The Future, Trends and Best Practices of DMOs, August 6, 2010 ...

The Future, Trends and Best Practices of 

DMOs, August 6, 2010, Jakarta 

© 2010 Belle Tourism International 

(Shanghai) Ltd. 

Sponsor: Swiss Contact 

Conference Programs 

The Future, Trends 

and Best Practices 

of DMOs 

Alastair M. Morrison, Ph.D. 

Purdue University 

Belle Tourism International Consulting 

Presentation Outline 

Roles of the DMO in destination management 

Best practices for DMOs 

DMO success stories 

Trends and future DMOs 

Resources and guidelines: Standards and 

professional advice for DMOs 

Roles of the DMO in Tourism Management 

"A local tourism destination is a physical space in which a visitor spends at least one overnight. It includes 

tourism products such as support services and attractions, and tourism resources within one day´s return 

travel time. It has physical and administrative boundaries defining its management, images and perceptions 

defining its market competitiveness. Local tourism destinations incorporate various stakeholders often 

including a host community, and can nest and network to form larger destinations." UNWTO. 

Destination Management 

Roles of the DMO in Tourism Management 

Elements of the Destination 

Attractions + Amenities + Accessibility 

+ Human Resources + Image + Price 

Marketing 

and 

Promotion 

Research 

and Planning 

The DMO 

Leading and coordinating 

Product 

Development 

Leadership 

and 

Coordination 

Marketing 

Getting people to visit 

Creating a sustainable environment 

Policy, legislation, regulations, taxation 

Delivering on the ground 

Exceeding expectations 

Community 

Relations 

DMO 

Partnership 

and Team 

Building 

Source: UN World Tourism Organization, 2008. 

Source: Destination Consultancy Group, 2010. 

Prof. Alastair M Morrison 

National Conference on Destination 

Management Organizations






Best Practices for DMOs 

DMO Accreditation Domains: Destination 

Marketing Accreditation Program 

Product 

Development 

Marketing 

Research 

Communications 

Community 

Relations 

HR 

Development 

Governance 

& Reporting 

How to reach for the top in 

destination management 

Governance 

Finance 

Human resources 

Technology 

Marketing 

Visitor services 

Group services 

Sales 


Membership 

Management and facilities 

Brand management 

Destination development 

Research, marketing, intelligence 

Innovation 

Stakeholder relationships 

Source: Destination Marketing Association International, 2010. 

Source: Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), 2010. 

Destination Product Development 

Prepare a tourism development plan or strategy 

Have a multi-year events strategy and action plan 

Engage in packaging of experiences (e.g., route and 

theme packages) 

Introduce a system of quality assurance standards 

Develop and offer training programs to upgrade the 

professionalism in tourism 

Conduct resident surveys about tourism and maintain a 

community awareness program 

Actively seek to develop new partnerships that add to 

the destination product 

Destination Mix and Destination 

Product 

Theme/route 

Partnerships 

Online offers 

Packages 

Attractions 

Facilities 

Visitor mix 

Quality assurance 

Physical 

Products 

Destination 

Destination 

Product 

Mix 

People 

Transportation 

Infrastructure 

Programs 

Service quality 

Training 

Community awareness 

Events 

Festivals 

Activities 

Source: Mill, R.C. and Morrison, A.M. 

(2009). The Tourism System, 6 th ed. 

Marketing, Sales and 


Create a highly effective destination positioning 

and branding approach 

Consistently invest in market research 

Frequently prepare a marketing plan 

Have a comprehensive website 

Periodically measure effectiveness of website 

Actively engage in social media marketing 

Put together a media/press kit 

Develop a detailed sales plan 

Design a media protocol 

Write a crisis communication plan 

Work collaboratively with many partners 

Measure the effectiveness of performance 

Human Resources Management 

Conduct periodic performance appraisals 

Have a professional development and training 

program for staff 

Prepare a Human Resources Manual 

Develop job descriptions for all positions 

Design and enforce an e-mail and Internet 

usage policy 









Governance and Reporting 

DMO Success Stories 

Best-practice DMOs from around the world 

Have vision and mission statements 

Prepare a strategic plan 

Make a summary of marketing and business 

plan available to stakeholders 

Provide an Annual Report to stakeholders 

Consistently communicate to the local 

community about its activities, performance, 

and successes 

Costa Rica 

Costa Rica 

Costa Rica as a destination has become synonymous with 

sustainable tourism and ecotourism. 

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (Instituto Costarricense de 

Turismo – ICT) is the DMO. 

ICT has consistently used the catchy slogan of “Costa 

Rica: No Artificial Ingredients” for many years, 

emphasizing its natural and home-grown resources. 

ICT has prepared a 10-year, National Plan for Sustainable 

Tourism Development 2002-2012, which was updated in 

2006. 

ICT has also produced “general land use and tourism 

development plans” for 10 geographical units of the 

country. 

ICT has introduced the Certificate for Sustainable Tourism. 

Tourism companies are assessed on: physical-biological 

parameters; infrastructure and services (lodging); service 

management (tour operators); external clients; and socioeconomic 

environment). 

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Source: http://www.visitcostarica.com and http://www.turismo-sostenible.co.cr/en/, 2010. 

Sources: http://www.visitcostarica.com and http://www.turismo-sostenible.co.cr/en/, 2010. 

Australia 

Australia 

Tourism Australia is widely acknowledged as one of the 

best NTOs in the world. 

Apart from its wonderful destination advertising 

campaigns, TA is recognized for its relationship-building in 

other countries, including through the Aussie Specialist 

Program. 

TA provides excellent Toolkits and other support materials 

for tourism operators. 

Australia also has an excellent tourism research program; 

but this is the responsibility of a separate agency, Tourism 

Research Australia. 

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Sources: http://www.australia.com; http://www.aussiespecialist.com; http://www.ret.gov.au/TOURISM/TRA, 2010. 

Sources: http://www.australia.com and 

http://www.nothinglikeaustralia.com/index.htm, 2010. 









Ireland 

The DMO functions in Ireland have been split among 

Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, and the Northern Ireland 

Tourist Board. 

Fáilte Ireland is the National Tourism Development 

Agency for the Republic of Ireland. 

Offers professional development and tourism education 

programs to support the Irish tourism industry. 

Fosters regional development through tourism planning, 

grants and incentives, and professional advice. 

Operates quality assurance schemes through registration, 

classification and grading. 

Provides environmental practice guidelines to tourism 

operators. 

Source: http://www.failteireland.ie, 2010. 

á 

Ireland 

Ireland has long been known for its excellence in tourism 

planning, stretching back at least to the mid-60s. 

Prepared tourism 

development 

plans for all 5 

regions. 

Source: http://www.failteireland.ie, 2010. 

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Hong Kong, PR China 

Hong Kong, PR China 

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is often cited as 

one of the best DMOs in Asia. 

HKTB’s website, DiscoverHongKong.com, is consistently 

ranked at the top among DMOs. 

In 2008, it established the Meetings & Exhibitions Hong 

Kong (MEHK) office, which has been a great success in 

attracting MICE organizations. 

PartnerNet.hktb.com provides many excellent ways for the 

tourism industry to work and communicate with HKTB. 

HKTB has a very active program of community relations 

and involvement. 

Source: http://www.discoverhongkong.com, 2010. 

The Quality Tourism Services Scheme (QTSS) is an 

outstanding example of a quality assurance program. 

Through a regular program of inspections, HKTB accredits 

businesses in certain categories as meeting stringent 

standards. 

It covers: (1) retail shops and restaurants; (2) visitor 

accommodation; and (3) hair salons. 

HKTB offers seminars and training programs to support the 

accredited operators. 

A Quality Tourism 

Services Association 

has also been formed 

(over 1,300 members 

with 7,000 outlets). 

Sources: http://partnernet.hktb.com; 

http://www.qtsa.com, 2010. 

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Queensland, Australia 

TQ promotes itself as “the most progressive destination 

management organisation in Australia.” 

TQ’s vision is “to be the global leader in Destination 

Management and champion of world's best practice in 

sustainable tourism.” 

Queensland, Australia 

Tourism Queensland (TQ) created the highly-publicized, 

“Best Job in the World” promotional event. 

Applications opened in January 2009 and 34,000 people 

applied. 

Applicants had to send in 60-second videos and 16 

finalists were invited to the Whitsunday Islands in May 

2009. 

Ben Southall of the UK was selected and took up his job 

as Island Caretaker in July 2009. 

Ben writes blogs 

about his trips to 

places in 

Queensland. 

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Source: http:/www.tq.com.au, 2010. 

Sources: http:/www.tq.com.au; http://www.islandreefjob.com, 2010. 









Elkhart County, Indiana, USA 

Received the DMAP 

accreditation from DMAI. It 

was the first DMO to be 

accredited in the state of 

Indiana. 

Indiana has the third largest 

population of Amish people in 

North America and most live 

in Elkhart County. 

The Elkhart County 

Convention & Visitors Bureau 

(ECCVB) has selected an 

excellent positioning 

approach as Northern 

Indiana’s Amish Country. 

Source: http:/www.amishcountry.org, 2010. 

Elkhart County, Indiana, USA 

One very successful program has been the development 

of 145-kilometer, Heritage Trail themed self-driving route. 

The Heritage Trail Audio Driving Tour was also developed 

and can be downloaded in MP3 format from ECCVB’s 

website. 

ECCVB has 

now designed a 

Quilt Gardens 

Tour. 

The interactive 

trail map, 

complete with 

car, shows the 

highlights along 

the drive. 

Source: http:/www.amishcountry.org, 2010. 

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Vancouver, Canada 

Vancouver, Canada 

One of the founding members of BestCities.net, Tourism 

Vancouver (TV) is excellent at building partnerships. 

The Signature Partners program is “a multi-year strategic 

marketing alliance that brings sponsors and Tourism 

Vancouver together to leverage marketing budgets, 

augment marketing reach, generate demand for products 

and services and build business.” 

The current partners include: Visa, BC Hydro, Tourist 

Vancouver TV, UNIGLOBE Vision Travel Group, The 

Vancouver Sun & The Province, EasyPark, and 

Metropolitan Fine Printers. 

Sources: http:/www.tourismvancouver.com and http://www.bestcities.net, 2010. 

The visaperks.ca is a great 

example of TV working with its 

Signature Partners. 

This program provides about 

50 to 60 special offers for 

visitors using the Visa credit 

card in Vancouver. 

The offers are in different 

categories: Dine; Get Around; 

Shop; and Spa. 

The businesses making the 

offers are members of TV and 

can apply online to join the 

program. 

Source: http:/www.tourismvancouver.com, 2010. 

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Newport Beach, California, USA 

Visit Newport Beach (VNB) has 

received the DMAP 

accreditation. 

VNB has an excellent 

destination branding approach; 

its “brand promise” is: 

Newport Beach is an Orange County coastal 

fantasyland that represents a “taste of the perfect life,” 

a place where visitors can experience a friendly, 

sophisticated, aspirational lifestyle that permits them to 

escape from daily reality. Comprised of a collection of 

unique islands and neighborhoods that form their own 

distinct character, the destination offers a combination 

of affluence, quaintness, casual glamour and attention 

to detail. Coupled with the manmade and natural 

beauty of the destination, this is the place that allows 

the visitor to relax and recreate and dream of what can 

be by protecting and nurturing the destination brand 

and to deliver additional spending by leisure and 

conference visitors leading to enhanced community 

economic vitality and quality of life. 

Source: http:/www.visitnewportbeach.com, 2010. 

Newport Beach, California, USA 

VNB prepares an annual 

“Community Report” on its initiatives 

and performance. 

The Summary is an excellent capture of its results. 

VNB also publishes an outstanding annual “Marketing & 

Business Plan.” 

Source: http:/www.visitnewportbeach.com, 2010. 

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Gothenburg, Sweden 

Göteborg & Co is jointly owned the City of Gothenburg, the 

Gothenburg Region, several industry trade associations, a 

Chamber of Commerce, and some private companies. 

Göteborg & Co was established in 1991 and since then 

guest nights have increased each year, including in 2009. 

go:teborg&co is a highly innovative DMO that especially 

values collaboration and has a unique Trade & Industry 

Group. 

Gothenburg, Sweden 

Christmas Gothenburg City (CGC) drew 900,000 visitors 

in 2009; 17% were from Denmark, and 10% from Norway. 

It was started in 2004 by Göteborg & Co, in conjunction 

with City Planning and property owners. 

Visitors to CGC 

spend an 

average of SK 

1,200 ($163) and 

total economic 

impact is SK 478 

million. 

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Source: http://www2.goteborg.com, 2010. 

Source: Annual Report 2009, go:teborg&co, 2010. 

Amsterdam, Netherlands 

Amsterdam, Netherlands 

The Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board (ATCB) is 

the DMO for the city. 

ATCB does an outstanding job of promoting Amsterdam to 

the travel trade and MICE planners, including having an 

excellent online Travel Trade Manual and an attractive 

downloadable Calendar of Events. 

ATCB operates a system of Tourist Information Offices and 

the Amsterdam Reservation Center to assist visitors and 

groups with hotel and other reservations. 

The I amsterdam Card is also sold by ATCB and it is very 

popular with visitors. 

€38 = 24 hours (commission, €3) 



Source: http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting, 2010. 

ATCB in July 2009 helped launch a viral video titled, Truth 

about Amsterdam, to correct misperceptions created by a 

talk show in the USA. 

Since it was launched, the video has been viewed by 

400,000 people on YouTube. 

An accompanying website, truthaboutamsterdam.com has 

been developed. 

Sources: http://truthaboutamsterdam.com, 2010. 

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Trends and Future DMOs 

Product and Pricing Trends 

Promotion 

Increasing brand segmentation 

Increasing use of brand extensions 

Co-branding 

More attention being given to revenue or yield management 

systems and approaches 

More value offers and special prices being offered by DMOs 

through the Internet 

Destination Marketing Mix 

Sources: Morrison, Alastair M. (2010). Hospitality and Travel Marketing, 4 th ed. 









Packaging and Programming 

Trends 

Promotion and Place (Distribution) 

Trends 

Greater involvement in DMOs in packaging 

Increasing range of short-break and mini-vacation packages 

being offered 

Greater emphasis on customizing packages including the 

concept of dynamic packaging 

Growing emphasis in providing “hands-on” and participative 

activities for visitors to many attractions 

Increasing range of educational program opportunities and 

learning while traveling 

Increasing use of the Internet for online bookings and 

reservations 

Growing importance of online travel companies (OTCs) 

Increasing use of the Internet (e-commerce) and mobile 

technologies (m-commerce) for promotion 

Increasing globalization of communications through the use 

of multi-lingual approaches 

Social media use by DMOs is rapidly increasing 



People and Partnership Trends 

Targeting a broader range of market segments, both globally 

and by other segmentation characteristics 

Increasing emphasis in DMOs on improving service quality 

Increasing importance and use of customer databases 

Partnering with other organizations in tourism is a much higher 

priority 

Partnering with organizations and brands outside of 

tourism is now more common 

The Internet and social media are providing a convenient and 

popular platform for “virtual” partnerships 

Future DMOs 

DMOs will become more professional in all ways, as 

accreditation and certification programs take a stronger hold. 

DMOs must be highly skilled in Internet marketing and very 

active in the social media. 

Collaboration and partnerships will be key to future success. 

DMOs will increasingly be asked to show that they are 

effectively using financial and other resources. 

All DMOs should have a sustainable tourism agenda. 

DMOs will have to more creative and innovative; always 

looking to “step outside of the box.” 


Resources and Guidelines 

Standards and Professional 

Advice for DMOs 

Key Organizations Providing 

Professional Resources for DMOs 









A Practical Guide to Tourism 

Destination Management: UNWTO 

Assessing the situation and setting a vision, goals and 

objectives 

Positioning and branding the destination 

Marketing the destination 

Developing destination products 

Ensuring the quality of the visitor’s experience 

E-business and information management 

Organizing for destination management 

Source: UN World Tourism Organization, 2008. 

Accreditation programs provide a good method to assure staff, 

volunteer leadership, and external stakeholders that the 

organization is following proper practices and performing at an 

acceptable level for the industry. 

Source: Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), 2010. 

Performance Measurement Tools 

Activity measures, performance 

measures, and productivity metrics for: 

& 

Convention sales 

Travel trade sales 

Marketing and communications 

Membership 

Visitor information center 

Return on investment formulas 

SMED 

Tourism destinations 

should sustain or 

enhance the 

geographical 

character of a place – 

its environment, 

culture, aesthetics, 

heritage and the wellbeing 

of its residents. 

The SMED system 

focuses on short-term 

and long-term goals of 

sustainable tourism. 

Source: World Centre of Excellence for Destinations (CED), 2010.

The Future, Trends and Best Practices of DMOs, August 6, 2010 ...

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