What Explore Boone does

Explore Boone is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Boone, North Carolina, and the surrounding Watauga County "High Country" region, operated by the Boone Watauga County Tourism Development Authority, a quasi-governmental public authority. Its core product is the ExploreBoone.com website, a content and trip-planning hub serving prospective visitors with information on lodging, attractions, dining, outdoor recreation, events, and local communities including Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, Beech Mountain, Valle Crucis, Foscoe, and Todd. Supporting sub-products include an events calendar, interactive map, curated travel itineraries, live webcam, weather page, e-newsletter, visitor's guide (digital and print), and dedicated verticals for weddings, groups, and meetings.

The platform is built on Simpleview Inc.'s DMO CMS (visible in footer branding and asset CDN), the dominant vendor for U.S. destination marketing technology. Distribution is multi-channel: SEO-driven destination pages, a content blog, weekly email newsletter, social media (Instagram, Facebook), owned recurring events such as the First Friday Art Crawl co-presented with the Watauga Arts Council and Downtown Boone Development Association, and physical visitor guides distributed through lodging partners and visitor centers.

The business model is non-commercial from the visitor side — the website is free — and is funded through the local occupancy tax collected by the TDA, which supports regional tourism promotion, visitor services, and economic development. The organization partners with a distributed network of local SMB tourism businesses (hotels, cabins, restaurants, attractions, event venues) that list on the platform. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the organization operates with 1–10 employees. Third-party recognition includes the 2025 Travel + Leisure designation of Boone as "America's Best Small Mountain Town."

Name

Explore Boone

Legal name

Boone Watauga County Tourism Development Authority

Website

https://exploreboone.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Explore Boone is the official destination marketing organization for Boone and Watauga County, NC, operating the ExploreBoone.com travel website and visitor guide services to promote tourism for leisure visitors and local SMB partners across the High Country region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Recreation & Activity Services (Hiking, Boating, Climbing, Fishing—Guided/Authorized) (THAAAGAF)

Keywords

• Destination marketing
• Tourism promotion
• Visitor information
• Travel planning
• Event listings

Headquarters

HQ city

Boone

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tourism Marketing Services: Explore Boone operates as the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Boone and Watauga County, funded through the Boone Watauga County Tourism Development Authority (TDA). Revenue supports regional tourism promotion, visitor services, and economic development for the tourism sector.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Explore Boone operates the official destination marketing website for Boone, NC and Watauga County, providing comprehensive tourism information including lodging directories, event calendars, restaurant listings, outdoor activity guides, and curated travel itineraries. The platform serves as the central digital hub connecting prospective visitors with local tourism businesses across the High Country region, including Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, Beech Mountain, Valle Crucis, Foscoe, and Todd. The organization is operated by the Boone Watauga County Tourism Development Authority and funded through local occupancy tax revenues.

Product overview

Explore Boone is a destination marketing platform operated by the Boone Watauga County Tourism Development Authority. The platform consists of a unified tourism website featuring multiple integrated service modules: an events calendar, accommodation and restaurant directories, outdoor activity guides, curated travel itineraries, interactive mapping, live webcam feeds, and an editorial blog. The platform also offers visitor support services including a free visitor's guide and email newsletter subscription. The site serves as the central hub for tourism information for Boone, NC and surrounding communities including Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, Beech Mountain, Foscoe, Todd, and Valle Crucis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Explore Boone Official Destination Website Official tourism website for Boone, NC and Watauga County providing comprehensive visitor information including accommodations, events, attractions, dining, outdoor activities, and travel planning resources for prospective visitors to the High Country region.
• Visitor's Guide (Print and Digital) Free physical and digital visitor guide request service providing comprehensive trip planning information about local attractions, lodging, dining, and travel tips for the Boone, NC area.
• E-Newsletter Subscription Free email subscription service providing visitors with updates on events, deals, and travel inspiration for the Boone, NC and High Country region on a weekly basis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Named America's best small mountain town for 2025 by Travel + Leisure
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 and minor.

• Watauga Arts CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of the monthly First Friday Art Crawl (February-December) in Downtown Boone, featuring local galleries, live music performances, and wine tastings at various downtown shops and restaurants.
• Downtown Boone Development AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of the First Friday Art Crawl and other downtown events. Partnership promotes cultural tourism and supports downtown business community.
• Tourism Partners NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of local tourism businesses including hotels, cabins, restaurants, attractions, and event venues that list on Explore Boone and participate in TDA marketing programs.
• NC GreenTravel ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in North Carolina GreenTravel Recognition program promoting sustainable tourism practices among local businesses.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Visit North Carolina (Visit NC): State-level DMO for North Carolina — a broader incumbent operating at the state level that promotes Boone as one of many destinations and competes for the same tourism marketing dollars and partner relationships, but at a wider geographic scale.

Direct peers

• Visit Jackson Hole: DMO for Jackson Hole, Wyoming — a mountain destination marketing organization with comparable premium positioning, ski-resort-driven inventory, national park adjacency (Grand Teton), and outdoor recreation emphasis.
• Explore Asheville: Convention and visitors bureau / DMO for Asheville, NC — the most directly comparable peer as a North Carolina mountain destination DMO with the same quasi-governmental TDA structure, Simpleview platform, content-driven marketing model, and overlapping outdoor/culinary positioning.
• Visit Park City: DMO for Park City, Utah — a mountain destination marketing organization with comparable four-season positioning (ski + summer festivals), Simpleview-based platform, and a focus on outdoor recreation and cultural events.
• Visit Bend: DMO for Bend, Oregon — a comparable small mountain-town destination marketing organization featuring outdoor recreation (hiking, mountain biking, skiing at Mt. Bachelor), breweries, and similar content structure on the Simpleview platform.
• Visit Bozeman: DMO for Bozeman, Montana — a comparable mountain-town DMO with national park adjacency (Yellowstone), ski resort access (Bridger Bowl, Big Sky), university anchor (Montana State), and similar four-season outdoor positioning.
• Visit Estes Park: DMO for Estes Park, Colorado — a comparable small-town gateway DMO with national park adjacency (Rocky Mountain National Park), strong outdoor recreation inventory, and similar visitor information hub structure.
• GoBreck (Breckenridge Tourism Office): Official DMO for Breckenridge, Colorado — a comparable ski-resort mountain town DMO with overlapping four-season positioning, outdoor recreation focus, and similar content-driven visitor information platform.

Others

• Blue Ridge Parkway (NPS): National Park Service unit directly linked from Explore Boone's outdoor content — not a DMO competitor but a complementary destination asset whose visitation, closures, and reputation directly affect Explore Boone's traffic and content value proposition.
• Simpleview Inc. DMO CMS and digital marketing platform provider — powers the Explore Boone website (visible in asset URLs and footer) and supplies similar infrastructure to most U.S. destination marketing organizations, making it an enabling technology peer rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/exploreboone
• Facebookfacebook.com/ExploreBoone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/explore-boone

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Explore Boone