined JTC Running for a fast-paced 3-mile route through Jacksonville before breakfast, then gathered in the Grand Ballroom for opening remarks from Tempest CEO Alex Heimann, Visit Jacksonville President & CEO Michael Corrigan, and Tempest's Erin Bowers.

The morning fireside chat between Alex and Elise Hickel from Google was one of the most talked-about sessions of the conference. Elise pulled back the curtain on what's ahead for DMOs, including a Google partnership in the works to boost destination visibility across North America.

Roundtables filled the mid-morning hours with candid peer conversations across sales and services, marketing measurement, destination advocacy, AI workflows, partnership programs, and small-budget strategy. Real talk, real ideas, real takeaways.

Later, attendees came together and assembled over 280 wellness kits for Hubbard House, Jacksonville's domestic violence shelter, during a single networking break. Teamwork makes the dream work and we worked together like a well-oiled machine.

Lunch was followed by a standout conversation between Visit Jacksonville's Katie Mitura and the Jacksonville Jaguars' Whitney Meyer on how major city investments are transforming Jacksonville into a destination worth watching.

The afternoon sessions covered SEO and GEO strategy, website economic impact, iDSS product updates including Space 2.0, and a creative session on designing websites that actually evoke a sense of place. Plenty to chew on heading into the evening.

The SWWGSD Happy Hour, presented by Bandwango, wrapped up the official programming before shuttles rolled out to Five Points for the evening reception at Hoptinger. Rooftop deck, yard games, craft brews, and a Florida sunset. Hard to beat.

DAY TWO

The early risers among us started the morning with a sound bath led by Soundbath Jax. Some meditated while others were soothed to sleep. Either way it was a refreshing way to start the day!

Futurist Chris Fair of Resonance kicked off the session day with a big-picture keynote on the meta trends reshaping travel and tourism.

Sessions across all three tracks covered website redesign lessons learned, AI's expanding role in iDSS, trails programs as local business drivers, paid and content strategy, accessibility, and more. There were insights worth taking back in every room.

The lunch hour brought back the Murder Mystery, and this year the crime scene was a website redesign gone wrong. It was an epic battle between detectives and suspects: animated, one-of-a-kind, and genuinely fun. Some attendees were left speechless. Others couldn't stop laughing. Either way, we finally figured out who's been behind all the website chaos.

Thursday evening gave way to a closing party that delivered on every front. Amazing covers, even more amazing dance moves, unforgettable lip sync performances, and uncanny caricature drawings — a good time had by all at Decca Live.

DAY THREE

Friday morning didn't miss a beat! Wrapping up Tourism Academy 2026, the Tempest team closed things out with a look back at the week and a preview of what's ahead, followed by a series of breakout sessions and hands-on collaborations. Attendees dove into topics like AI tools, content audits, sports tourism strategy, and iDSS reporting

THANK YOU, JACKSONVILLE

A huge thank you to Visit Jacksonville for rolling out the welcome mat in the most literal sense. They greeted attendees with cheers and pom poms, showed off a city that genuinely surprised and delighted everyone who visited, and made sure every moment outside the conference walls was just as memorable as the ones inside.

And thank you to all of our sponsors whose support made this conference possible.

Tourism Academy 2026 is a wrap. But the ideas, connections, and memories from Jacksonville? Those are coming with us.

We'll see you in Long Beach, California, May 24-27, 2027.