What Destination Cleveland does

Destination Cleveland is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Cleveland, Ohio, founded in 1934 and headquartered in Cleveland with a staff of 51–100. The organization operates the thisiscleveland.com website, a mobile application, the Cleveland Brewery Passport program, an embedded Trip Planner, the Official Insider Guide (English and Spanish), and the Cleveland Brag Coach — an AI-assisted social media tool that helps residents produce branded promotional content for the city. Its underlying platform is a content-and-directory CMS augmented by third-party integrations (Satis.fi live chat, Visit Widget trip planning) and is supported by ongoing TV and podcast content production (The Land for Life, Cleveland Creatives, Legends of The Land).

The organization serves four primary user groups: out-of-town tourists and visitors (the primary segment), meeting planners and group tour operators, Cleveland residents (engaged as advocates via the Local Advocate Group and Brag Crew), and media/press. Distribution is multi-channel: self-serve digital (website and app), a physical Cleveland Visitors Center, a Partner Extranet for tourism-industry partners, and a direct B2B sales team for meetings and conventions.

As a private nonprofit DMO, Destination Cleveland does not generate revenue through direct consumer pricing — its services are free to end users — and is funded primarily through hotel and lodging taxes together with partnership and membership fees from tourism-related businesses (hotels, restaurants, attractions, breweries, cultural institutions). The organization operates as a quasi-public franchise: its DMO designation is granted rather than earned in the open market, making official status its principal structural asset.

Name

Destination Cleveland

Legal name

Destination Cleveland

Website

https://thisiscleveland.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Destination Cleveland is the official nonprofit destination marketing organization for Cleveland, Ohio, operating the thisiscleveland.com website, mobile app, visitor guides, and programs like the Cleveland Brewery Passport and Brag Coach to drive tourism, meetings, and resident advocacy for the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

MICE Travel Technology & Program Management (Apps, Communications, Tracking) (THAHADAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Destination & Itinerary Management (DMC-Led Experiences, Excursions, VIP Access) (THAHANAE), Venue & Special Event Site Sourcing (Unique Venues, Permitting) (THAHADAE), Corporate Hospitality & VIP Services (Hosting, Protocol, Concierge) (THAHADAG)

Keywords

• Destination marketing
• Tourism promotion
• Visitor information
• Travel planning
• Convention services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tourism Promotion Services: As a destination marketing organization, Destination Cleveland generates value by promoting Cleveland as a premier travel destination, driving visitor spending that generates hotel taxes, admissions taxes, and local business revenue. The organization operates primarily as a nonprofit funded through hotel/lodging taxes and membership/partnership fees from tourism-related businesses.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Destination Cleveland is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Cleveland, Ohio, promoting the region as a travel destination through its thisiscleveland.com website, mobile app, content marketing, event promotion, and visitor resources. It operates as a private nonprofit funded by hotel/lodging taxes and partnership/membership fees, connecting visitors, meeting planners, and residents with local hotels, restaurants, attractions, and cultural institutions. Core offerings include the Destination Cleveland App, Cleveland Brewery Passport, Trip Planner, Official Insider Guide, and Cleveland Brag Coach.

Product overview

Destination Cleveland is a destination marketing organization for Cleveland, Ohio. Their core product offerings include the Destination Cleveland mobile app for trip planning and navigation, the Cleveland Brewery Passport program for craft beer enthusiasts, a Trip Planner tool, the Official Insider Guide (available in English and Spanish), and the Cleveland Brag Coach promotional tool for local advocacy. The organization operates primarily as a content and marketing platform rather than a traditional software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Destination Cleveland Mobile App Mobile application that helps visitors find their way around Cleveland, plan trips, discover attractions, hidden gems, and events in the city.
• Cleveland Brewery Passport A unified passport program that allows visitors to explore Cleveland's craft breweries, created in partnership with local breweries.
• Trip Planner Interactive trip planning tool widget that helps visitors plan their Cleveland itinerary.
• Official Insider Guide Comprehensive visitor guide providing insider information about Cleveland attractions, dining, and experiences, available in English and Spanish versions.
• Cleveland Brag Coach Social media tool and marketing persona that helps Cleveland residents craft captions, replies, and stories promoting Cleveland on social media.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Local Tourism BusinessescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDestination Cleveland partners with local hotels, restaurants, attractions, entertainment venues, and retail businesses to promote Cleveland tourism. Partners gain access to the Partner Extranet for promotional resources, listing on the official tourism website, and participation in collective marketing initiatives like the Cleveland Brewery Passport.
• Cleveland Hotels and Lodging PropertiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with hotel properties for listing on the official accommodation search, promotionaltoolkits, and referral of visitors seeking lodging. Properties gain visibility on the primary Cleveland tourism platform.
• Cleveland BreweriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Cleveland's craft breweries through the Cleveland Brewery Passport program, a unified initiative allowing visitors to explore multiple breweries.
• Cleveland Cultural OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with cultural institutions including museums, theaters, music venues, and cultural festivals (e.g., Tri-C JazzFest, Cleveland Orchestra) to promote cultural tourism and event attendance.
• Meetings and Conventions IndustrycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaboration with meeting planners, convention organizers, and group tour operators to attract events and groups to Cleveland through venue sourcing assistance and destination promotion.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Visit Pittsburgh: Official DMO for Pittsburgh, a comparable mid-size Rust Belt city. Operates a similar visitor website, group sales, and convention promotion model, making it the most direct benchmark for Destination Cleveland's scale, budget, and program structure.
• Experience Columbus: Official DMO for Columbus, Ohio — a same-state peer with similar funding mechanics (hotel/lodging tax) and comparable city-tier scale. Provides a close regional benchmark for visitor-services programs and MICE sales execution.
• Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau: Cincinnati's DMO, another Ohio peer of similar scale and tourism-market profile. Operates comparable group sales, visitor information, and destination content functions, providing direct benchmarking for Destination Cleveland's program mix.

Broad incumbents

• Destination DC: Official DMO for Washington, DC. Operates the same DMO model — official tourism marketing, MICE sales, and visitor information — but at significantly larger scale and budget, providing an upper-bound benchmark for Destination Cleveland's potential.
• Choose Chicago: Official DMO for Chicago, operating the same destination marketing, convention sales, and visitor-services playbook. Larger scale and budget than Destination Cleveland, but directly comparable in function and operating model.
• Visit Philadelphia: Philadelphia's official DMO with a similar mid-Atlantic/Midwest-city peer function. Operates comparable digital, MICE, and content marketing programs at a larger scale, useful for benchmarking program sophistication.
• Destination Toronto: Toronto's official DMO, operating an analogous destination marketing, convention sales, and content platform. International peer with comparable function but materially larger market and budget envelope.
• NYC & Company: Official DMO for New York City and the largest U.S. destination marketing organization. Operates the same core playbook at a vastly larger scale, providing the upper-bound benchmark for DMO capacity, content, and partner network.
• Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board: LA's official DMO, operating destination marketing, MICE sales, and visitor services at large scale. Functionally identical model to Destination Cleveland but with significantly larger resources and international inbound mix.
• Visit Denver: Denver's official DMO with a comparable mid-size major-market profile to Cleveland. Operates the same DMO functions — convention sales, content marketing, and visitor services — with a larger budget and stronger leisure brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheCLE
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThisisCleveland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Destination Cleveland