What makes a great DMC?

When incentive travel professionals choose a destination management company, two qualities rise far above the rest. The latest SITE Pulse Survey — completed by 286 industry professionals in May 2026 — reveals that local expertise and reputation are the twin foundations of DMC selection, scoring more than four and a half times higher than factors such as technology, scale and financial stability. What emerges is a clear portrait of an industry that still places its greatest trust in people, place and partnership.

Local expertise and reputation lead by a wide margin

Across all respondents, Local Expertise and Authentic Insight ranked first with an average weighted score of 3.47 out of 5, narrowly ahead of Reputation and Relationships at 3.32. Together, these two factors are dramatically ahead of the field. By comparison, the six lowest-ranked criteria — including Technology and Systems Capability (0.47) and Scale and Organisational Reach (0.40) — averaged just 0.75 points per respondent.

Responsiveness and Agility (1.95) and Service Breadth, Creativity and Customisation (1.82) form a meaningful second tier, signalling that operational agility and creative programme design are the differentiating factors among DMCs that already meet the baseline on the top two.

When it came to first-choice selections, Reputation and Relationships was the most common number-one priority overall, chosen by 42.3% of respondents. Local Expertise and Authentic Insight followed at 33.6%. No other factor was selected first by more than 7.7% of any group.

A consistent picture, with telling variations

The broad hierarchy holds across all six audience groups surveyed — Agency / Incentive House, Hotel and Supplier, DMC, Corporate End User, Consultant / Academic, and DMO / NTO / CVB — but the nuances reveal how differently each group encounters and evaluates DMC performance.

• Hotel and Supplier respondents are the only group to place Reputation above Local Expertise, reflecting how suppliers typically engage with DMCs through industry presence and partnership activity rather than direct programme delivery. Market Presence also scores notably higher for this group than any other.
• DMC professionals give Local Expertise its highest score in the entire survey — 4.02 out of 5 — reflecting the sector’s own professional identity: destination knowledge, cultural understanding and operational logistics are what the industry considers the hallmark of excellence.
• Corporate End Users place greater weight on Service Breadth, Creativity and Customisation than any other group, and assign more meaningful scores to Technology and Scale — reflecting procurement requirements and programme complexity in larger organisations.
• DMO / NTO / CVB respondents stand out for their emphasis on Market Presence and Legacy, looking for DMC partners that actively promote the destination and bring a long track record to the relationship.

Human qualities, not digital ones, define DMC value

The research reinforces the essential role DMCs play as strategic local partners, not simply logistics providers. In a climate shaped by rising costs, geopolitical uncertainty and growing demand for authentic destination experiences, buyers continue to place greatest value on the human and destination-specific qualities that DMCs bring to programme design and delivery.

Technology and scale, while useful, are not primary decision-making factors for most respondents. These capabilities matter most when they support — rather than replace — the core DMC value proposition of local knowledge, trusted relationships and creative agility.

“The value of a great DMC lies in their ability to open up a destination with insight, creativity and confidence. Technology, systems and scale all have a role to play, but they do not replace the depth of local knowledge, judgement and relationships that make incentive travel programmes genuinely memorable and effective.”
— Annette Gregg, CEO, SITE

“A DMC’s value is not simply in knowing which venue to use or which supplier to call. It is in understanding the rhythm of a destination, the culture behind it, the people who make it work and the small details that can transform a programme from well organised to unforgettable.”
— Hasan Dinc, CITP, President, SITE and Managing Director, ODS Turkey