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Destination Manager Jobs in Missouri (NOW HIRING)

General Manager - Montauk State Park Lead a destination where hospitality meets the outdoors. Imagine building unforgettable guest experiences in one of Missouri's most scenic and beloved ...

Wingstop is the destination when you crave fresh never faked wings, hand-cut seasoned fries and any ... The primary role of the General Manager will be to work in tandem with the District Manager to ...

General Manager

Florissant, MO · On-site

$48K - $57K/yr

Wingstop is the destination when you crave fresh never faked wings, hand-cut seasoned fries and any ... The primary role of the General Manager will be to work in tandem with the District Manager to ...

Wingstop is the destination when you crave fresh never faked wings, hand-cut seasoned fries and any ... The primary role of the General Manager will be to work in tandem with the District Manager to ...

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Destination Manager information

See Missouri salary details

$21.8K

$48.5K

$88.8K

How much do destination manager jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 27, 2026, the average yearly pay for destination manager in Missouri is $48,487.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $33,964.00 and $56,607.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Destination Manager, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Destination Manager, you need strong expertise in tourism management, destination marketing, and business development, often supported by a degree in hospitality, tourism, or a related field. Familiarity with customer relationship management (CRM) software, booking systems, and data analytics platforms is typically required. Outstanding interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity, and problem-solving abilities help you build strong partnerships and deliver exceptional visitor experiences. These skills are crucial for promoting destinations effectively, driving tourism growth, and ensuring customer satisfaction in a competitive industry.

How does a Destination Manager typically collaborate with local partners and vendors to enhance guest experiences?

Destination Managers frequently work closely with local businesses, tour operators, and vendors to curate unique experiences for clients. This involves negotiating contracts, ensuring quality standards, and coordinating logistics to deliver seamless travel experiences. Building strong relationships with trusted local partners is essential, as it allows Destination Managers to offer exclusive activities and respond quickly to any issues that arise. Effective collaboration and communication are key to meeting client expectations and maintaining the reputation of the agency or company.

What does a destination manager do?

A destination manager oversees the development and promotion of a specific location to attract visitors and support local tourism. They coordinate marketing efforts, collaborate with stakeholders, and ensure the destination's offerings meet visitor expectations, often using tools like tourism management software. Strong organizational and communication skills are essential for success in this role.

How to become a destination manager?

To become a destination manager, candidates typically need a bachelor's degree in hospitality, tourism, or a related field, along with experience in event planning, customer service, or tourism management. Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills are essential, and familiarity with industry software or tools can be beneficial. Gaining relevant certifications or training in tourism management can also improve job prospects.

What is the difference between Destination Manager vs Travel Coordinator?

AspectDestination ManagerTravel Coordinator
Primary RoleOversees destination marketing, logistics, and partnerships to promote a location as a travel destination.Plans and arranges individual or group travel itineraries, bookings, and accommodations.
Required CredentialsExperience in tourism, marketing, or hospitality; often a degree in tourism or related fields.Knowledge of travel booking systems; customer service skills; certifications like IATA may be beneficial.
Work EnvironmentTypically works in tourism boards, hospitality companies, or destination marketing organizations.Works in travel agencies, tour operators, or corporate travel departments.

While both roles involve travel and tourism, a Destination Manager focuses on promoting and managing a destination to attract visitors, whereas a Travel Coordinator handles the logistics of individual travel arrangements. Understanding these differences helps job seekers identify the right career path in the tourism industry.

What's the highest paid travel job?

The highest paid travel jobs often include executive roles such as corporate travel managers or luxury travel directors, with salaries exceeding six figures. These positions typically require extensive experience, strong negotiation skills, and knowledge of the travel industry and client management.

What skills do you need to be a destination manager?

A destination manager needs strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills to coordinate tourism activities and manage stakeholders. Knowledge of local attractions, customer service, and project management tools are also important, along with the ability to work in a dynamic environment and handle multiple tasks efficiently.

What is a Destination Manager?

A Destination Manager is a professional responsible for overseeing and coordinating tourism activities, services, and experiences in a specific location or destination. Their role typically involves developing tourism strategies, managing relationships with local businesses and stakeholders, and ensuring visitors have a positive experience. They may also handle marketing, event planning, and quality control to promote the destination and support sustainable tourism. Destination Managers work with travel agencies, tour operators, and government agencies to enhance the appeal and accessibility of the area.
What are popular job titles related to Destination Manager jobs in Missouri? For Destination Manager jobs in Missouri, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Destination Manager jobs in Missouri look for? The top searched job categories for Destination Manager jobs in Missouri are:
Infographic showing various Destination Manager job openings in Missouri as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 85% Full Time, 14% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $48,487 per year, or $23.3 per hour.
Manager-Strategic Destination Engagement & Experiences

Manager-Strategic Destination Engagement & Experiences

Explore St. Louis

Saint Louis, MO • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted yesterday


Job description

This highly collaborative, customer facing role leads the execution of destination activations, customer site inspections and hosted buyer experiences, representing Explore St. Louis at key industry tradeshows + conferences and working closely with sales professionals, hotel partners, attractions, restaurants, transportation providers, venues, and community stakeholders to create meaningful and memorable experiences that showcase St. Louis in compelling ways and positively influence booking decisions.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES
  • Coordinate and execute customer site inspections and destination experiences that support convention sales efforts and influence booking decisions.
  • Partner closely with convention sales professionals to design and manage meaningful, customized, and strategic customer experiences for prospective clients considering St. Louis.
  • Coordinate customer site visits on behalf of sales professionals, including itinerary development, venue tours, hotel coordination, transportation, dining experiences, entertainment, and hospitality details.
  • Develop creative and memorable "wow moments" that authentically showcase the St. Louis destination and strengthen customer engagement.
  • Organize and execute hosted buyer experiences, VIP activations, and customer events at industry conferences and major meetings.
  • Lead Explore St. Louis' trade show strategy and execution at major industry conferences including, but not limited to, ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition, PCMA Convening Leaders, IMEX America, and other key meetings industry events.
  • Coordinate booth activations, hosted events, appointments, logistics, partner participation, collateral materials, and customer engagement strategies for trade shows and conferences.
  • Serve as the primary liaison with member hotels, restaurants, attractions, transportation providers, entertainment venues, sports organizations, universities, and other community stakeholders to create best in class destination experiences.
  • Collaborate with internal sales teams, marketing, convention services, facility operations, and leadership to align customer experiences with strategic sales priorities and destination positioning.
  • Coordinate and support finalist presentations, customer activations, bid presentations, and hosted visits associated with major convention opportunities.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with destination partners to identify new experiences, activation opportunities, and customer engagement strategies.
  • Utilize CRM systems to manage customer activations, site inspections, hosted buyer programs, event logistics, engagement tracking, and return on investment reporting.
  • Maintain accurate records of customer experiences, trade show activity, activation performance, and sales support efforts within CRM systems.
  • Develop standardized destination experience playbooks, hosted visit templates, and market specific site itineraries to improve consistency and execution.
  • Measure and evaluate the effectiveness of customer experiences, site visits, hosted buyer programs, and trade show investments through reporting, surveys, and business outcomes.
  • Represent Explore St. Louis at industry events, client functions, trade shows, and community partner meetings.
  • Travel as required to support customer events, trade show participation, partner engagement, and organizational priorities. Work schedule may include evenings, weekends and holidays based on business needs.
  • Perform other duties as assigned in support of organizational goals.

Success in this role requires strong project management skills with attention to detail including the ability to cultivate strong relationships with partners to execute winning site visits, activations, and customer engagements that drive measurable business results. This position is based in the St. Louis metropolitan area and includes frequent interaction and engagement with customers, partners, site visits and hosted events.
KPIs
  • Site Visit Win Rate and conversion of hosted customers to booked business
  • Hosted buyer and activation conversion metrics
  • Customer satisfaction scores and post-event survey feedback
  • Trade show and activation return on investment
  • CRM accuracy, engagement tracking, and reporting compliance
  • Sales team satisfaction and internal collaboration effectiveness
  • Partner engagement and stakeholder relationship development
  • Revenue and room night opportunities influenced through customer experiences and activations
  • Successful execution of high-quality customer events, site visits, and destination showcases

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
  • Highly creative, hospitality centric and relationship oriented with a passion for storytelling and implementing flawless execution
  • Experience with coordinating and executing customer events, site visits, tradeshows, hosted experiences and high touch hospitality experiences
  • Demonstrated ability to manage complex logistics, customer experiences, or events with extraordinary attention to detail
  • Strong relationship building and partnership development skills
  • Creativity and ability to design memorable customer experiences and destination activations
  • Robust organizational and project management skills with demonstrated ability to simultaneously manage multiple priorities and deadlines
  • Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills
  • Hospitality mindset with strong customer service instincts and executive presence
  • Ability to work collaboratively across internal departments and external stakeholder groups
  • Strong problem-solving abilities and comfort with operating in a fast-paced environment
  • Industry experience in the destination marketing, hospitality, tourism, meeting, convention and event industries
  • Familiarity with the St. Louis region, venues, restaurants, hotels, attractions, and destination assets is preferred
  • Knowledge of meetings, convention services, event planning, customer engagement, critical

TECHNICAL SKILLS
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
  • Experience with CRM systems required is required (Simpleview preferred)
  • Ability to analyze data and manage reporting, track return on investment, and measure performance outcomes
  • Experience utilizing technology platforms for event coordination, customer engagement, and logistics management is preferred

Your expertise will drive successful events that leave lasting impressions. Join our dynamic team and create memorable moments to help our destination thrive through innovative engagement and unforgettable experiences! Explore St. Louis offers a robust benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance as well as pension, paid holidays and PTO. Apply on our Explore St. Louis Careers URL or email a resume and cover letter to jobs@explorestlouis.com. Please include your cover letter and resume when applying online. NO PHONE CALLS! EOE.
Explore St. Louis is the sales and marketing organization responsible for selling and promoting St. Louis as a convention, meeting site, and leisure travel destination. Explore St. Louis manages and operates the America's Center Complex which includes the Cervantes Convention Center, the Dome at America's Center, the Ferrara Theatre, and the St. Louis Executive Conference Center.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement: Explore St. Louis values diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, past or present military service, marital status, gender identification or expression, medical condition or any other protected characteristic as established by law.
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.