Visit Dallas

When travelers think of Dallas, they picture world-class sports, bustling convention halls, and vibrant neighborhoods. As an independent not-for-profit contracted by the city, Visit Dallas helps to fuel and protect that reputation by connecting tourists with the valuable information, events, and services they need to enjoy their visit. Their work drives economic growth, strengthens tax revenues, and sustains thousands of community jobs.

But promoting Dallas also means defending it, and that includes the unseen digital infrastructure behind every traveler experience. To help deliver a great experience for millions of travelers and partners, Lee Boquet, Director of Information Technology at Visit Dallas, is focused on defending the organization’s complex digital infrastructure – from endpoints and cloud to email and the network.  

“As a destination marketing organization with a vast partner ecosystem, trust is everything,” explains Boquet. “When millions of people interact with our campaigns or share their information, we can’t afford to let security slip.”  

That’s why, since 2022, Visit Dallas has used Darktrace AI-driven cybersecurity to help keep Dallas open for business and leisure travelers.

Tourism thrives on data – and so do attackers

Positioned at the crossroads of tourism, entertainment, and economic development, Visit Dallas relies on digital platforms and systems to reach and support visitors. That interaction comes with risks.  

As a destination marketing organization, Visit Dallas handles massive amounts of sensitive data – from event partners and vendors to individual travelers. Booking systems, promotional websites, and email campaigns are constant targets for fraud and phishing. Add in partnerships with hotels, airlines, and venues, and the attack surface stretches across industries and continents.  

Prior to using Darktrace, Visit Dallas relied on a complex mix of security tools that were cumbersome to manage. “More importantly, we realized our traditional tools weren’t enough to protect us from AI-powered threats,” shares Boquet. “They struggled to spot zero-day threats. That lack of visibility was scary.” The impact of a successful attack could have serious consequences for:

• Visit Dallas by exfiltrating customer data, employee records, or proprietary information, which could have financial, operational, reputational, and even legal consequences.  
• Partners by disrupting bookings and operations, impacting their revenue, and tarnishing their reputations.
• Visitors by fooling them with fraudulent messages like fake booking conformations, false event details, or bogus travel packages or discounts, leading to confusion, frustration, or financial loss.

In recent years, Boquet has witnessed a sharp rise in AI-driven cyber-attacks, with threat actors using AI to automate phishing and social engineering campaigns at an unprecedented scale. Visit Dallas needed a defense that could keep pace – and found one with Darktrace.

Darktrace’s Self-Learning AI learns the unique “patterns of life” inside Visit Dallas’ environment, spotting unusual behavior across email, network, cloud, and endpoints, taking action in real time. “The shift was immediate when we started using Darktrace, reflects Boquet. “It gave us visibility we’d never had before and responded to threats before they could escalate. For an organization of our size and exposure, that’s a huge advantage.”

Today, Visit Dallas’ unified cybersecurity strategy is powered by Darktrace Cyber AI Analyst™, Darktrace / EMAIL™, Darktrace / ENDPOINT™, and Darktrace / NETWORK™. This integrated approach ensures security is woven into every layer of its operations. Boquet now has real-time visibility into threats and vulnerabilities across all the organization’s endpoints, networks, cloud services, and users – empowering him to make fast, informed decisions from a single dashboard without juggling multiple tools.

From promising to proving protection  

For Visit Dallas, cybersecurity isn’t just about having the right tools, it’s about trust. So, the team didn’t stop at implementation; they put their defenses to the test. Visit Dallas ran Respond Reachability Testing and Penetration Testing Services based on NIST and OWASP standards, simulating real-world attacks to uncover gaps.  

The goal was to test whether attackers could reach endpoints, cloud services, or email systems, and whether hidden vulnerabilities or misconfigurations might slip through. “The assessments confirmed that our controls were working,” affirms Boquet. “But more importantly, Darktrace gave us confidence that even stealthy threats would be caught and neutralized. It wasn’t just theory – it was validated.”

Visit Dallas’ proactive stance doesn’t just protect its own systems. In a connected tourism ecosystem, one weak link – whether a hotel, airline, or vendor – can ripple through the entire supply chain. By raising its defenses, Visit Dallas lifts the bar for partners, too.  

“Stakeholders want to see that we’re using cutting-edge tools to protect data and operations,” says Boquet. “By continuously testing and evolving our defenses with Darktrace, we’re aligning with industry best practices.”

Safeguarding the journey starts with a proactive defense

The shift in Visit Dallas’ cybersecurity strategy has been as cultural as it is technical. Where security once felt reactive, it’s now proactive with Darktrace, which is freeing staff from endless alerts and allowing them to focus on what they do best: promoting Dallas as a global destination. “Darktrace doesn’t just detect threats; it understands our environment and responds autonomously,” says Boquet. “That intelligence gives us peace of mind.”

As cyber risks continue to mount for tourism organizations, Boquet urges others in the industry to act now. “Traditional security tools often fall short because they weren’t designed to defend against AI-powered attacks,” warns Boquet. “I recommend investing in solutions that offer visibility across the entire digital ecosystem and working with a vendor that understands the unique challenges of our industry. Don’t wait for a breach to rethink your strategy – be proactive today.”  

Protecting today’s visitors. Preparing for tomorrow’s.

In the race to attract global visitors, reputation matters as much as restaurants, concerts, or stadiums. Using Darktrace, Visit Dallas is safeguarding its digital environment to ensure reliability, professionalism, and care for travelers and partners.  

“Tourism is about creating unforgettable moments,” says Boquet. “Darktrace is helping us deliver amazing traveler experiences by ensuring those moments aren’t disrupted.”