Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
38
measurement of 20 variables related to “destination strength” and “community support and
engagement”. 139
Measurement of DMO effectiveness has historically centered on assessing marketing activities as opposed
to organizational effectiveness mainly due to the difficulty in obtaining information about DMO decision
making. DMO marketing performance assessment included visitor metrics, and the effectiveness of the
DMOs’ marketing communication activities and branding efforts.140
There are currently different approaches used for measuring DMO effectiveness covering a wide range of
areas, as shown in table (1), from simply focusing on visitor metrics to measuring DMO organizational
effectiveness, marketing communications activities, changes in consumer-based brand equity as a result
of DMO activities, and stakeholder evaluation of DMO performance.
Visitor metrics, including the number of visitor arrivals and length of stay as well as tourist spending, have
long been used to measure destination competitiveness. While, it’s difficult to establish the exact
contribution of DMOs to visitor arrivals, it is still an important indicator of DMOs market performance.
Visitor metrics can be collected by immigration officers as well as tourist intercept surveys. Visitor
monitoring programs are currently used by DMOs in many destinations to track visitor arrivals.141
Table 3: Key Performance Indicators
Measurement Approach/Model KPI Measurement
Visitor Metrics142 Visit Statistics Number of Visitors
Average Length of Stay
Tourist Spending
ROI Ratio of Visitor Spending to DMO Spending
Marketing Communications143 Activity Number of Programs/Campaigns
Total Reach
Total Frequency
Performance Advertising Awareness
Brand Image Changes
Productivity Conversion Rates
Cost-per-Conversion Rate
Return on Investment
Consumer-Based Brand Equity
(CBBE)144
Brand Salience Top of Mind
Decision Set
Brand Associations Cognitive Attributes
Affective perceptions
Brand Resonance Previous Visits
Intent to Visit
Brand Loyalty Repeat Visits
Word of Mouth Referrals
Organizational Effectiveness Appropriateness of Objectives Clarity of Objectives
Feasibility of Objectives
Achievement of Objectives Progress towards Objectives
Implementation Efficiency Efficient Resource Allocation
Cost-effectiveness
139 Oates, G. (2015, July 27). The NewWay for Tourism Bureaus To Measure Their Effectiveness [Web log post]. Retrieved from
140 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
141 Pike, S. (2008). Destination Marketing: an Integrated Marketing Communication Approach. London: Routledge.
142 Pike, S. (2008). Destination Marketing: an Integrated Marketing Communication Approach. London: Routledge.
143 Destination Marketing Association International (2011). Standard DMO Performance Reporting: A Handbook for DMOs.
144 Pike, S. (2008). Destination Marketing: an Integrated Marketing Communication Approach. London: Routledge.