Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
19
Branding: It is advised to create strong branding for the tourism corridor. This should be
conducted by a professional agency and involve the governance and operations committees, as
well as industry stakeholders. A brand is a promise, and it should tell a story (see chapter 1.4.1).
A brand toolkit should be developed to enable all stakeholders to understand the brand and
use it effectively. Collaborative branding, which is the practice of using a large number of
stakeholders to build and promote a brand collaboratively, might be applied. An example of
this is the Mekong Moments campaign of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO).
It should be decided as part of the branding exercise, how the brand fits into a larger structure.
For example, how the Turkic Silk Road fits into the overall Silk Road Programme as well as into
the country tourism programs, as well as how sub-level branding will be handled. The MTCO
has multiple sub-brand, such as the Experience Mekong Collection, Mekong Trends, and
Mekong Moments, which all have their specific designs but follow a standard language and
structure.
Promotion: A joint marketing plan to promote the corridor as a single brand and to define
initiatives, responsibilities, and channels is recommended. This marketing plan should include
action plans as well as financing for marketing activities. The financing can be provided
centrally through the collaborative framework, by creating financial frameworks for each
initiative, or a mix of both, such as the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office.
Creating promotional activities that benefit participating stakeholders directly and which can
be executed collaboratively is recommended. This has the benefit of engaging stakeholders and
driving direct business to them. The MTCO conducted the Mekong Mini Movie Festival as a
collaborative campaign, allowing any business in the region to create their own social media
campaign within the framework of the overall campaign. Overall, the campaign reached 22
million people with a limited budget. It won the Adrian Gold award for the best digital campaign
in tourism in 2018.
Digital storytelling is recommended as an efficient tool for corridor promotion. Involving
storytellers, such as bloggers or photographers, created engaging content and helps to increase
online exposure of a TC. Promotional channels are depending on the budget recommended to
have a large share online. It is recommended to combine digital tools with traditional tools, as
shown from the best practice examples, such as participation in travel fairs and familiarization
trips. The use of documentaries to raise awareness of the tourism corridor theme and
disseminate its associated narrative can enhance the tourism corridor brand.
Product Development: A collaborative framework can also create products for stakeholders
to sell directly. The Danube Competence Center has done this sucessfully. Creating products
enhances marketing a region as a single destination and allows the framework a higher control
factor. However, this is only recommended with a very hands-on approach by the framework.
A corridor can also be enlarged by adding experiences in existing regions that enhance the
corridor experience for travelers and make the corridor more sustainable in the long run. Also,
policies to enhance the sustainability, inclusiveness, and competitiveness of the region and the
corridor as a destination are recommended.
An example of corridor enhancement is the addition of Bagan in Myanmar as a World Heritage
site in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Being added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites
enhanced the Mekong brand overall and helped the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office to
enhance their historical sub-corridor. Another example of corridor improvement would be the