Visit Auburn-Opelika

What Visit Auburn-Opelika does

Visit Auburn-Opelika (legal name: Auburn-Opelika Tourism) is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for the Auburn and Opelika area in East Alabama. Founded in 1988 and headquartered at 312 N Gay Street in Auburn, the organization promotes regional tourism by curating event calendars, dining and accommodation listings, activity recommendations, sports tourism planning, and wedding and meeting venue coordination. Its primary deliverables are content marketing (the Auburn-Opelika Explorer blog, downloadable visitor guide, e-newsletter), social media engagement under the #AUBURNOPELIKA hashtag, and visitor information services through physical visitor centers and the aotourism.com website.

The organization operates a destination marketing website built on the Simpleview CRM/marketing platform, which provides event calendars, business listings, and visitor resource functionality. Underlying technical infrastructure consists of standard DMO tooling — website CMS, CRM, event management, and content publishing — with no proprietary AI, mobile applications, or developer-facing APIs documented in the source material. Distribution extends through partner hotels, restaurants, and attractions, supplemented by earned media placements in national lifestyle publications and television cooking competitions.

Visit Auburn-Opelika is a private non-profit funded by local government and tourism-related tax revenue, generating economic impact through visitor expenditure rather than direct product sales. Its go-to-market is event-driven marketing targeting four core segments: sports planners booking tournaments, meeting planners hosting conventions, wedding planners arranging destination weddings, and leisure travelers seeking Southern hospitality, outdoor recreation, and culinary experiences. Pricing models are not applicable given the DMO structure; the organization does not charge end consumers for its promotional services.

Name

Visit Auburn-Opelika

Legal name

Auburn-Opelika Tourism

Website

https://aotourism.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Visit Auburn-Opelika is the official destination marketing organization for Auburn and Opelika, Alabama, promoting tourism through event listings, visitor guides, and planning resources for sports planners, meeting planners, wedding planners, and leisure travelers. It is funded by local government and tourism tax revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing and Tourism Promotion

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Destination Management (Ground Handling & Onsite Operations) (THAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports & Active Incentives (Golf, Ski, Sailing, Adventure) (THAHADAJ), Incentive Travel Design & Rewards Programs (THAHADAB), Event Production & Theming (Décor, Creative, Entertainment Booking) (THAHADAH)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Tourism promotion
• Visitor information
• Event planning assistance
• Travel marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Opelika

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 Marketing Services: Auburn-Opelika Tourism operates as a destination marketing organization (DMO) funded by local government and tourism-related tax revenue. The organization promotes the Auburn-Opelika area to attract visitors, conventions, sports events, and group tours, generating economic impact for the region through tourism expenditure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Visit Auburn-Opelika is a private non-profit destination marketing organization (DMO) that promotes tourism to the Auburn-Opelika area of Alabama. It provides visitor resources including event listings, dining guides, accommodation information, and specialized planning assistance for sports tournaments, meetings, and weddings. The organization functions as the official tourism promotion entity for the destination, driving visitor traffic through marketing and information services.

Product overview

Visit Auburn-Opelika is a destination marketing and tourism website for the Auburn-Opelika region in Alabama. The site serves as a comprehensive visitor resource featuring event listings, dining and food guides, places to stay, outdoor recreation activities, sports tourism planning, meeting and wedding venue coordination, and local blog content showcasing attractions and experiences. The platform is built on the Simpleview CRM/marketing platform, as indicated by the 'Made by Simpleview' attribution in the footer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Central Alabama Mountain Pedalers (CAMP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011CAMP (Central Alabama Mountain Pedalers) is a volunteer organization founded in 2011 to promote trail advocacy, health, wellness, and education by developing and maintaining multi-use trails at Chewacla State Park. The organization has built over 30 miles of mountain biking trails.
• John Emerald Distilling CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Emerald Distilling Company, located in historic downtown Opelika, is the first legal whiskey made in Alabama since prohibition. The family-owned distillery produces award-winning spirits including whiskey, gin, vodka, and rum, supporting the local culinary and nightlife scene. Products have reached over 7,000 miles to South Korea.
• Resting Pulse Brewing CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResting Pulse Brewery opened in 2019 in Opelika, offering a variety of rotating seasonal beers including ales, IPAs, and ciders. Features live music every Friday and Saturday night, providing nightlife options for visitors and locals.
• Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSORBA is a regional organization that creates challenging and sustainable mountain biking trails for 47 chapters across the Southeast, including CAMP.
• Simpleview Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationSimpleview Inc. provides the tourism website platform for aotourism.com, powering the destination marketing website with event calendars, listings, and visitor resources.
• Timberline Glamping at ChewaclaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChewacla State Park partners with Timberline Glamping to offer elevated camping experiences with luxury accommodations including king/queen beds, Keurig coffee makers, and climate control.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Visit Mobile: Alabama Gulf Coast DMO competing for the same in-state tourism and event planner spend as Auburn-Opelika within Alabama. Comparable regional DMO mandate and operational scale.
• Visit Birmingham: Regional Alabama DMO promoting Birmingham tourism, conventions, and sports. Directly comparable as a state-level peer destination competing with Auburn-Opelika for the same Southern sports and meeting planner wallet.

Broad incumbents

• Visit Nashville: Large incumbent Tennessee DMO with national brand reach in music, sports, and culinary tourism. Demonstrates the scaled DMO model Auburn-Opelika aspires toward and competes against for group bookings.
• Visit North Carolina (VisitNC): State-level DMO promoting tourism across North Carolina. Comparable in mandate and marketing approach but at a much larger geographic scale than city-level Auburn-Opelika.

Others

• Travel South USA: Regional DMO coalition promoting Southern U.S. tourism. Comparable in marketing mission; Auburn-Opelika participates in this ecosystem through regional tourism promotion.
• Simpleview: Technology vendor that powers the aotourism.com website and most U.S. DMOs' CRM and content platforms. Ecosystem participant and infrastructure provider rather than a competitor.

Direct peers

• Visit Savannah: Midsized Southern city DMO with destination marketing, event calendars, and wedding planner focus. Comparable DMO operating model at larger scale and a benchmark for tourism-led economic impact in the Southeast.
• Experience Columbia SC: Columbia, SC DMO with similar college-town and SEC sports tourism positioning. Comparable mid-sized Southern destination promoting events, dining, and outdoor recreation to planners.
• Visit Tuscaloosa: Alabama DMO promoting Tuscaloosa as a college-town destination with SEC football-driven tourism. Most direct peer — same state, similar university brand model, similar sports planner focus.
• Visit Charleston: Established Southern destination DMO with strong culinary and wedding positioning. Comparable DMO playbook for culinary tourism, weddings, and meetings — a scaled reference point for Auburn-Opelika's destination brand trajectory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/AuburnOpelika
• Facebookfacebook.com/AuburnOpelika
• Instagraminstagram.com/AuburnOpelika
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/auburn-opelika-tourism

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 Visit Auburn-Opelika