Leslie Walker Consulting

05/24/2026

This week’s Sunday Tourism Fix is inspired by my current very glamorous reality… Packing.

And before anyone says it, yes, this is actually a leisure trip. Not work travel disguised as “fun with a lanyard.”

It got me thinking though…
Why don’t more destinations use packing lists as part of their storytelling?

Not generic “don’t forget sunscreen” packing lists. I mean destination-specific anticipation builders. Imagine:

- “Pack water shoes because you’re definitely going to want to float the river before lunch.”

- “Bring one outfit that makes you feel a little fabulous because sunset cocktails at the mountaintop overlook somehow turn everyone into the main character.”

- “Leave room in your suitcase for locally made hot sauce, art prints, and the antique store find you swore you didn’t need.”

- “Comfortable walking shoes required. This downtown was not designed for people who only make one stop.”

A good packing list quietly tells visitors what kind of memories they’re about to make. It also solves one of tourism marketing’s biggest challenges:
Helping potential visitors visualize themselves actually THERE.

Packing lists create expectation.
Expectation creates emotional connection.
Emotional connection creates bookings.

And honestly? Some destinations are missing an easy storytelling opportunity hiding in plain sight.

Your destination doesn’t just need attractions.
It needs clues about how to experience them.

Ooh, help a girl out, what would be on your destination’s “must-pack” list?

05/22/2026

Honored to have been included as a speaker for the Alabama Recreational Trails Leadership Workshop today.

Thank you to the The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development and the Alabama Trails Commission for the invitation and for the important work you’re doing to shape more welcoming, accessible, and community-driven outdoor experiences across our state.

It was a pleasure to share ideas, learn from fellow leaders, and be part of conversations that remind us trails are about far more than recreation… they’re about belonging.

05/19/2026

Some moments make you stop and look back in complete disbelief at where life, work, and purpose can lead when the right people find each other.

A few years ago, I could have never imagined that work rooted in accessible travel storytelling and authentic representation would grow into this.

What started as a strategic partnership with Visit North Alabama, The Library Of, and Phoenyx Travels has now resulted in a District ADDY Mosaic Award recognizing representation and inclusive storytelling.

To see this work recognized at the district level (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee) is deeply emotional because representation is not a trend or a checkbox. It changes how people move through the world. It changes whether someone feels invited in the first place.

I’m incredibly grateful to have played a role alongside visionary partners who believed this mattered before it was easy, popular, or expected.

Thank you to everyone who trusted the idea that accessibility and inclusion are not limitations on storytelling. They are what make stories more human.

Sometimes the work really does become bigger than you ever imagined.

05/17/2026

Sunday Tourism Fix
Trust and Connection

Lately, I’ve been on a personal health journey, which means even my upcoming business trips suddenly look different to me. I’m thinking about where I’ll walk, how I’ll keep my routines intact, whether I’ll have access to healthy meals, and how to make space for the habits that now matter deeply in my daily life.

And honestly? It made me realize something important about tourism hosting.

Whether we’re hosting meeting planners, travel media, or content creators, we often focus so heavily on the itinerary that we forget the human being inside it.

The best hosting isn’t just about showing someone your destination. It’s about seeing them.

If your guest is a passionate runner, build in time for a sunrise jog on your most scenic trail. If they unwind every night with a book, surprise them with a stop at a quirky independent bookstore or a signed copy from a local author. If wellness, art, accessibility, coffee culture, birding, vintage shopping, or quiet moments matter to them, those details are not extras. They are opportunities for connection.

The destinations that create lasting impressions are rarely the ones with the most packed schedules. They’re the ones that make visitors feel understood.

Beyond the subject matter or content deliverables, personal touches create trust. They create emotional connection. And emotional connection is what people remember long after the trip is over.

Tourism isn’t just hospitality. At its best, it’s thoughtful human recognition.

05/16/2026

Thank you Al-Tn-Ms Rural Tourism Conference for welcoming me last fall and for choosing the least “crazy speaker face” footage ever captured of me for the final seconds of this video. 😂

05/10/2026

Sunday Tourism Fix
It’s Mother’s Day.

And moms aren’t thinking about attractions. They’re thinking about memories… the kind you talk about later, the ones that show up in photos, the moments that somehow stick long after the day is over.

But most destination marketing doesn’t sound like that. We list things. We name places. We describe what something is instead of what it becomes.

What if you flipped that?
Instead of telling me about the experience, show me the memory I’ll take home:

* The slow morning that turns into an unexpected favorite spot
* The laugh you didn’t plan for
* The moment everyone actually puts their phone down

Because people don’t travel for inventory. They travel for what it turns into.

And when you start describing your destination in terms of memory, you stop competing on things to do… and start competing on reasons to go.

Happy Mother’s Day.

04/30/2026

A really meaningful step forward at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center with new accessibility upgrades designed to help more visitors fully experience it.

I’ve been lucky to play a small role in the broader work moving accessibility forward across Visit North Alabama.

What I love most about this…
Accessibility isn’t about checking a box. It’s about making sure people can just enjoy the experience without extra barriers.

That’s when it becomes something bigger than a project. It becomes part of how a destination shows up for people.

And I’ll always say it… that’s just smart tourism.

Explore the new accessibility upgrades unveiled at U.S. Space & Rocket Center to enhance visitor experience for everyone.

04/22/2026

This return visit that meant a lot today.

I spent time in Jackson County Tourism, my very first destination client when I launched Leslie Walker Consulting.

What stood out wasn’t just where they started… but how intentionally they’ve moved forward since.

We talked about what’s working, what’s evolving, and where the next layer of opportunity lives.

That’s the kind of partnership I value most. Not one-and-done projects, but ongoing momentum.
Grateful to Lydia Kay Fielder for the trust then and now.

Side note: I bought another lucky shirt = direct economic impact

04/19/2026

Here’s a Sunday idea for the people already thinking about tourism strategy before the week even begins.

Connect your outdoor assets.

Many destinations promote parks, trails, and waterways separately. Visitors experience them together.

* A trailhead that leads to a local brewery.
* A kayak launch near a waterfront restaurant.
* Scenic overlook featuring a highlight map of "must-see" attractions below.

When you link these experiences, outdoor recreation becomes a full visitor day.

Your challenge this week:
Look at your destination map and identify two outdoor places that could be connected to other experiences.

12/16/2025

Grateful for opportunities like this and for partners who value ideas that stick beyond the room.

Speaking to a cross-industry audience is always a good test of whether ideas are truly practical, not just inspirational, and I loved seeing how quickly attendees connected the dots to their own businesses.

Thanks again to the Chamber team for the invitation and the trust.