Case Studies: Uncover Your Destination's Full Potential

Client: Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association / Visit North Alabama
Consultant: Leslie Walker Consulting
Project Focus: Accessible Tourism Product Development + Strategic Content Creator Partnership
Region: 16-County North Alabama

Visit North Alabama had a powerful goal: position a multi-county region as a genuinely welcoming destination for travelers with disabilities, sensory-sensitive visitors, and accessible travel audiences.

But like many regional DMOs, they faced a familiar obstacle.
They had accessible experiences.
They had willing partners.
They had strong community buy-in.

What they did not yet have was a cohesive, story-driven tourism product that translated accessibility into something visible, marketable, and emotionally compelling to visitors on a national scale.

Rather than producing a checklist-style accessibility page that would be skimmed and forgotten, the objective became far more strategic:
Create a destination narrative that showed real people experiencing North Alabama accessibly and joyfully.

Leslie Walker Consulting designed and led a creator-driven accessibility storytelling campaign rooted in tourism product development, not just marketing.

This included:

• Researching and sourcing aligned accessible travel content creators
• Contracting and managing a cohort of 10 specialized creators
• Coordinating deliverables, itineraries, and regional storytelling angles
• Aligning content with destination goals and accessibility messaging
• Ensuring content was usable as long-term tourism assets, not one-off posts
   

Importantly, creators were selected based on audience alignment, lived experience with accessibility, and credibility within their niche, not vanity metrics.

This ensured the campaign reached:

• Mobility travelers
• Sensory-sensitive travelers
• Neurodivergent travelers
• Accessible family travel audiences
• Inclusive travel planners and advocates
   

Instead of promoting isolated accessible attractions, the campaign focused on building a cohesive visitor experience across the region.

Through curated itineraries and immersive storytelling, Accessible North Alabama was positioned as:

• Welcoming 
• Navigable 
• Sensory-considerate 
• Experience-rich
   

This shifted the narrative from “Can I visit?” to “I want to visit.”

A carefully managed cohort of 10 travel content creators traveled throughout North Alabama, documenting real accessible experiences across multiple counties and attraction types.

Deliverables included:

• Long-form blogs and destination guides 
• Short-form and long-form video content 
• Social media storytelling across multiple platforms 
• Photography and UGC libraries for destination reuse 
• Native website content integration
   

All content was structured for longevity, allowing Visit North Alabama to continue leveraging assets well beyond the campaign window.

The Accessible North Alabama initiative generated measurable national attention within the accessible travel and tourism sectors.

Key outcomes included:

• Extensive creator-generated media coverage 
• High-value UGC usable across marketing channels 
• Increased organic conversations around accessibility in North Alabama
• Third-party credibility through lived-experience storytelling 
• Enhanced positioning as a leader in inclusive regional tourism
   

Rather than paid ads alone, the campaign produced trusted, peer-to-peer storytelling that audiences actively seek when planning travel.

One of the most impactful deliverables was the creation of a centralized, content-rich accessibility hub hosted directly on the destination website.

This allowed Visit North Alabama to:

• Own the narrative 
• Showcase authentic visitor experiences 
• Provide ongoing planning value to travelers 
• Integrate video, blogs, and creator insights in one accessible location
   

The result is not just a landing page, but a scalable tourism product that continues to serve visitors, planners, and industry partners.

This collaboration succeeded because it was not treated as an influencer campaign.
It was treated as destination development.

Leslie Walker Consulting operated as:

• Creator sourcing agent 
• Campaign strategist 
• Liaison between creators and DMO 
• Deliverables manager 
• Accessibility storytelling advisor
   

Combined with Visit North Alabama’s leadership and commitment to accessibility training initiatives such as Tourism ALL-a-Bama and regional accessibility certifications, the campaign had both substance and credibility.

Accessible North Alabama is now recognized as:

• A leader in inclusive regional tourism storytelling 
• A model for multi-county accessibility promotion 
• A destination actively investing in belonging, not just compliance
   

This elevated brand perception among:

• Travelers with disabilities 
• Travel media 
• Meeting planners 
• Tourism industry peers
   

Many destinations assume accessible tourism requires massive infrastructure investments before promotion.

This project proved otherwise.

With the right strategy, destinations can:

• Audit existing accessible assets 
• Partner with aligned creators 
• Package experiences into cohesive itineraries 
• Build long-term digital tourism products 
• Attract new visitor segments authentically
   

For Visit North Alabama, the partnership delivered more than content.
It delivered a marketable identity rooted in real visitor experiences and inclusive storytelling.

If your destination:

• Has accessible experiences but struggles to tell the story 
• Wants credible national visibility 
• Needs managed creator campaigns aligned with tourism goals 
• Is launching a new tourism initiative or rebranding effort
   

Leslie Walker Consulting provides end-to-end strategy, creator sourcing, and tourism product storytelling designed specifically for destination marketing organizations and regional tourism partnerships.

Because the goal is never just content.
The goal is a destination experience travelers can see themselves in.

Tourism Product Development & Destination Strategy | Leslie Walker Consulting

Client: Mid-Sized Municipality in Alabama (Population Approx. 18,000)

Location: Southeastern U.S., I-65 Corridor between Two Major Metro Areas

Services Provided: Tourism Product Development, Brand Voice Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Frontline Education Planning, Destination Storytelling

Overview

In the heart of the Southeastern United States, along a busy interstate corridor, lies a small town rich in heritage, strong community values, and aspirations for tourism growth. The municipality’s leadership recognized the opportunity to attract more visitors but needed a cohesive tourism strategy, a compelling destination storytelling approach, and internal alignment to position the town as a competitive small-town tourism destination.

Leslie Walker Consulting was engaged to help bridge these gaps and guide the community toward becoming visitor-ready—without losing its sense of identity.

Client Snapshot

Population: Approximately 18,000 residents

Geography: Located along a key Alabama interstate with proximity to major cities within 2–3 hours

Tourism Team: Small in-house municipal tourism team supported by Chamber and partner organizations

Existing Assets: Rich cultural heritage, walkable downtown, regional festivals, historic markers, and lake-based recreation

Project Goals

The municipality sought consulting support to:

1. Develop a unified destination narrative grounded in authenticity.

2. Identify and expand market-ready tourism products.

3. Establish an inclusive, evergreen brand voice aligned with community values.

4. Outline actionable strategies for placemaking, visitor engagement, and frontline readiness.

5. Activate underutilized public spaces and increase foot traffic.

6. Build internal tourism awareness and pride among locals.

Consulting Approach

Leslie Walker Consulting conducted four in-market research visits, combining stakeholder interviews, experiential audits, and community observation to assess current conditions and opportunities.

The approach included:

- On-the-ground evaluation of heritage, cultural, and recreational assets.

- Informal interviews with frontline hospitality teams and business owners.

- Identification of emerging community leaders and untapped tourism ambassadors.

- Analysis of visitor journey gaps, placemaking barriers, and storytelling inconsistencies.

- Facilitating buy-in for tourism development through collaboration and approachable strategy.

Solutions & Deliverables

1. Brand Voice & Storytelling Framework

- Defined the destination’s brand personality as warm, grounded, and evolving.

- Developed tone guidelines for speaking authentically to both faith-based travelers and curious explorers.

- Recommended avoiding exclusionary language or overused tourism clichés.

2. Destination Narrative & Thematic Pillars

- Delivered a refreshed narrative centered on deep cultural roots and evolving local momentum.

- Highlighted the balance of faith, family, and small-town charm.

- Emphasized surprise and discovery as key visitor experiences.

3. Tourism Product Development Roadmap

- Proposed a scalable 'Walk Through History Experience' built on existing heritage markers.

- Recommended placemaking enhancements for key downtown gateways (lighting, art, wayfinding).

- Outlined seasonal events and small business sampling initiatives to increase foot traffic.

4. Frontline & Community Engagement Strategy

- Designed a Frontline Tourism Toolkit with quick-reference seasonal checklists.

- Suggested hosting tourism mixers to connect local teams and tourism leadership.

- Proposed a 'Love, Locals' campaign to crowdsource itineraries from residents, boosting SEO and authenticity.

Impact

This project provided a strategic foundation for the town to better connect its tourism assets, activate its walkable spaces, and align its messaging with modern visitor expectations. By emphasizing destination storytelling, local pride, and practical tools, the municipality is now better positioned to evolve from a pass-through community to a memorable, small-town tourism destination.

Consultant Perspective

Too often, small towns underestimate their tourism potential. Through careful audits, community engagement, and realistic product development, even modest destinations can foster visitor appeal and economic growth while retaining their unique identity.

Considering Similar Support?

If your town or organization needs help uncovering hidden tourism potential, developing products, or aligning your team with a clear visitor strategy, Leslie Walker Consulting offers approachable, practical guidance for communities ready to grow. 

Let’s talk about how to strengthen your destination.