Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
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In terms of dealing with the problem of over-tourism in Barcelona, Barcelona Mayor established regulation
that forbid new hotels to open in the center of the city and placed strict regulation on home sharing platforms
such as Airbnb. The Mayor also restricted access to tourism activities, such as Segway tours, in some parts of
the city.248
InGranada, the Patronato Provincial de Turismo deGranada conductsmarketing activities at both the national
and international level, mostly through tourism trade fairs and advertising campaigns in collaboration with
other stakeholders, such as having feature articles about that destination in publications of international hotel
chains or airlinemagazines, and having outdoor advertisements and posters in public and busy spaces of cities
abroad.249
c. The role of DMOs with regards to stakeholders
In Barcelona, the City Council conducts plenary sessions where the local community, private stakeholders and
the local government come together and discuss issues that affect each side and defend their interests, to
arrive at solutions that benefit the city as a whole. Among the activities of these associations of neighbors are
writing up documents with their concerns and suggestions which are presented to the City Council. 250 They
are not binding, but they are taken into account in the decision-making process. A specific example of how this
can materialize is the fact that the management organizations of a destination’s popular sites (monuments,
museums, and so on) agree to establish opening hours a bit later than the normal work and school times, in
order to avoid congestion of the public transport.
In Granada, the Patronato Provincial de Turismo de Granada engages with stakeholder organizations who
defend their interests through lobbying. An example of this its lobbying with local government to bring down
employment and land value tax on establishments that stay open all year round, because this creates a
situation that favors off-peak tourism. 251 Besides, representing the private sector’s interests, this type of
measure, also favors a deseasonalization of tourism, which among Granada’s top priorities.
4. Funding sources for DMOs
In Barcelona, the Turisme Consortium is funded through revenues generated by its own activities,
contributions by the City Council, the local government and the Chamber of Commerce. Its annual budget
for 2017 is more than €63,4 million with 91% of this budget derived from of its own activities, such as
membership fees and the selling of services and products (online and at information points). The City
Council contributes with €5.1 million, an 8.1% percent of the budget, made up of its institutional
contribution and tourism tax. Other contributions to the annual budget are the Diputacio de Barcelona and
the Chamber of Commerce. Its financial accountability is ensured by internal auditors as well as auditors
from the municipality and local government. The organization has a legal team and a comptroller.
Transparency is achieved by publishing income and expenses online. 252
In Granada, the Patronato de Tursimo de Granada, as a governmental entity, is fully funded by the local
government through the budget allocated to that department. Like all public organizations allocated a budget,
248 Penty, C., & Tadeo, M. (2017, August 17). Barcelona Is Trying to Come to Terms With Its Overtourism Problem [Web log post].
Retrieved fro
249 Interview with team member of Tourism Planning and Development, Patronato Provincial de Toursimo de Granada.
250 From interview with team member from Barcelona Activa
251 From interview with team member at Aehcos
252 BarcelonaTurisme Webiste. (n.d.). Retrieved fro