Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
24
Engaging Stakeholders
Following the identification of stakeholder groups, destination managers need to develop engagement
strategies based on the prominence of the various stakeholders’ groups, which is determined by these
groups’ level of interest in and their ability to influence the DMO's efforts to increase the competitiveness
of the tourism destination.
The hierarchy of stakeholder engagement, according to the International Association for Public
Participation, starts with informing stakeholders then progresses to consulting and involving stakeholders
and reaches its highest level with collaborating and empowering stakeholders. 58 Destination managers
choice of engagement level should be based on the stakeholders’ level of interest in destination
development strategies and policies and their ability to affect the results. Thus, in the case of stakeholders
who have low influence as well as low interest in the destination development, destination managers can
opt for the first level of engagement which is keeping those stakeholders well-informed by providing them
with complete and accurate information about DMO strategies and plans for managing and marketing the
destination. Destination managers can use a variety of tools to inform stakeholders such as DMO website,
emails, fact sheets, newsletters, internal networks, etc. 59
Figure 8: Stakeholder Engagement Levels & Tools
Source: DinarStandard
In the case of stakeholders with low influence but high level of interest in the DMO management and
marketing strategies and plans, such as universities and the local communities, destination managers
should consult them in the development of plans and strategies for the destination. Destination managers
can use a variety of tools to consult stakeholders such as feedback loops, focus groups and surveys. As for
stakeholders with high influence but low interest in the DMOs’ plans and strategies, destination managers
need to involve them to make sure that their needs and interests are being served by the planned policies
and strategies so that they can avoid potential conflicts. 60 Destination managers can hold workshops and
create special forums to identify those stakeholders’ needs as well as include them in joint planning and
strategy formulation sessions.61
For stakeholders who have both high influence and high interest in the DMOs plans and strategies, such as
tourism industry players, global tour operators and government entities, destination managers need to
58 Stakeholder Engagement Framework (2015). Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Melbourne, October 2011.
59 Helbig N., Dawes S., Dzhusupova Z., Klievink B., Mkude C. (2015). Stakeholder Engagement in Policy Development.
Epp, A. (2013). Assessing the Impact of Stakeholder Engagement on Perceptions of DMO Performance (Working paper). The International.
60 Helbig N., Dawes S., Dzhusupova Z., Klievink B., Mkude C. (2015) Stakeholder Engagement in Policy Development.
Epp, A. (2013). Assessing the Impact of Stakeholder Engagement on Perceptions of DMO Performance (Working paper). The International
Centre for Responsible Tourism. Retrieved fro
Inform
DMO Website
Fact sheets
Newsletters
Circulars
Consult
Feedback Loops
Focus groups
Survey
Involve
Workshops
Special Forums
Joint Sessions
Collaborate
DMO/Stakeholder Board
Special Committees
Level of
Engagement
Tools for
Engagement