Three Learn Tourism partners named finalists for ATD talent development award

Travel Portland, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and Visit Tulsa were named finalists for the 2027 Association for Talent Development Excellence in Practice Awards for destination learning programs built with Learn Tourism. The recognition highlights tourism workforce training that aims to improve visitor experiences, community pride and measurable business results.

Why it matters: - The finalist nod puts destination workforce training in the spotlight as a business tool, not just a staffing perk. - The programs were designed to improve visitor experiences, strengthen community pride and give tourism leaders data they can use to measure results. - Learn Tourism’s work shows how learning programs can support hospitality, destination marketing and local economic impact at the same time.

What happened: - Learn Tourism said Travel Portland, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and Visit Tulsa are finalists for the 2027 Association for Talent Development Excellence in Practice Awards. - The three destination partners developed their learning initiatives with Learn Tourism. - Award recipients will be announced during the ATD International Conference & EXPO.

The details: - Travel Portland built a destination learning program for hospitality professionals and community partners. - The Portland program is designed to help people share the city’s story authentically and support inclusive, welcoming visitor experiences. - Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau launched a multilingual tourism ambassador initiative. - The Pocono program trained residents, tourism employees and local businesses to act as informed advocates for the region. - Visit Tulsa created a workforce development program for tourism professionals across the city. - The Tulsa program combines destination knowledge, customer experience and community engagement. - Learn Tourism said the three initiatives increased learner engagement, improved destination knowledge, strengthened community pride and gave destination leaders analytics to track participation and outcomes. - The Excellence in Practice Awards recognize organizations that use learning and talent development to solve business challenges, improve performance and produce measurable results. - Finalists are selected on innovation, implementation, measurable business impact and proof that learning contributed to organizational success.

Between the lines: - The recognition suggests destination organizations are treating employee education and community training as part of the visitor economy strategy. - Learn Tourism’s nonprofit model links client work to scholarships, educational research and professional development for the broader tourism sector. - Stephen Ekstrom said the nominations reflect destination organizations investing in people as a strategic choice for their workforce, communities and visitor experience.

What’s next: - The ATD awards process moves to the announcement of recipients at the international conference. - Learn Tourism is likely to keep using destination-specific learning programs as a core offering for tourism and hospitality clients.

The bottom line: - Three tourism destinations are being recognized for turning workforce training into a measurable part of destination strategy.