Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
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6.4 Recommendations for Strategic Alliances
The Member Countries should consider running joint promotions and cross-marketing
activities, as well as form strategic alliances with entities such as airlines.
International cooperation among the OIC countries in terms of destination development should
focus on knowledge exchange, cross promotion of destinations. DMOs in the same region should
consider pooling their resources for joint product development as well as for promoting the
region as a whole.
The national tourism boards of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa joined efforts
and pooled resources for a campaign that promotes the region instead of individual
countries since visitors to Africa may decide to visit more than one country. They are
also working to put together policies where you can get one visa to visit five
countries in the southern Africa region.463 Similarly, Nigeria can join efforts with
neighboring countries to jointly promote the region.
Even destinations that are not geographically close can benefit from cross-marketing initiatives.
The DMOs of New York City and Cape Town signed a city-to-city partnership to boost
tourism between the two cities. In addition to the exchange of advertising assets, the
two-year alliance involves sharing best practices, and providing joint offers to boost
travel between the two cities. In terms of cross promotion, NYC and Co. will feature
Cape Town ads on bus stop shelters and billboards, since the DMO owns advertising
assets in New York. In exchange, New York City advertising will be featured through digital as
well as outdoor advertising, including a mobile branded visitor information centered that will be
stationed at events and high visitor traffic areas. This partnership allows both cities to promote
their respective destination in a cost-effective and creative way.464
In addition to their partnership with Cape Town, NYC & Company have partnerships with
Toronto, Canada, as well as with Milan (with a special focus on increasing low-season travel), and
Seoul (which includes a promotional fare between the two cities).
In Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which acts as the national tourism destination
management organization in the country, partnered with the Tourism Ministry of Turkey to offer
463 Interview with Vice President of Destinations International
464 Powell, L. (2017, September 12). Tourism Boards Team Up to Attract High-Yield International Visitors [Web log post]. Retrieved from
Segmentation
of Tourism
Destinations
Destination
Product
Development
Developing
DMO
Excellence
International
Cooperation
Policy Recommendations for OIC Member States
Section 6.1 Section 6.2 Section 6.3 Section 6.4