RateGain travel Technologies Limited announced on February 18, 2026, that Sojern, its recently acquired digital marketing platform, has released the comprehensive State of Destination Marketing 2026 Report. The report examines how destination marketing organizations (DMOs) worldwide are adapting to economic pressures, rising performance expectations, and accelerating AI-driven transformation across the travel industry.

Economic Impact Measurement Takes Priority

Based on insights from more than 350 DMOs globally, the report reveals a fundamental shift in strategic priorities. The ability to measure economic impact now ranks as the top concern for destination marketers, overtaking traditional metrics such as visitation and engagement as organizations face mounting pressure to demonstrate tangible return on investment.

Mark Rabe, CEO of Sojern, commented on the findings: "Destination marketers are under more pressure than ever to show measurable impact. This year's report shows how DMOs are rising to that challenge—rethinking success metrics, investing more intentionally, and adapting their strategies to stay visible as AI reshapes discovery."

Regional Strategy Variations Emerge

The report identifies distinct regional approaches to destination marketing strategy. In North America, 79% of DMOs prioritize hotel room nights and direct revenue over brand awareness, with 51% focusing primarily on mid-and lower-funnel activities. European DMOs face particular challenges, with 31% reporting their funding is at risk, though 51% still maintain focus on longer-term brand building. The Middle East, Asia, and Africa region shows the strongest performance orientation, with 88% of DMOs citing conversion as their most important metric.

Globally, DMOs are evenly split between stage-specific campaigns (47%) and full-funnel strategies (47%). However, there has been a dramatic shift away from awareness-focused campaigns, dropping from 59% in 2025 to just 25% in 2026.

AI Adoption Accelerates Across DMO Operations

Artificial intelligence has moved from future consideration to present reality for destination marketers. More than half of DMOs (51%) express concern about AI-driven search disruption, with 31% expecting their websites to become primary sources for AI-generated travel recommendations.

Despite growing AI adoption, implementation maturity varies significantly across organizations, with many DMOs still in early-stage deployment phases.

Personalization Progress Faces Resource Constraints

While data utilization has expanded, personalization capabilities remain limited by resource constraints. Only 9% of DMOs describe their advertising personalization as "advanced," while basic personalization approaches increased from 14% to 22% year-over-year.

DMOs report that data delivers maximum value during campaign planning (45%) and post-campaign reporting (44%), but only 7% leverage data effectively during live campaign execution. Demographic data remains the dominant targeting approach at 74% globally, though regional preferences vary significantly.

Digital Channel Strategies Become More Selective

Paid social media maintains its position as the most widely adopted digital channel, with 88% of DMOs investing globally. Instagram (97%) and Facebook (90%) continue anchoring social strategies, while YouTube usage has grown to 55%, reflecting its cross-funnel effectiveness.

The data indicates DMOs are prioritizing channels that more clearly support measurable performance outcomes, leading to reduced investment in less trackable advertising formats.

Collaborative Marketing Remains Strategic Priority

Co-operative marketing continues as a critical strategy, with 80% of DMOs running collaborative campaigns. The primary motivations include reaching wider audiences (70%), increasing total investment capacity (64%), and sharing operational costs (63%). However, 27% of DMOs cite partner management complexity as a significant barrier for resource-constrained teams.

The report was developed in partnership with Dynata and supported by multiple industry organizations including Brand USA, U.S. Travel Association, Destinations International, Destination Canada, European Travel Commission, City DNA, Caribbean Tourism Organization, and Pacific Asia Travel Association.

RateGain Travel Technologies Limited has received its final monitoring agency report from CRISIL Ratings Limited for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, confirming complete utilization of QIP proceeds with no deviations. The comprehensive report was submitted pursuant to Regulation 32(6) of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, marking the conclusion of the monitoring process.

QIP Fund Details and Complete Utilization

The company completed its QIP on November 20, 2023, raising Rs. 5862.91 million net of issue expenses. The placement involved 9,331,259 equity shares of face value Re. 1 each, issued at Rs. 643 per share, including a share premium of Rs. 642 per share, aggregating to Rs. 6,000.00 million gross.

CRISIL Monitoring Agency Report Findings

CRISIL Ratings Limited issued its final monitoring agency report dated February 12, 2026, confirming that all QIP proceeds were utilized as per the original objectives disclosed in the offer document. The report stated that the entire amount was deployed towards the acquisition of Sojern Inc., with both QIP Escrow account balance and monitoring account balance standing at nil as of December 31, 2025.

Regulatory Compliance and Final Certification

The monitoring agency report was prepared based on management undertaking, statutory auditor certificate dated February 11, 2026, issued by M/s Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP, and bank statements. The report confirmed no major deviations from earlier monitoring agency reports and stated that all utilization was as per disclosures in the offer document.

Fund Allocation Adjustment and Strategic Deployment

The net proceeds were revised from the originally estimated Rs. 5,861.50 million to Rs. 5,862.91 million during the quarter ended March 31, 2024. This adjustment of Rs. 1.41 million resulted from lower actual offer-related expenses compared to estimated costs, with the surplus amount added to strategic investment objectives for the Sojern acquisition.

The report was signed by Shounak Chakravarty, Director, Ratings (LCG) at CRISIL Ratings Limited, and submitted to stock exchanges by Mukesh Kumar, General Counsel, Company Secretary & Compliance Officer of RateGain Travel Technologies Limited on February 13, 2026.