Introduction to destination management

Defining Tourism Destination
Tourism destination is an Area/ a region (Pokhara,
Khapatad, Nepal), a physical space in which a tourist
spends at least one overnight.
It consists of:
Tourism products
Supports services
Attractions
Resources

 It has physical and administrative boundaries defining its
management
 Images and perceptions defining its market competitiveness.
 Local destinations incorporate various stakeholders often
including a host community, and can nest and network to
form larger destinations.

Elements of Tourist Destination
 Attractions:
 Natural(Himalaya, lake, sea, landscape, rivers, beaches, etc.)
 Man made( historical monuments iconic buildings such as the
Eiffel tower, heritage monuments, religious buildings, conference
and sports facilities, museums, theatres, art galleries, cultural
events)
 Access: (Air, land, sea)
 Accommodation: (hotel, resorts, home stay, camping, time
sharing sites, recreational vehicles etc)
 Amenities: (facilities such as visitor information, recreations
facilities, guides, operators and catering and shopping
facilities)

 Activities: Natural (fishing, hunting, bird watching etc),
Man made (cultural show, swimming, game etc.)
 Affinity: (relationship between host and guest), guest is
god, decoration, smiling, hospitable behavior etc
 Actors:
 Stakeholders (Government, local community, business
organization)
 Human resources (skilled, semi-skilled, labour)
 Act: Rules/regulation
 Administration: Planning/Management

 Absolute: Image, uniqueness, incomparable (Mount
Everest, fewa lake with fish tail, Tilicho lake, kande bhykur
etc)The image of the destination includes uniqueness, sights,
scenes, environmental quality, safety, service levels, and the
friendliness of people.
 Advertisement: marketing
 Amount :Price factors relate to the cost of transport to and
from the destination, the cost on the ground of
accommodation, attractions, food and tour services. A
tourist’s decision may also be based on other economic
features such as currency exchange.

Destination Management
 Destination management is the co-ordinated
management of all the elements that make up a
destination (attractions, accommodation, amenities,
access, actors, act, absolute, administration etc).
 Destination management takes a strategic approach to
link-up these sometimes very separate entities for the
better management of the destination.
 Joined up management can help to avoid duplication
of effort with regards to promotion, visitor services,
training, business support and identify any
management gaps that are not being addressed.

 There are various options for destination management
governance as follows:
 Department of single public authority;
 Partnership of public authorities, serviced by partners;
 Partnership of public authorities, serviced by a joint
management unit;
 Public authority(ies) outsourcing delivery to private
companies;
 Public-private partnership for certain functions – often
in the form of a non-profit making company;
 Association or company funded purely by a private
sector partnership and/or trading – again for certain
functions.

 Summary
Elements
DMO
Leading and
coordinating
Delivery on the
ground
Marketing
Creating a suitable
environment (policy,
rules , regulation

Creating a suitable environment. This is the
foundation of destination management on which
the marketing of the destination and the delivery of the
experience are dependent.
Creating the right environment includes:
 Planning and infrastructure;
 Human resources development;
 Product development;
 Technology and systems development;
 Related industries and procurement.

Marketing
Marketing includes:
 Destination promotion, including branding and image;
 Campaigns to drive business, particularly to SMMEs (Small
medium and micro enterprises);
 Unbiased information services;
 Operation/facilitation of bookings;
 CRM (Customer Relationship Management).
Delivery on the ground. Ensures the quality of every
aspect of the visitor’s experience once they arrive
This includes:
 Destination coordination and management for visitor
‘quality of experience’, especially the public
 realm;

 Product “start-ups”;
 Events development and management;
 Attractions development and management
 Training and education;
 Business advice;
 Strategy, research and development.

Organization(DMO)
 Destination organizations are the responsible to
promote destination
 Destination management calls for a coalition of many
organisations and interests working towards a
common goal i.e. development of tourism
 The Destination Management Organisation’s role is to
lead and coordinate activities under a sound strategy.
 DMO do not control the activities of their partners but
bring together resources and expertise and a degree of
independence and objectivity to lead the way forward.

 They do not compete each other rather the do
complementary work to manage destination for the
development of tourism
 DMOs must develop a high level of skill in developing
and managing partnerships to manage destination
 They need to play leading role to achieve the goals
 Marketing goal: promotion, publicity, product identify
and development, market segmentation
 Leadership goal: leading, coordinating, formulating
policy, rules and regulation, maximize industry
effectiveness
 Infrastructure goal: transportation, communication,
health, safety and security
 Managerial goals : planning, organizing, staffing,
directing, controlling, communicating, effective use of
resources etc.

Categories of DMOs
 National: National Tourism Authorities (NTAs) or
Organisations (NTOs), responsible for management and
marketing of tourism at a national level. For e. g. Nepal
Tourism Board is a national tourism organization of Nepal
responsible for promotion
 Regional: responsible for the management and/or
marketing of tourism in a geographic region (may be
eastern, middle, western, mid-western, and far western)
 Local: responsible for the management and marketing of
tourism based on a smaller geographic area or city/town
(Pokhara, chitawan, palpa, Koshi tappu, Solu etc.).

 Destination management is very complex task.
 The DMO’s most critical assets are its credibility as a
strategic leader in tourism destination marketing and
development and its ability to facilitate industry
partnerships and collaboration towards a collective
destination vision.

How Does Destination Management Work?
Involvement of public and private sector stakeholders for destination
management:
 National (MOCTCA, NTB)
 Economic development agencies
 Local authorities/government (DDC, Municipality, VDC)
 Town centre management organizations
 National Park/ Protected Areas authorities
 Transport companies
 Events Organizers
 Cultural organizations
 Accommodation providers (hotel, motel, resort etc)
 Restaurant, leisure and retail operators
 Intermediaries (for example tour operators and conference organizers)
 Destination representation agencies
 Media
 Local tourism associations and partnerships (local tourism development committee)
 Representative Agencies (NATTA, TAAN, HAN, REBAN, TURGAN etc)
 Skills development organizations.

Mechanisms for co-ordination and co-operation
stakeholders:
 Tourism management development groups
 Liaison groups
 Functional groups
 User groups for:
 Joint strategy development.
 Joint destination management planning.
 Implementation on a coordinated basis.
 Product development and promotion projects.
 Bringing together partners for focused project
planning (including investment planning) and
 implementation over specific timescale.

The process.
The Destination Management Plan (DMP) is a key
instrument for building partnership
and commitment.
 Integrate the action of separate organizations
 Confirm and strengthen the link between strategy and
action
 Apply the DMO’s knowledge and expertise to the project
planning of other organizations
 Foster an evidence-based and learning approach to
destination promotion and management

Introduction to destination management

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Introduction to destination management