Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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Objective
The objective of this study is to:
 Identify sustainable destination management strategies
 Compare sustainable destination management strategies and practices in the OIC
Member States with global best practices
 Provide policy recommendations for the OIC Member States: Provide customized
policy recommendations on sustainable destination management for Member
countries based on the country’s dependence on tourism and its sustainability risk.
Methodology
The study combines primary and secondary research tools and sources to fulfill its objectives:
 Primary Data: A number of tools/strategies were used including:
o In-depth Interviews: Twenty-five in-depth interviews were conducted face to face
and by telephone with tourism stakeholders to provide insights into destination
sustainability management and sustainable tourism practices. Interviewees
included respondents from destination management organizations and tourism
industry professionals as well as respondents from non-governmental
organizations who would supply valuable information on sustainable tourism
strategies, with referrals used to identify respondents. Content analysis was used
to analyze interview transcripts, and qualitative data insights were integrated in
relevant areas of the study.
o Online Survey: A survey with 292 respondents was conducted online in October
2018 to understand the importance of sustainable tourism strategies to tourism
stakeholders. SPSS was used to analyze the survey and descriptive data insights
were integrated in relevant areas of the study. 13% of responses were from
individuals working in destination management organizations while the rest were
from various tourism industry businesses including 23% from tour operators, 20%
from travel agencies, 18% from accommodation facilities, and the remaining
respondents were from travel transport companies, non-governmental
organizations, recreation facilities, and tourism consultancy firms. 57% of
responses were from the OIC countries and the remaining from non-OIC countries.
It is important to note that the small sample size only allowed for descriptive
analysis and precluded segmentation analysis.
o Case Studies: Seven country case studies, four OIC member countries and four non-
OIC, were selected to provide insights into destination management and product
development strategies. The countries covered were Denmark, Jordan, Italy,
Maldives, Oman, Palestine, and Uganda. Both field visits and in-depth interviews
were used to collect data in the case studies of Maldives, Oman, and Uganda, while
in-depth interviews were used to complement secondary data in the desk case
studies.