Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
9
 Primary Research: A number of tools/strategies were used including:
o In-depth Interviews: 27 in-depth interviews were conducted face to face and by telephone
with tourism stakeholders with emphasis on respondents from destination management
organizations providing insights into the destination management and product development
strategies in general and providing information on specific destination management
strategies. Interviewee names are listed in the appendix.
Interviewees were selected from experts that would supply valuable information on
destination development 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 Structured Interviews: 31 structured interviews were conducted online with tourism
industry stakeholders from November 29th, 2017 to January 7th, 2018 to understand the
importance of various destination strategies and characteristics of successful destination
governance. The online form included both open and close-ended questions. Content analysis
was used to analyze the online interview transcripts and qualitative data insights were
integrated in relevant areas of the study. Responses were collected from 10 travel agencies,
5 tour operators, 4 accommodation facilities, 2 professional associations, and one respondent
each for various other stakeholder entities including travel transport companies, online travel
agencies, etc. Eighteen of the 31 responses were from the OIC countries and the remaining
from non-OIC countries. With respect to regional distribution, 11 of the responses were from
European entities, 8 from the MENA region, 5 from Asia, 4 from Africa, and 3 from North
America.
o Case Studies: Eight 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 Australia , Azerbaijan, Italy, Nigeria, Spain, Turkey, the
United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America. Both field visits and in-depth
interviews were used to collect data in the case studies of Azerbaijan, Spain, Turkey, and the
United Arab Emirates, while in-depth interviews were used to complement secondary data in
the desk case studies.
 Secondary Research: A number of secondary sources were used, including:
o Previous Market Studies: Market research on tourism and destinationmanagement, including
Destination Marketing Association International 2015 Report on "DMO Organizational and
Financial Profile Study".
o Trade and Sector Reports: Information was gathered from the reports published by Business
Monitor International, Euromonitor, Datamonitor and Skift.
o Academic Articles and Research Papers: Information was gathered from Brazilian Public
Administration Review, Tourism Management, Tourism Review, Public Administration and
Information Technology , UTMS Journal of Economics, Journal of Sustainability, Eco-Forum
Journal, Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, and Journal of Travel and Tourism
Marketing.
o Government Data: Data was collected from various government publications and websites,
including ministries' and official destination management organizations' websites.
o International Organizations Publications: including the UNWTO, UNEP, UNESCO, the World
Bank, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and The Organization for Economic Co-
operation and Development (OECD).
o Press Publications: Press releases from various tourism industry players were reviewed, as
well as articles covering destination management in various publications and news websites
including Europa Press, La Vanguardia, and Hurriyet.