Destination Development and

Institutionalization Strategies

In the OIC Member Countries

In the context of the stakeholder structured interviews conducted within the scope of this study,

respondents were asked to identify the legal forms and geographic scope of DMOs operating within their

destinations. Many respondents reported having government entities that operate as DMOs both on the

national and regional levels, with some entities also operating at the local level. Some respondents cited

the presence of private destination management companies in their destinations; these companies were

mainly prevalent at the local level. Few respondents mentioned the presence of private-public partnership

destination management organizations, which were present at the various levels.

In terms of governance, there are four main DMOmodels or typical structures: the normative or regulatory

model, the entrepreneurial, the leading firm and the fragmented model. In the normative/regulatory

model, the local authority makes sure all the interests of stakeholders are represented and all structures

and processes are established according to set regulations. DMOs in this model can be funded by both the

public and private sector. Examples of this model are DMOs in Vienna, Austria, and St Moritz, Switzerland.

In the entrepreneurial model, the DMO structure and operations are defined and can be modified by its

members, whether public or private sector entities. DMOs in this model can be funded through

contributions from members. Examples of this model are DMOs in Barcelona and Berlin. In the leading

firm model, a single entity, whether a company or institution, takes the lead in promoting the destination

and or the allocation of resources. In this model, collaboration is very low as a single entity cannot provide

incentives to all stakeholders to work on developing joint strategies. An example of this model is the Trade

Fair in Milan, Italy. In the fragmented model, which is common to many destinations where tourism

developed spontaneously, collaboration is limited to promotional activities that are focused on short term,

however, this model can evolve with collaboration extending to other areas. Examples of this model the

Festivaletteratura of Mantua and art exhibitions in Perugia, Italy.

Figure 6: DMO Governance Models

Source: D’Angella and Sainaghi, R. (2010)

D’Angella, F., De Carlo, M., & Sainaghi, R. (2010). Archetypes of destination governance: a comparison of international destinations.

Tourism Review

, 65 (4): 61-73.

Ibid.

Normative

Leading Firm

Entrepreneurial

Fragmented

Weak

Coordination

High Centralization

Strong

Coordination

Low Centralization

Types

Governance

Models

Activities

Funding

Stakeholders