Driving Tourism Demand at Scale: How Visit Missouri and Go Fish Use Cooperative Marketing to Grow Travel Across an Entire State

When Visit Missouri selected Go Fish Tourism + Business Events through a competitive RFP process, the team inherited a complex statewide search marketing program serving both the Missouri Division of Tourism and 27 local destination marketing organizations (DMOs). Each destination had its own tourism assets, seasonal priorities, audiences, and budget, while the state needed a cohesive strategy that supported Missouri’s broader tourism goals.

Missouri’s co-op program creates a unique opportunity for communities across the state. By matching local investments, destinations that might not otherwise have the resources to work with an agency gain access to strategic search engine marketing and ongoing optimization.

The challenge wasn’t simply managing campaigns. It was balancing statewide priorities with local needs, coordinating dozens of stakeholders, and ensuring every destination had an opportunity to reach the right travelers without competing against neighboring communities.

Go Fish structured the engagement around two connected parts of the scope: a single, all-encompassing statewide tourism campaign for Missouri Division of Tourism, and 27 individual campaigns built around each DMO’s own goals and audiences. Rather than treating these as isolated efforts, Go Fish approached the work as one coordinated strategy, connecting statewide reach with destination-level focus.

The team began with a comprehensive audit of campaign structure and conversion tracking to ensure meaningful visitor actions were being measured accurately. This included travel guide requests, guide downloads, and newsletter sign-ups. With a stronger measurement foundation in place, the strategy shifted toward optimizing campaigns around traveler intent, seasonal demand, and destination-specific experiences.

Seasonality became a key driver of campaign planning. Rather than relying solely on evergreen tourism messaging, Go Fish developed campaigns around festivals, events, outdoor recreation, Route 66, state parks, and other seasonal travel opportunities that inspire visitors throughout the year.

“Tourism doesn’t stand still. Our strategy evolves throughout the year to align with seasonal travel patterns, festivals, and events, while maintaining evergreen campaigns that keep Missouri top of mind during slower periods.” — Michelle Goldberg

Collaboration became just as important as campaign optimization. Monthly strategy sessions with Visit Missouri, quarterly meetings with participating DMOs, and regular one-on-one conversations helped ensure campaigns reflected each destination’s priorities while remaining aligned with statewide objectives. With every destination facing different goals, audiences, and opportunities, the team focused on staying closely connected to those differences so each community felt supported throughout the year.

Behind the scenes, Go Fish also worked to coordinate state and local campaigns, reducing unnecessary keyword overlap and creating a more unified search strategy that allowed destinations to complement one another.