Destination Marketing Organizations Research Articles

Overtourism, optimisation, and destination performance indicators: a case study of activities in Fjord Norway

Many global tourist destinations have experienced growth in arrivals. This has triggered various conflicts in destinations and sparked debates as to how to deal with what is increasingly referred to as ‘overtourism’. Most Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) pursue strategies to stimulate arrivals even further. Pro-growth discourses are reinforced by lead bodies such as the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). However, maximisation strategies based on higher numbers of tourists increasingly cause conflicts with local residents, whereas simultaneously undermining climate change mitigation pledges as negotiated in the Paris Agreement. New approaches to destination management based on optimisation are therefore warranted. Drawing on a survey of international tourists (n = 5,249) in south-western Norway, this article discusses whether ‘activities’, i.e. the development of local, small-scale and ideally more sustainable experiences, can contribute to economic growth without necessarily increasing numbers of arrivals. Results confirm that destinations should seek to better understand their markets, including length of stay, spending, and/or activity intention, to identify profitable markets. Ultimately, such knowledge may help addressing overtourism conflicts while building tourism systems that are more economically, socially, and environmentally resilient.

‘Pinning’ tourist photographs: analyzing the photographs shared on Pinterest of heritage tourist destinations

ABSTRACTWith more tourists researching and booking their travel entirely online, the use of social networking sites (SNSs) has gained popularity amongst both tourists and destination marketing organizations (DMOs). This study examined tourist photographs shared online via the image-based SNS of Pinterest in an effort to understand whether these types of new consumer technologies might be used by DMOs to better target potential visitors. Through visual analysis, the Pinterest photographs of four heritage tourist destinations were explored: Tombstone, Arizona; Virginia City, Nevada; Deadwood, South Dakota; and Dodge City, Kansas. Study findings provide discussion of Pinterest photographs, their visual representation of heritage tourist destinations, and the unique insights that an analysis of these photographs might offer to DMOs.

Exploring tourism businesses’ adaptive response to climate change in two Great Lakes destination communities

Abstract Climate change is one of the most significant challenges facing the global tourism sector, and destinations around the world are increasingly coming to terms with changing weather. Within destination systems, tourism businesses have been encouraged to take proactive steps to prepare for climate change, but in many destinations, adaptation has been limited. In this Regional Spotlight, findings from a series of qualitative interviews with representatives from businesses in two Great Lakes destinations are used to highlight some of the major challenges facing the region's tourism sector in terms of climate change. Results support findings of existing research that tourism businesses are strongly aware of how they are impacted by weather and climate. Conversely, though many interviewees were able to discuss how their businesses could be affected by climate change, they showed little concern that it would present new challenges and expressed a belief that it could be beneficial in some cases. Common barriers to proactive climate change action include limited resources, lack of knowledge of options, and a belief that action is unnecessary. The results of this study suggest that future work focused on how to build stronger public-private partnerships between policymakers, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), researchers, and tourism professionals in the Great Lakes, and perhaps other destinations, could help: (1) build awareness of potential novel or nonlinear impacts of climate change among tourism professionals, and (2) increase the availability of scientific information that meets their decision-making needs; subsequently, also leading to more effective destination-based climate change management strategies.

Korišćenje društvenih mreža u aktivnostima destinacijskih marketing organizacija

Tourism destination marketing management is an extremely important process, therefore destination marketing organizations have gained their well-deserved place in the tourism literature. is Turbulent environment characteristic for the tourism market requires finding new and innovative ways of actively engaging with the target market, hence destination marketing organizations must continually adapt to changes, including finding new ways of communicating with potential tourists. In information society we live in, very few marketing programs can be considered successful and complete unless they have a meaningful digital component. For that reason, this paper offers survey on the degree of use and quality of social media marketing activities by the destination marketing organizations on the examples of the tourism organization of Western Serbia and the tourism organization of "Zlatibor". The main focus of the research is the analysis and interpretation of data collected from the content analysis of social media posts by the tourism organizations of Western Serbia and "Zlatibor". Content published from January 1st 2017 to December 31st 2018 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram was analyzed, as well as all posts published on YouTube and Pineterest.

Mind the Culture Gap: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Tourism Destination Websites in Austria and the United Kingdom

Websites of destination marketing organisations (DMO’s) are important tools to market tourism destinations to prospective visitors. They provide an abundance of information for tourists and help them plan their visit to the destination or find inspiration for an upcoming vacation. In many cases, website visitors come from other countries and cultures. In order to satisfy the needs of international website visitors, website providers would need to consider diverse cultural backgrounds and different languages when designing, implementing and maintaining a website. The main objective of this master thesis is to analyse the depiction of cultural values on DMO websites in Austria and the United Kingdom. It is then sought to compare them to the perceived cultural values of the respective host country by looking at Hofstede’s and Hall’s cultural frameworks. Moreover, it is aimed to provide a framework for tourism professionals and website developers who oversee and implement the creation of websites for tourism destinations. To establish the foundation of this thesis, an extensive literature review in the field of cross- cultural web design is provided with the aim to support the process of further developing a framework for the analysis of cultural values on the World Wide Web. Drawing on Hofstede’s dimensions and Hall’s high/low context theory this framework seeks to broaden the cross-cultural lens adopted by website providers. The content analysis is going to include 18 DMO websites that represent tourism destinations on three levels: Nations, provinces/countries and cities. The analysis is expected to shed light on website design in Austria and the United Kingdom and increase awareness towards the significance of localized cultural values. It should provide recommendations for professionals who are implementing websites for tourism destinations. Additionally, the study on Austrian and British websites can be of excellent value for tourism managers and destination marketers since both countries welcome many tourists each year.

Historical Service Quality Assessment of Malaysia’s World Heritage Site

The tourism sector is experiencing a remarkable constant progress and becoming one of the fastest growing economic sectors globally. In this context, it is interest for the academics and destination marketing organizations to undertake a dedicated study that gives a greater understanding of the concept of satisfaction in enhancing tourists’ loyalty. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of service quality as one of the key antecedents affecting tourists’ satisfaction and loyalty towards selected destinations of the World Heritage Site in Malaysia. To confine the scope of the study, the area of interest focuses on a specific type of city, namely the Heritage City. The historical cities of Melaka and George Town inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage City in Malaysia are chosen in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the tourists’ attitudes towards heritage city. The sample consists of 450 international and domestic tourists who visited the heritage city. Theoretically, the study contributes to the body of knowledge by emphasizing on key antecedents affecting tourists’ behaviour. Practically, the research findings imply suggestive value to destination marketing planning for Malaysian tourist destinations. At the conclusion, the study makes suggestion of the employment of HISTOQUAL model, which provides a detailed and valuable insight into the service quality assessment of the heritage settings.

Important Information Sources to Form Destination Image and Event Image

This study examined what information sources were used by individuals to form their image of a destination and an event. In addition, this study looked into the differences in important information sources based on sociodemographic variables. The results of the comparative analyses showed some significant differences in information sources for destination image among four country context groups. Of the sociodemographic variables, differences were found between certain information sources and education level and income level. Also, significant relationships were found between information sources and age. This study has implications for destination marketing organizations and mega event organizers.

Pop star fan tourists: An application of self-expansion theory

Given the growth of pop culture tourism, fans are recognized as an important destination market segment. This study applied self-expansion theory to examine if pop star fans' self-expansion was a significant motivation to seek fan club membership and lead to a positive relationship with their favorite pop star's country. South Korea pop star fans revealed that highly self-expanded fans were more likely to belong to fan clubs and to exhibit stronger group identity, higher travel satisfaction, and greater destination loyalty. The application of self-expansion theory offers a new theoretical perspective to understand pop star fans' psychological characteristics that affect their travel behaviors. By purposefully choosing pop star fans, the study makes a unique contribution with new insights regarding pop culture tourism fans. Destination marketing organizations should recognize pop star fans as potential loyal tourists and develop tailored travel products and services to capture this market.

Conceptualizing ASEAN Tourism Brand: Towards A Coopetition Framework

Objective - This paper proposes an integrative framework in an attempt to conceptualize the branding of ASEAN tourism in a sustainable and unified approach based on the results collected from a sample of travellers visiting ASEAN destinations and tourism insights from NTOs or DMOs. Methodology/Technique - A mixed method is used to combine the quantitative and qualitative phases. A survey of travellers visiting ASEAN destinations (n=480) is conducted with a mix of Asian travellers and Western travellers, as well as 10 in-depth interviews with NTOs or DMOs to obtain tourism insights. Findings - The findings suggest that authenticity of the destination image is an integral part of ASEAN tourism. National Tourism Organizations (NTOs), Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) and other stakeholders of ASEAN tourism should adopt a coopetition framework and co-create a consistent and coherent positioning of the destination, while maintaining a competitive positioning of the nation, to achieve a sustainable brand of ASEAN tourism. Novelty - The paper highlights the needs for ASEAN NTOs and DMOs to enable coopetition for all tourism stakeholders for the promotion of the ASEAN brand. The proposed framework is seen as transformative in its ability to bring about collaborative and sustainable efforts to ultimately achieve an authentic ASEAN brand. Type of Paper - Empirical. Keywords: ASEAN Tourism Brand; Coopetition; Cooperation and Competition; Authenticity; NTOs; DMOs. JEL Classification: M38, M38, L32.

The moderation of gender and generation in the effects of perceived destination image on tourist attitude and visit intention: A study of potential Chinese visitors to Australia

The overall purpose of this study is to examine the moderating roles of gender and generation in the effects of perceived destination image on tourist attitude and visit intention among Chinese potential tourists to Australia. Australia is one of the preferred destinations to Chinese tourists, and the China market emerges to be increasingly important to destination marketing organizations in Australia. Echoing the call for more gender studies in the tourism literature and also based on the generation theory, this study employed a cross-sectional questionnaire survey design and used structural equation modelling in its analysis. Survey data were collected through convenience sampling in the Chinese city Harbin at various public venues where urban residents can be found. The study identified Services and Tourism Provisions, Natural Environment and Quality of Life as three destination image dimensions perceived by Chinese urban residents towards Australia. Services and Tourism Provisions and Natural Environment both positively affected tourist attitude, which in turn levered up visit intention. The study found that the effect of Services and Tourism Provisions on attitude was stronger for men than for women, while the effect of Natural Environment on attitude was stronger for women than for men; for the post-1980s/1990s generation, the effect of Natural Environment on attitude was significantly stronger than that for the post-1960s/1970s generation. Implications for tourism marketers and managers are discussed.

Harnessing stakeholder input on Twitter: A case study of short breaks in Spanish tourist cities

Knowledge of how destination marketing organisations (DMOs) use Twitter is still limited. This study aimed to assess how DMOs' Twitter activity affects hotel occupancy in short-break holidays. Key dimensions of Twitter that may affect hotel occupancy in tourist destinations were first identified. A longitudinal study using data for 10 Spanish DMOs was conducted to forecast hotel occupancy. Twitter application programming interfaces were used to gather data on tweets by DMOs and retweets and likes by users. Text mining was used to analyse the tweets by DMOs, differentiating between tweets related to events, attractions, socialisation, and marketing. Data were analysed using artificial neural networks. The best fit was achieved with a multilayer perceptron artificial neural network. Findings suggest that the number of retweets and replies by users and the number of event tweets, tourist attraction tweets, and retweets by DMOs can predict the hotel occupancy rate for a given destination.

Engaging Destination Stakeholders in the Digital Era: The Best Practice of Italian Regional DMOs

This article examines the underinvestigated topic of how destination marketing organizations (DMOs) engage stakeholders in destination management and marketing through leverage on off-line tools, official destination websites, and social media platforms. Building on a significant body of literature and advances in quantitative and qualitative research, we provide three methodological tools: two scales assessing DMO stakeholder engagement off-line and online and a social media index measuring tourist engagement. Our results confirm that in Italy regional DMOs are capitalizing on the digital platforms and off-line participatory tools to enhance stakeholder engagement in destinations’ decision making. Theoretical and managerial implications for destination management in the digital era are suggested.

In league? Destination marketing organisations and football clubs in the virtual space

ABSTRACTLogic dictates that destination marketing organisations (DMOs), while representing many stakeholders, should leverage a location’s most visible assets to enhance the attractiveness of the destination at any given opportunity. This study examines the manner and extent to which four major European football franchises are mentioned and promoted on the official digital marketing platforms of their respective cities; Amsterdam, Barcelona, Manchester and Munich. A tailor-made content analysis tool is used to conduct a systematic investigation of the virtual platforms over which the DMOs of these cities exert a modicum of control. The content of these platforms is scrutinised from three perspectives; promotional, information dissemination or push towards purchase via external links. The four cities forming part of this study are home to some of the world’s most iconic global sporting brands. The research uncovers a level of confusion or simple lack of know-how on the part of DMOs as to how these hugely popular clubs can or should be exploited in the digital space. It proffers solutions to this dilemma as in initiating cooperative marketing efforts between the respective organisations and exposes a contemporary field that necessitates further research.

Rural Tourism: A Grounded Theory on Limited Stakeholder Advocacy

While many rural areas in the southeast look to tourism to help supplement diminishing financial opportunities due to the decline in manufacturing and farming, many communities still incur obstacles and are unable to sustain a viable tourist destination area. Without entrusting the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) to identify stakeholders’ contributions for the betterment of the community as a destination brand and visitor demands, expectations cannot be met. Working within small-town politics, nativity of the benefits of tourism, and misaligned brand images, the DMOs and stakeholders appear ineffective in marketing the rural area as a destination that fully embodies the culture, history, and natural resources contained within their respective geographic boundaries. Understanding how to build and obtain stakeholders’ confidence, a DMO can cultivate strategic relationships through social exchanges and strengthen trust within stakeholder groups. These relationships sustain an all-inclusive brand image for the rural destination area, increasing visitor satisfaction, and stakeholder investment.

Understanding European tourists’ use of e-tourism platforms. Analysis of networks

This paper analyses the use of the main e-tourism platforms by European tourists. A computer-aided Web interview (CAWI) was used to conduct the research in 19 European countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom. The final sample consisted of 13,243 tourists. Through the methodology of Social Network Analysis (SNA), the study focuses on detecting key network players (social media, OTAs, etc.) in the e-tourism ecosystem. The network analysis reveals the structural characteristics of the network of networks in the European e-tourism ecosystem: number of platforms (473), centrality degree and betweenness, and the specific characteristics of the networks by country. The results show an e-tourism network of platforms following a pattern known as core-periphery. Four platforms show a predominant role: Facebook, TripAdvisor, Google, and Booking. These ‘big four’ ego-networks are graphically represented to better understand the e-tourism network. The results also show that different networks are formed by country according to the use of e-tourism platforms. This study helps understand in a novel way the behaviour of European tourists when using e-tourism platforms to choose their travel destination. The results obtained are useful for companies and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), understanding how e-tourism platforms are connected in order to design their segmentation and promotion strategy through e-tourism platforms in the European market.

RESIDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT IN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: SELF-CONGRUITY AND WORD-OF-MOUTH BEHAVIOUR

Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) are facing the dilemma: on one hand, communicating branding messages effectively to target markets all over the world requires abundant resources, while stakeholders within the destination have different (sometimes even conflicting) interests in destination branding on the other. Specifically, residents of a tourism destination have great potential in helping the place by being involved in tourism development and destination branding, due to the development of information technology. To investigate how self-congruity influences residents’ evaluation on the place, as well as their voluntary WOM behaviours, this article proposes self-congruity as a key construct affecting residents’ place satisfaction and expectation, and further influencing residents’ place related behaviours, such as word-of-mouth (WOM). An empirical study was conducted in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with 309 questionnaire collected. Via a structural equation modelling analysis, this study finds that variation of self-congruity in the impacts on place satisfaction and expectation, as well as two types of WOM behaviours, namely one-to-one WOM and one-to-many WOM. This provides evidence to support the standpoint that different WOM are motivated by different factors via different psychological mechanisms. Specifically, (1) actual self-congruity and place satisfaction (reflecting an evaluation of past of current performance of the place) only affect one-to-one WOM, suggesting that this type of WOM is mainly motivated by one’s current state; (2) ideal self-congruity was found to affect place expectation, suggesting a consistency in the expectation of one’s self image and the place; (3) one-to-many WOM has two indicators of ideal self-congruity and place expectation, implying publishing one’s opinions and thoughts is driven by expectation rather than current state. In general, the results add detailed and in-depth findings on distinguishing the motivations of different types of WOM in WOM literature.

First-time versus repeat tourists: level of satisfaction, emotional involvement, and loyalty at hot spring

ABSTRACTThis study aims to investigate the differences between first-time and repeat tourists in terms of emotional involvement, satisfaction and loyalty constructs. Quantitative methodology was employed, consisting of a self-administered questionnaire that involved inviting a convenience sample of 400 tourists visiting the Sarein hot spring of Ardebil in Iran. The collected data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, factor analysis, pearson’s correlation analysis and multiple regression. The results indicate that there were no significant differences between first-timers and repeat visitors for demographic characteristics, emotional involvement, satisfaction and loyalty. Based on the research findings, repeat visitors were found to be slightly more satisfied, involved and loyal compared to the first-timers.Abbreviations: DMO: Destination marketing organizations; WHO: World Health Organization; ISPA: International Spa Association; EFA: Exploratory Factor Analyses

SWOT Analysis of Marketing Strategies Applied by MTDC for Promotion of Maharashtra Tourism

With the increasing role of the Internet in Marketing, Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) are focusing on the application of the Internet in destination promotion activities. The present study aims to evaluate the application of Tourism Internet Marketing Strategies by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), India. Data Triangulation Method was used for detailed understanding of the phenomenon. Further, the researchers have provided a SWOT Analysis of these strategies, which would be helpful for destination planners and marketers in improving destination competitiveness.

How do destination Facebook pages work? An extended TPB model of fans’ visit intention

研究目的本论文旨在建立和验证一个扩展的计划行为模型, 用来解释旅游目的地Facebook如何影响游客旅游意图。研究设计/方法/途径252人参与本研究项目, 他们实际关注了一个旅游目的地Facebook三个月, 然后填写了问卷。本论文以计划行为模型、社会影响理论、以及广告认知理论等为基础, 建立一体化模型。本论文采用偏最小二乘回归结构方程模型（PLS-SEM）验证这个一体化模型。研究结果三种社会影响因素（从众、认同、内化）均对旅游意图有直接和间接的影响。Facebook体验也对于旅游意图, 通过知觉行为控制的中间调解作用, 有显著影响。然而, 目的地态度和信息的态度并未显著地与旅游意图有关。研究实践意义本论文结果对于旅游目的地管理机构（DMOs）如何使用Facebook营销有着实际启示作用。特别的是, DMOs应该更加关注Facebook的社会影响方面, 比如认同, 以及使用Facebook来减少潜在游客的知觉行为控制。研究原创性/价值本论文是首先几篇以TPB模型为基础, 探索目的地Facebook粉丝效应的旅游意图的文章。本论文还对于使用PLS-SEM技术通过反应性-形成性多阶模型来预测行为意图的文献有着理论贡献。关键词关键词：广告认知, 、目的地Facebook, 、社会影响理论, 、计划行为理论, 、旅游意图纸张类型研究论文

Sports Tourists and Non-Sports Tourists: Are They Different in Terms of Sociodemographics, Psychographics, or Behavior?

Researchers have paid increasing attention to sports tourists as destinations have realized the potential for the significant economic impact of sports tourism. Many studies have profiled and segmented sports tourists using different techniques. However, there is a lack of research that compares sports tourists with non-sports tourists. The current study conducted a comparison using several sociodemographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics from a large data set gathered on an online research platform. Although study results show some differences between sports and non-sports tourists, effect size metrics render these differences miniscule or even negligible. Besides practical implications for destination marketing organizations, future research suggestions are also provided in order to decide if sports tourists need to be targeted differently from non-sports tourists.