Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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4. Comparing Global Best Practices and OIC Tourism Corridors
In this chapter, a comparison of global best practices and existing OIC corridors in terms of
MDTC development, management, and marketing is undertaken. In the first section, best
practices in the development of MDTCs are compared with the OIC MDTCs. In the second
section, management best practices are compared with the existing OIC MDTCs in terms of
organizational structure, development of enabling legislation, use of performance indicators,
collaboration with stakeholders, capacity building, and funding. The last section of this chapter
compares marketing best practices to marketing strategies used by the OIC MDTCs in the areas
of branding and promotion.
4.1. Best Practices versus OIC Tourism Corridor Planning and Establishment
Demand Analysis
Best practices from global MDTCs show persuasive examples for researching demand as well
as the use of research in targeting potential visitor segments, as illustrated by the research for
the Iron Curtain Trail and European MDTCs. However, in the case of the OIC MDTCs, analysis
of demand seems to be quite limited. For the Silk Road, TripAdvisor has carried out research
on travel trends. However, in the case of the Holy Family, no research was undertaken to
estimate demand.
Table 20: Demand Analysis - Best Practices versus OIC Examples
Best
Practices
- The Iron Curtain Trail TC demand estimate was based on a model using
bed density and day trips based on population density and the national
share of cycling as the main transport mode.
- The Council of Europe study of inbound tourism trends and subsequent
targeting of China through in the “Chinese Virtual Tourism Fair.”
OIC - Limited research efforts of Silk Road travel trends researched by
TripAdvisor in support of the UNWTO Initiative.
Infrastructure Assessment and Development
The presence of robust infrastructure is one of the essential success factors in establishing
corridors. In Europe, solid infrastructure and transport networks connect European countries
and facilitate mobility for tourists along European MDTCs. In the case of the GMS TC, the
existing infrastructure networks were assessed with plans made to improve ports.
Infrastructure development represents a challenging area for the OIC MDTCs, especially for
countries facing financial constraints. In 2016, OIC countries’ rail network density per million
people was 68.8 km of the total rail lines, which is markedly lower than the world average
(160.2 km). It is important to note that efforts to improve connectivity are underway in some
OIC regions, which can enhance mobility for tourists along MDTCs in these regions.