Sustainable Destination Management

Strategies in the OIC Member Countries

conservation regulations associated with the corridor and weak collaboration between tourism

businesses in the proposed corridor area.

Best Practices in Theme Formulation

The formulation of MDTC themes necessitates the cooperation between the various

stakeholders in the destinations along MDTCs on several fronts in the planning stage, including

the corridor’s proposed theme and name as well as the decision on the tourism assets to be

included in the corridor. This requires extensive research with the aid of experts from

historical, cultural, and practical perspectives as well as a thorough assessment of the tourism

assets that can be included and their potential appeal to tourists.

Committees comprising of the various stakeholders from the destinations along the corridor

need to be formed as well as advisory boards that include experts, from academic and

professional backgrounds, in the various areas pertinent to the corridor development. An

example of an advisory committee is the Scientific Committee of the Routes of the Olive Tree,

which is comprised of experts in various areas including history, international relations,

archaeology, museology, ethnology, economy, agriculture, tourism, and environment.

A good example of tourism assets identification is provided by the Prehistoric Rock Art Trails,

which has a set of criteria for the evaluation of the quality of rock art sites included in the route.

It has also provided a “Handbook for the Certification of Rock Art Sites belonging to the

“Prehistoric Rock Art Trails” Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. Certification is provided

to the rock art sites which comply with the best practices included in the handbook.

With the increasing focus on experiences “experiential tourism” and the rise of special interest

tourism, such as gastro-tourism, hiking, and biking, bird watching, etc. The focus on experience

rather than assets and attractions entails that MDTCs need to consider also the unique and

customized experiences they can offer to tourists. MDTCs need to combine experiences and

attractions.

MDTCs can offer ways to interact with local communities and to experience and get an idea of

the local lifestyle. Natural MDTCs can customize tourist experiences by engaging them in

environmental activities on their visits to the various natural sites, while cultural MDTCs can

provide opportunities for interaction with local communities through planned activities and

events.

The HANSA Culinary Route used the local cuisines of corridor countries to create a unique

tourism product. The activities developed for the route include visits to local producers and

markets were organized as well as special menus and meals in restaurants in addition to

holding festivals and distributing flyers with local recipes prepared by chefs. Furthermore, the

“Hansa Culinary Label” was created to be used as a quality label for restaurants.

UNWTO (UNWTO) and European Travel Commission. 2017. Handbook on Marketing Transnational Tourism Themes and

Routes.

Ibid.

UNWTO and European Travel Commission. 2017. Handbook on Marketing Transnational Tourism Themes and Routes.

Ibid.