Visit Quad Cities President and CEO Dave Herrell has been selected to receive the 2026 Destination Organization Leadership Award by Destinations International (DI), the world’s leading membership association for destination organizations.
Mr. Herrell will receive the award at the 2026 Destinations International Annual Convention in Portland, Oregon, July 21-23.
Established in 2017, the Destination Organization Leadership Award recognizes leaders whose vision, service, and accomplishments have made a lasting impact on the destination organization industry and the communities they serve.
Mr. Herrell was recognized alongside Susan Freeman, executive director, Meet Prince Edward Island; Maura Gast, executive director, Visit Irving Texas; and Melvin Tennant, president and CEO, Meet Minneapolis.
“Destinations International is proud to honor Dave Herrell, president and CEO, Visit Quad Cities, as an honoree of the Destination Organization Leadership Award, recognizing his outstanding leadership, vision, and enduring contributions to both Visit Quad Cities and the broader travel and tourism industry,” said Don Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International, in a news release made available on Monday, June 8. “Dave has helped elevate the standard of excellence in our field, inspiring peers and advancing the mission of destination stewardship worldwide.”
Under Mr. Herrell’s leadership at Visit Quad Cities, the globally accredited organization has generated substantial economic impact through tourism development and marketing initiatives, successfully advocated for new statewide tourism legislation to grow prosperity, enhanced regional identity and storytelling, and advanced collaboration to support a $1.38 billion visitor economy. He believes that tourism and the opportunity to host meetings, sporting events, group, and leisure travel provide community-building, economic, and social benefits.
“Destinations International is such a vitally important organization to Visit Quad Cities and the members around the globe that it serves,” said Mr. Herrell. “This recognition is an honor for our organization and is extremely humbling. To be recognized among so many colleagues whose service and leadership inspire me every day is something I do not take lightly. The transformative work they are doing in their respective communities and organizations is simply phenomenal. The gratitude that I have for Destinations International and all they do for our industry, along with how proud I am of my Visit Quad Cities teammates, is energizing. I would like to thank the members of the committee who dedicated so much of their time to this process and the Destinations International Board of Directors for their service and leadership. I am blessed to be a part of an industry I love and truly honored that every day I have the opportunity to share the Quad Cities story and momentum with the world.”
Destinations International is the world’s largest and most trusted resource for destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards. With more than 10,000 members and partners from over 750 destinations, the association represents a powerful forward-thinking and collaborative community around the world.
