Role Of Destination Management Organizations Research Articles

Exploring the Role of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) in Leveraging Social Media as a Destination Marketing Tool: Insights from Himachal Pradesh

TOURISM: Tourism is the movement of people to destinations outside their usual environment for various reasons, including leisure, business, or other purposes. These visitors' activities, known as the visitor economy, can have a significant impact on the visited locations economically, socially, and culturally. This can involve enjoying recreational activities, relaxation, and pleasure, often with the help of established businesses offering services and experiences. Tourism is a multifaceted and dynamic industry that has evolved significantly over the years. It encompasses the movement of people to destinations outside their usual environment for personal or recreational purposes, contributing substantially to the global economy and generating employment opportunities and income for millions. The tourism industry can be broadly categorized into two primary types: international tourism, where tourists travel to foreign lands, and domestic tourism, where tourists explore their own country. The most frequently visited countries by international tourists include France, Spain, the United States, China, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Tourism serves as a crucial industry, providing employment and income to millions of people worldwide and contributing significantly to the economies of various nations. The steady rise in popularity of tourism since the 1950s can be attributed to advancements in technology, the proliferation of the internet, the increasing availability of paid vacations, demographic changes, and media exposure. The tourism life cycle, proposed by Professor Richard Butler, consists of four stages: initial discovery, growth, decline, and regeneration. This model helps us understand the pattern of popularity that tourist destinations follow. Tourism is not limited to leisure activities; it also includes business tourism, cultural travel, environmental effects of aviation, international tourism advertising, medical tourism, and science tourism, among others. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) plays a crucial role in promoting responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism, providing statistics and insights on key indicators for inbound and outbound tourism globally. In conclusion, tourism is a complex and multifaceted industry that has a significant impact on the global economy and local communities. It encompasses various forms, including international and domestic tourism, and serves as a crucial source of employment and income for millions of people worldwide.

Measuring tourism success: are we on the brink of a new paradigm?

PurposeThe article aims to introduce the strategic question and demonstrate its relevance and reality. It also profiles the articles selected for the annual global trends issue and explains how they illustrate the various angles impacting the adoption of a new paradigm to measure tourism success.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on a review of articles selected to identify commonalities and differences in respect to the evolution of the concepts and methodologies explored in this global trends issue: sustainability, the contribution of tourism to host communities and measures of tourism success. A brief explanation of the positions and proposals presented by authors as well as their key contributions is also presented.FindingsThe tourism industry has traditionally been based on economics and financial return, with the metrics for measuring tourism performance remaining fairly static over the years. These placed a strong emphasis on the number of tourists and their levels of expenditure at the destinations. However, it is interesting to note a clear evolution towards a new perspective for a holistic and balanced approach between the economic, social/cultural and environmental dimensions of sustainable tourism development.Originality/valueThis introductory article sets the scene for an emerging paradigm to measure tourism success, and it highlights the various contributions to the development of sustainable tourism and the challenges faced by the tourism sector, the role of Destination Management Organizations and the need for quality data to support decision-making by public and private organizations.

Reshaping the Role of Destination Management Organizations: Heritage Promotion through Virtual Enterprises—Case Study: Bresciatourism

Cooperation in tourism is considered crucial for sustainable destination promotion, addressing several opportunities to decrease the level of competition among actors to achieve advantages for all. Global markets force rapid, virtual teaming up and high reconfigurability through heavy reliance on information and communications technology in the pursuit of specific market opportunities for a destination’s heritage promotion. In light of a reshaped destination management organization role, this work focuses on temporary cooperation and adapts the dynamic virtual enterprise model to tourism. A case history in Brescia was examined to support the theoretical construct. The resulting conceptual schema highlights the main features of a virtual enterprise in tourism (VEt), the life cycle stages—qualified by dynamic adaptation—and the leadership role of the destination management organizations. In generating a VEt model, four conditions for effectiveness emerge.

Modifying the conceptual model of site selection in the organisation of association conferences

International association conferencing is the largest and most profitable segment of the events industry. Competition to host these events is fierce and many destination management organizations (DMOs) offer a range of incentives to attract professional meeting planners to their destination. Many second-tier destinations have invested in their facilities and incentives in order to compete with more traditional conference cities. However, to date there has been a limited exploration of the process of destination or site selection. Prior research has generated conceptual models of site selection, which, though insightful, do not adequately reflect the role of DMOs in the process. A critical evaluation of these models and the supporting literature on site selection has provided the basis for a qualitative inquiry which has involved twenty-five elite professionals (meeting planners and DMO staff). The results from the interviews has led to the creation of an amended conceptual model of site selection which incorporates Weber’s (2001. Meeting planners’ use and evaluation of convention and visitor bureaus. Tourism Management, 22(6), 599–606) list of DMO services and draws particular attention to the role of subvention in site selection.

Destination management systems’ adoption and management model: proposal of a framework

ABSTRACT The fast development in information and communication technologies transformed the tourism sector, raising relevant questions regarding the role of destination management organizations (DMOs) and the most appropriate way to implement and manage online platforms adopted by these organizations – destination management systems (DMSs). Nevertheless, the research concerning DMSs' adoption and management is scarce, mostly conceptual and highly fragmented, usually corresponding to theoretical discussions on a small set of adoption or management issues or to analysis of very specific examples of DMSs. This paper aims to overcome gaps in previous literature by deeply analyzing relevant factors for the adoption and management of this kind of systems. In-depth interviews were conducted with relevant organizations in DMS development and several American and European DMOs. The content analysis of the discourses resulted in a framework encompassing an adoption and management model – including reasons and challenges regarding DMSs’ adoption, management models, benefits resulting from DMS adoption – as well as current challenges and future perspectives for DMSs. The findings provide relevant theoretical and practical contributions. Theoretically, the paper highlights some discrepancies between the literature and the present study regarding the concept of DMSs, as well as reasons and challenges associated with their adoption and management. The need to rethink the role and management of these systems is also remarked. From a practical perspective, the framework proposed can be used by DMOs and other stakeholders engaged in the management of tourism destinations, in order to ensure the successful implementation and management of DMSs.

Participatory action research and collaboration in CSR initiatives by DMOs

ABSTRACTThis study applies a participatory action research (PAR) approach to investigate a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative by a Norwegian destination management organization (DMO). This initiative concerns whale watching and refers to a voluntary code of conduct. The focus is on the features of the relevant institutional field and the discursive development of collaborative interactions among the actors who worked actively to the code of conduct. The aim is twofold: to gain a deep understanding of the processes of development and implementation of CSR initiatives at the destination level, and to reflect on the adoption of PAR in this context. The findings highlight the potential role of DMOs as leaders and consider some critically important factors (resources, support by public institutions and acceptance). The findings also suggest the usefulness of PAR in CSR studies in relation to explore and understand the complexity of the processes related to the development of the initiatives and the relevant actors’ behaviors.

Taking it personally: How to increase interorganizational knowledge sharing in a tourist district

Despite the critical role individual workers play in delivering tourism products and services, there is a dearth of empirical information about “personal” factors that influence inter-organizational knowledge sharing in relation to tourist destinations. This study fills this knowledge gap by exploring personal factors that influence inter-organizational knowledge sharing, by empirically examining the personal experiences of individuals working for various organizations in the Bomun Tourism Complex, the oldest national tourist district in Gyeongju, South Korea. The results of our preliminary survey showed that Bomun Tourism Complex employees tend to interact with others in the same type of business and in private meetings as opposed to in more public or industry-wide meetings, with wide variation in the level of actual interaction. In-depth interviews then focused on three personal factors we had identified in an extensive literature review: personal attitude, competence, and embeddedness. Based on the results, three practical implications to increase inter-organizational knowledge sharing were offered: educating people about the substantial benefits of interorganizational knowledge sharing, finding ways to promote community spirit within the cluster, increasing various types of interactions and meetings, and activating the mediating role of destination management organizations.

The Role of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) in Commercialization of Summer Tourism Products. New Challenges for Mountain Destinations in an Integrated and Global e-Market Place

Od II polowy XIX wieku turystyka gorska przyczynia sie do rozwoju miedzynarodowego ruchu turystycznego i wedlug szacunkow corocznie generuje okolo 15–20% przychodow osiąganych z turystyki na świecie (UNEP, 2007). Pomimo ogromnej roznorodności ofert, od polowy lat 60. XX wieku, w wielu regionach gorskich, zauwazalna jest stagnacja turystyki letniej, w przeciwienstwie do dobrze rozwinietej turystyki zimowej (France Montagne, 2014; Nydegger, 2014). Badania dotyczące rozwoju letniej turystyki w regionach gorskich są jednak rzadko prezentowane w opracowaniach naukowych w Polsce i za granicą. Celem niniejszego artykulu jest ukazanie roli lokalnych i regionalnych organizacji turystycznych (DMOs) w stymulowaniu letniej turystyki gorskiej za pośrednictwem zdywersyfikowanych strategii produktowych. W artykule zaprezentowano wyniki badan porownawczych przeprowadzonych w latach 2013, 2014 i 2015 w 183 lokalnych i regionalnych organizacjach turystycznych dzialających w wybranych europejskich oraz polnocnoamerykanskich destynacjach gorskich.

A Strategic Evaluation on Competency of Karnataka Destinations through Destination Management Organizations

The urban and territorial changes caused by tourism are well introspected areas in contemporary scientific literature. This article adopts an integrative approach with a framework connecting scientific traditions of destination management and competitiveness with a case study of Karnataka’s destinations. Tourism is a strategic economic activity in Karnataka, but the uniqueness of the governing bodies accentuates integrated planning pioneering with several distinguishing features. The collective investigation of the development of tourism in the state and the recent narration of territorial planning directs towards conclusions regarding the role of Destination Management Organizations in tourism with urban and contemporary development, which has resulted in the creation of a competency model, and the role methodical planning. This paper accentuates the role of DMOs, responding to the need for a destination management. For this purpose the various functionalities, activities and roles of DMOs are evaluated though literature reviews.

The coordinating DMO or coordinators in the DMO? – an alternative perspective with the help of network analysis

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative perspective on understanding the coordinating role of destination management organizations. Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) are known to have a coordinating role within a destination. Many qualitative case studies discuss this role in the institutional context, assuming that the DMO is supposed to coordinate the network of the organizations and stakeholder groups in the destination. By contrast, this paper analyzes the coordinator role of DMOs by focusing primarily on the prominent individuals (directors and board members) affiliated with it. In so doing, it proposes an alternative perspective on these organizations. Looking at the influential individuals in the destination, in particular those affiliated with the DMO, reveals new insights into what the DMO alternatively could be from an individual’s perspective.Design/methodology/approach– Using social network analysis, the coordinator role of the actors affiliated with the DMO for six destination cases in Switzerland, Italy and Austria was measured. First, the network of the most salient individuals in the destination was identified. Second, the coordinator score with the help of the Gould and Fernandez measure was measured. Third, the coordinator scores of individuals affiliated with the DMO were compared against those of the other actors in the network. Fourth, the scores of actors affiliated with the DMO and other actors were compared to the coordinator role attributed to the whole organization by those individuals (i.e. how they see the DMO as coordinator). Fifth, the analysis of the results with case-specific information was completed.Findings– In each of the six destinations, there are actors affiliated with the DMO as top scorers; these are usually the president of the board and other board members, as well as the director. Additionally, the analysis identifies further board members of the DMO among the tourist elite in the destination. The DMO as an organization is generally seen as an important coordinating institution. In particular, the actors affiliated with the DMO attribute a higher coordinating role to the organization than do the other respondents.Practical implications– In their board constellation, DMOs support the formation of interlocking directorships through the representation of various stakeholder groups. They increase the concentration of power in favor of a small group (elite), but they can also increase the effectiveness of decisional processes. In so doing, a DMO serves as a valuable platform for leaders in its destination.Social implications– This study affords a surprising insight into the difference between the overall image actors have of DMOs and the organizations’ self-images, expressed by the actors affiliated to the organizations – the former is always lower than the latter. The study also clearly demonstrates that the role of an institution largely depends on the actors affiliated to it and hence points to the constantly adapting coordinating role of DMOs within destinations.Originality/value– A DMO can be seen as an organization constituted by individuals who join and leave its board or its management. This paper proposes an actor-based analysis of these often small, but controversially discussed organizations. We do it with a combination of quantitative measures from network analysis and qualitative information. The alternative perspective (actors of the DMOs inside the elite) and the application of social network analysis for this purpose have not been used in studies before. Further research points to two new research streams, namely, to understanding the role attributed to the DMO by different actors in the destination and the reasons for joining/leaving the organization and the shift of the self-concept of the DMO.

A Strategic Evaluation on Competency of Karnataka Destinations Through Destination Management Organizations

The urban and territorial changes caused by tourism are well introspected areas in contemporary scientific literature. This article adopts an integrative approach with a framework connecting scientific traditions of destination management and competitiveness with a case study of Karnataka’s destinations. Tourism is a strategic economic activity in Karnataka, but the uniqueness of the governing bodies accentuates integrated planning pioneering with several distinguishing features. The collective investigation of the development of tourism in the state and the recent narration of territorial planning directs towards conclusions regarding the role of Destination Management Organizations in tourism with urban and contemporary development, which has resulted in the creation of a competency model, and the role methodical planning. This paper accentuates the role of DMOs, responding to the need for a destination management. For this purpose the various functionalities, activities and roles of DMOs are evaluated though literature reviews.