Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
26
organizations to engage them. With regards to the aim of engagement, respondents mentioned being
informed, involved and engaged with the aim of collaborating in the formulation of tourism policies.
Workshops and DMO stakeholder boards were the main tools used for engagement mentioned by
respondents followed by joint sessions, special forums and committees. Respondents made several
recommendations to improve stakeholder engagement, including formalizing engagement channels and
engaging regularly with stakeholders as well as ensuring that all types of stakeholders are involved to
create synergy. Other suggestions included involving industry players in decision making through
recruiting them into leadership positions at destination management organizations.
2.3. The Role of DMOs
The goal of DMOs is to ensure sustainable destination competitiveness, which is a challenging task in an
increasingly competitive global market where market leaders and mature destinations are constantly
confronted with innovative strategies of new market entrants who can offer unspoiled natural
landscapes. 69 To achieve their goal, DMOs carry out a variety of activities that evolved from solely focusing
on destination promotion to encompass a wider range of destination marketing and management
activities. DMOs marketing activities expanded to cover product development, pricing guidance and
distribution support. Their role expanded further recently to cover a variety of activities such as resource
stewardship, management of visitor experience, stakeholders coordination, industry support, monitoring
and evaluation, and crisis management. 70 However, it is important to note that DMOs’ management of the
destination faces serious challenges as it is constrained by its inability to control stakeholders’ product
development and marketing strategies, the quality of the actual visitor experience, the attitude of the local
communities towards tourists, and the destination’s accessibility and transport infrastructure. 71 The
following figures presents an overview of the activities DMOs undertake to fulfill their role in marketing
and managing their destinations.
Figure 9: DMO Activities72
Source: DinarStandard analysis based on Buhalis (2000)
69 Pike, S., & Page, S. (2014). “Destination Marketing Organizations and Destination Marketing”.
70 Buhalis, D. (2000). Marketing the competitive destination of the future. Tourism Management, 21(1), 97-116. doi:10.1016/s0261-
5177(99)00095-3
71 Pike, S., & Page, S. J. (2014). Destination Marketing Organizations and destination marketing: A narrative analysis of the literature.
Tourism Management , 41, 202-227. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2013.09.009
72 Developed based on information from Buhalis, D. (2000). “Marketing the competitive destination of the future”.
Types
Stakeholders
Activities
Funding
DMO Activities
Strategic Marketing Operational
• Product Development
• PricingGuidance
• Distribution Support
• Destination Promotion
• Visitor ExperienceManagement
• Stakeholder Coordination
• Industry Support
• Resource Stewardship
• Monitoring&Evaluation
• CrisisManagement
Governance Models