CornerSun Destination Marketing

What CornerSun Destination Marketing does

CornerSun Destination Marketing is a privately held, boutique professional services firm that provides destination marketing, tourism development consulting, and public relations services to government tourism boards, destination management organizations (DMOs), and tourism businesses worldwide. The firm operates three interconnected service pillars: Tourism Marketing (brand development, media planning, social media, web presence, events, trade representation), Tourism Development (strategic planning, product analysis, capacity building, with a primary focus on African markets), and Public Relations (media pitching, press trips, influencer programs, blogger outreach, SEO/AdWords support, reputation management). Revenue is generated via customized, quote-based professional services engagements ranging from small projects to multi-million dollar campaigns, structured as either retainer-based or project-based work; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

CornerSun Destination Marketing

Legal name

CornerSun Destination Marketing

Website

https://cornersun.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CornerSun Destination Marketing is a boutique consultancy that provides destination marketing, tourism development, and public relations services to government tourism boards and DMOs globally, with a particular focus on emerging African destinations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Forest Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Tourism Development Consulting: Strategic planning, product analysis, management support, training, and capacity building programs for tourism businesses and destinations. Customized consulting engagements tailored to individual client needs, operating as an integrated partner rather than a one-time service provider.
2. Tourism Marketing Services: Full suite of marketing solutions including brand development, promotional execution, strategic partnerships, research studies, media planning, social media marketing, web design, collateral development, and event planning. Ranges from small-scale projects like newsletters to large-scale rebranding campaigns.
3. Public Relations Services: Comprehensive communications plans, media relations, press trips, influencer programs, blogger outreach, and reputation management for destinations. Revenue generated through retainer-based engagements and project-based PR campaigns.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CornerSun Destination Marketing is a boutique professional services firm that provides tourism marketing, tourism development consulting, and public relations services to destination marketing organizations, national tourism boards, and tourism businesses worldwide. The firm delivers end-to-end destination strategy, brand development, promotional execution, media relations, and capacity-building programs, with a particular focus on emerging African destinations.

Product overview

CornerSun Destination Marketing is a full-service marketing and strategic consulting firm specializing in the destination and travel industry. Their offering is organized as three interconnected service pillars: Tourism Marketing (covering brand development, business planning, promotional execution, media planning, social media marketing, web presence, event planning, trade representation, and WordPress services), Tourism Development (offering strategic planning, product analysis, manpower training, capacity building, and economic development, primarily focused on African destinations), and Public Relations (encompassing media pitching, press trips, influencer programs, blogger outreach, SEO assistance, and reputation management). The three services work together as an end-to-end solution for destinations seeking to develop, market, and communicate their tourism offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tourism Marketing Comprehensive marketing solutions for tourism boards, DMOs, and tourism businesses at any phase of development, including brand development, business planning, promotional execution, strategic partnerships, research studies, media planning, social media marketing, web presence design, event planning, collateral development, trade representation, road shows, trade shows, workshops, familiarization (FAM) trips, product development, and budget management. For destinations needing an outsourced or supplemental marketing function.
• Tourism Development Integrated tourism support, planning, training, consulting, and management programs for tourism businesses and destinations, with a primary focus on Africa. Services include strategic planning, product analysis and development, management support, manpower training and capacity building, motivational speaking, trade relations and outreach, reputation management, and long-term economic development. For emerging destination governments and tourism authorities seeking to build a tourism industry.
• Public Relations Communications strategy and media outreach services for destinations, including proactive media pitching, reactive media response, press trips, development of press materials, website and collateral development, media coverage monitoring and analysis, media outreach, news bureau, influencer programs, blogger outreach and programming, SEO and AdWords assistance, and interview preparation. For tourism boards and destinations needing reputation management and awareness generation.
• Strategic Consulting End-to-end marketing and strategic consulting for destinations, functioning as an extension of internal teams for special projects. Includes helping destinations develop strong internal strategy, product development, and long-term success planning. For destinations needing senior strategic guidance beyond campaign execution.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49% increase in U.S. arrivals to South Africa
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa (APTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit trade association promoting tourism to Africa. David DiGregorio serves on the Executive Board of APTA, and CornerSun functions as an advocate for tourism promotion to Africa across the North American market.
• United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor tourism industry association. David DiGregorio serves on the Associate Member Advisory Committee, providing strategic influence and industry network access.
• South African TourismmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer employer of Founder David DiGregorio as Head of Marketing & Communications for North America. Led campaigns tied to 2010 FIFA World Cup and helped drive 49% increase in U.S. arrivals. Company maintains strong relationships with South African tourism stakeholders.
• Rethink Travel MarketingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing industry association shown as member on company website, indicating collaborative relationship within travel marketing ecosystem.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MMGY Global: MMGY is one of the largest integrated marketing firms dedicated to the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry, serving destinations, hotels, and airlines globally. CornerSun competes with MMGY for the same national tourism authority RFPs but operates at a much smaller, boutique scale.
• VoX International: VoX is a boutique destination marketing and public relations agency specializing in representing tourism boards and destinations primarily in the North American market. It is the closest direct competitor to CornerSun in business model and target client profile.
• Development Counsellors International (DCI): DCI is a specialized marketing firm focused on economic development and destination marketing, working extensively with state and national tourism offices, convention bureaus, and DMOs. It directly competes with CornerSun on government tourism board mandates, especially in North America.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Edelman is one of the world's largest global PR and communications firms with a dedicated travel and tourism practice serving national tourism boards, airlines, and hospitality brands. It competes for the same large multi-year tourism mandates as CornerSun but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Finn Partners: Finn Partners is a global integrated marketing and communications firm with a notable travel and lifestyle practice representing destinations and hospitality brands. It competes with CornerSun on destination PR and marketing mandates with deeper geographic coverage.
• JLL Hotels & Hospitality: JLL's Hotels & Hospitality group provides advisory, asset management, and marketing services to hotel owners, operators, and destinations globally. It intersects with CornerSun on destination-level marketing and development strategy but is a much broader commercial real estate advisory.
• Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a global public relations and communications agency with experience serving destinations, hospitality clients, and consumer brands. It competes with CornerSun on destination marketing mandates, but typically at larger scope and broader scale.

Others

• Tourism Radio / Africa Travel Association: Industry associations and media outlets supporting African tourism promotion operate in CornerSun's ecosystem, complementing rather than directly competing with its services. Useful as adjacent ecosystem references for understanding the African destination marketing landscape.

Emerging players

• MMGY Travel Intelligence: MMGY Travel Intelligence is the research and insights arm of MMGY Global, providing travel industry research used by tourism boards for strategy and benchmarking. It is thematically comparable to CornerSun's research-led approach but operates as a specialist data provider rather than a marketing services firm.

Regional players

• STB (South Africa Tourism) — in-house teams: South African Tourism and similar national DMO in-house marketing teams represent the principal buyer side that CornerSun serves; many now build in-house destination marketing capabilities that compete with boutique agencies for project-based work in their respective regions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cornersun
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cornersun

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 CornerSun Destination Marketing