DMOs and Tourism Boards

Destination marketing organisations can support their members by becoming Curators - trusted third parties who verify venue quality and authenticity.

What is a Curator?

Curators are trusted organisations that can verify venues and issue credentials:

• DMOs - VisitScotland, Tourism Ireland, regional boards
• Industry bodies - Hospitality associations, quality schemes
• Certification bodies - Green Key, accessibility certifiers

When you verify a venue, you issue a Verifiable Credential that becomes part of their Echo. AI agents see this verification and weight it highly.

What you get

How it works

1. Apply to become a Curator

Tell us about your organisation - who you are, what you verify, your criteria, geographic scope, member count.

2. Define your verification

Work with us to structure what you verify (quality standards, authenticity, local credentials) and how (inspection process, documentation, renewal frequency).

3. Get approved

We review your credibility, verification criteria, ability to maintain standards, and technical readiness. Approval grants Curator status in the registry.

4. Start verifying

For each member venue:

1. Venue creates or claims their Echo
2. You verify through your established process
3. You issue a Verifiable Credential
4. Credential attaches to their Echo

5. Maintain standards

Ongoing: renew credentials annually, handle lapses and revocations, update criteria as needed, support member queries.

The verification flow

When you're ready to verify a venue:

1. Authenticate — Log into your Curator dashboard
2. Find the venue — Search the registry or respond to a verification request
3. Complete your process — Your existing inspection, review, or membership check
4. Issue credential — One click in dashboard, or API call for bulk operations
5. Credential attaches — Appears on their Echo immediately
6. Agents see it — Verification weights their discoverability

The issuance itself takes seconds. Your process—site visits, document reviews, membership checks—happens on your side, on your timeline.

Verifiable Credentials

{
  "type": "QualityAssuranceCredential",
  "issuer": "did:web:visitscotland.com",
  "credentialSubject": {
    "id": "did:web:theexamplehotel.com",
    "qualityLevel": "gold",
    "verificationDate": "2024-01-10"
  },
  "expirationDate": "2025-01-15"
}

Regional storytelling

As a Curator, you can also contribute to how your destination appears:

These inform AI recommendations within your region.

Supporting your members

Requirements

Essential:

• Established DMO or industry body
• Clear verification criteria
• Ability to issue and maintain credentials
• Technical contact for integration

Preferred:

• Existing quality scheme
• Digital verification process
• Member database
• API capability for credential issuance

Getting started

1. Express interest - Contact us with organisation details, member count, verification criteria
2. Discovery call - Discuss current processes and how Curator status would work
3. Proposal - Curator agreement, technical specification, implementation plan
4. Pilot option - Start with a subset of members to prove value

FAQ

What if we don't have a quality scheme? You can define verification criteria with us. Many DMOs simply verify "legitimate member in good standing."

How technical is the integration? Options range from manual credential issuance to fully automated API integration.

Can we charge members for verification? That's your decision. Some DMOs include it in membership; others charge separately.

What if a member loses verification? You revoke the credential. Their Echo remains but loses your verification stamp.