Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
3
governmental levels, weak stakeholder involvement and support, and insufficient resources
committed to sustainability strategies implementation. The most common barrier to the
implementation of sustainable tourism strategies is the prioritization of economic goals whether
by governments in general or destination management organizations. The tendency of
governments to focus on short-term objectives entails the prioritization of economic over social
and environmental issues.7 The lack of coordination between the various departments and
different levels of government represents another main barrier to the implementation of
sustainable tourism strategies. In some instances, national and regional plans for tourism
development are at odds with local sustainability needs. Implementing sustainable tourism
strategies requires close coordination and frequent communication between various
government departments including those entities responsible for environmental conservation,
resource management, transportation, and taxation among others.8
Stakeholder support is essential for the implementation of sustainable tourism strategies, which
emphasizes the need for stakeholder engagement and consultation in developing strategies to
ensure stakeholder buy-in and support. However, stakeholder engagement efforts are in many
instances influenced by the relative power of the various stakeholders with their different
agendas, which can lead to the exclusion of some stakeholders, such as local NGOs who are more
focused on environmental and social issues, from sustainable tourism policy development.
Finally, the resources committed to the implementation of sustainable tourism strategies seem
to be quite inadequate. As mentioned earlier, the implementation of sustainable tourism
strategies is costly with no immediate return on investment which may explain the reluctance
of governments to allocate the resources necessary for achieving short-termsustainable tourism
objectives.9
Sustainable Tourism and Destination Management: In most destinations, destination
management organizations (DMOs) are tasked with developing and managing tourism in their
destination. Destination management is defined as “the strategic, organizational and operative
decisions taken to manage the process of definition, promotion and commercialization of the
tourism product [originating from within the destination], to generate manageable flows of
incoming tourists that are balanced, sustainable and sufficient to meet the economic needs of
the local actors involved in the destination”.10 In the previous COMCEC report on Destination
Development and Institutionalization Strategies, the responsibilities of DMOs were classified
into three areas; marketing, operational and strategic. 11 As illustrated in the following table,
DMO activities are primarily geared towards ensuring the sustainability of tourism at the
destination level. The marketing activities are aimed at increasing destination competitiveness
and therefore economic viability and local prosperity, while the operational activities are aimed
at achieving visitor fulfillment and improving local control, employment quality and community
well-being. The DMO strategic activities, including resource stewardship, monitoring and
7 Dodds, R., & Butler, R., (2010). Barriers to implementing sustainable tourism policy in mass tourism destinations.
TOURISMOS, 5(1), 35-53.
8 Dodds, R., & Butler, R., (2010). Barriers to implementing sustainable tourism policy in mass tourism destinations.
TOURISMOS, 5(1), 35-53.
9 Dodds, R., & Butler, R., (2010). Barriers to implementing sustainable tourism policy in mass tourism destinations.
TOURISMOS, 5(1), 35-53.
10 Presenza, A. (2005). The performance of a tourism destination. Who manages the destination? Who plays the audit role?
XIV International Leisure and Tourism Symposium ESADE .
11 COMCEC. (2018). Destination development and institutionalization strategies in the OIC member countries. COMCEC.