Web‐based destination marketing systems: assessing the critical factors for management and implementation

The Web‐based destination marketing system (DMS) has been widely used as a distribution channel and marketing tool by destination marketing organisations (DMOs) at different levels in the promotion and management of tourism destinations. However, successful Web marketing requires a systematic approach in understanding key factors supporting the management and implementation of the DMS both from business and technical perspectives. The purpose of this study is to assess the critical factors of the Web‐based DMS used by DMOs in the USA on the following five areas: website function design, website promotion, Website‐performance measurement, Web‐marketing impact assessment and organisation technology environment. Discussions of the study results and implications for Internet destination marketing and management are also provided. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Destination management plans – a new approach to managing destinations in England: evidence from Milton Keynes

Within a new political and economic context, Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) across England are expected to facilitate a more holistic and inclusive approach to destination management and provide core leadership functions, rather than being solely responsible for the marketing and development of destinations. Destination Management Plans (DMPs) are an expression of a government-mandated, current policy-driven approach to guiding the work of private-led DMOs. These DMOs are being challenged to achieve a more sustainable level of performance in times of decreasing state funding. Building on the scarce literature surrounding this new approach to managing destinations, this paper looks into how an emerging destination has approached the development of such a plan in practice. The paper examines the case of Milton Keynes and its local destination management structure, the collaborative approach to policy development and the resultant DMP. The paper concludes by discussing the importance of the key aims of the plan and their relevance to comparable emerging destinations, which are developing DMPs.     

Collaborative Marketing in a Regional Destination: Evidence from Central Florida

This paper aims to explore a collaborative approach to regional destination marketing. Research questions were constructed for empirical data collection via documentary analysis and semistructured interviews with senior executives of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in the Central Florida region. The research findings suggest that collaboration among DMOs is beneficial in terms of cost reduction and market penetration. Several issues emerge as inhibiting factors to their collaborative destination marketing efforts. Discussions and implications are provided both from a theoretical and practical perspective on the basis of the findings of the study. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Orientation to sustainability and strategic positioning of destinations: an analysis of international tourism websites

The communication that Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) address to destination stakeholders plays a central role in attracting attention and resources for sustainable destination development and disclosing the efforts made to be a sustainable territory. There has been extensive analysis on the role of official tourism websites that addresses both DMO's internal and external stakeholders. However, less exploration is available on the relationship between the contents disclosed through tourism websites and the strategic positioning of the destination. This study empirically examines that link with a focus on ‘green/sustainable/responsible' travel. Results show a positive association between the orientation to sustainability in online communication and both sustainable regulation of the tourism sector and tourism development. In contrast, there is no significant association with destination size, tourism maturity and pricing policies.     

Does distributed leadership have a place in destination management organisations? A policy-makers perspective

Within an increasingly networked environment and recent transitions in the landscape of funding for destination management organisations (DMOs) and destinations, pooling knowledge and resources may well be seen as a prerequisite to ensuring the long-term sustainability of reshaped, yet financially constrained DMOs facing severe challenges to deliver value to destinations, visitors and member organisations. Distributed Leadership (DL) is a recent paradigm gaining momentum in destination research as a promising response to these challenges. Building on the scarce literature on DL in a DMO context, this paper provides a policy-makers’ perspective into the place of DL in reshaped DMOs and DMOs undergoing transformation and explores current challenges and opportunities to the enactment and practice of DL. The underpinned investigation used in-depth, semi-structured interviews with policy-makers from VisitEngland following an interview agenda based on the DMO Leadership Cycle. Policy-makers within VisitEngland saw a multitude of opportunities for DMOs with regards to DL, but equally, they emphasised challenges acting as barriers to realising the potential benefits of introducing a DL model to DMOs as a response to uncertainty in the funding landscape.     

Structural Relationships among Destination Preference,Satisfaction and Loyalty in Chinese Tourists to Australia

This study quantifies the relationship among destination preference, destination satisfaction and destination loyalty. Destination loyalty consists of two dimensions: word‐of‐mouth (WOM) and destination attachment (DA). It is found that WOM is directly affected by destination satisfaction, whereas DA is predetermined by the destination preference of tourists before a visit. Thus, the destination experience is the crucial factor in the spread of positive WOM about a destination. Nevertheless, to develop tourists' DA, effective loyalty schemes should be implemented through marketing efforts before they visit a destination. The findings of this study can be used by destinations to analyze and evaluate their loyalty‐building process and marketing strategy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of service performance and destination resources on consumer behaviour: a case study of mainland Chinese tourists to Kinmen

This paper draws upon the responses of 603 mainland Chinese tourists in Kinmen and attempts to understand their consumer behavior on the aspects of intentions, preferences, decision‐making process, satisfaction, and willingness to revisit. Variables such as service performance and destination resources that affect visitor's satisfaction are also tested. The findings reflect a ‘myth of mysteriousness’ of mainland Chinese visitors to the destination and suggest that it is essential for the market segmentation to participate in the tourism planning of Kinmen to develop an integrated policy for promotion and marketing, in order to enhance consumers' interest. In addition, this research has implications for tourism planning in Kinmen and provides references for other destinations striving for tourists from mainland China. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The development of a destination brand identity: a story of stakeholder collaboration

Literature has demonstrated the central role of stakeholders and collaboration in destination branding. However, empirical studies on stakeholder interactions and their dynamics in destination and place branding are still rare. The objective of this study is to examine how different kinds of factors and internal stakeholders’ actions contribute to destination brand identity development. Drawing from social identity and place branding theories, and empirical research from a ski destination, we identify five factors and four actions contributing to the destination brand identity development process. Our findings indicate that a strong informal stakeholder group can take the leadership in brand development and that the role of the destination marketing organisation might be overemphasised in the literature on destination marketing and management.     

Towards a Framework for Food Tourism as an Element of Destination Marketing

Local and regional food holds great potential to contribute to sustainable competitiveness in a destination. An analysis of the literature and promotional material of South African and key international destinations, however, indicate that the contribution of food to sustainable tourism and the marketing of destinations has received very little attention globally, as well as in South Africa. A framework and guidelines for developing and implementing food tourism could enable destination marketers and entrepreneurs to optimise the tourism potential of local and regional food. To this end a food tourism destination-marketing framework was conceptualised, which was based on the findings of a South African situation analysis and international trends and best practices. The South African situation analysis entailed an empirical investigation among regional and provincial destination marketing organisations to determine the current status and future potential and food tourism initiatives as a key component of destination marketing in South Africa. To support the food tourism destination marketing framework, two key tools were developed, namely TOURPAT (a tourism and culinary atlas linked to a geospatial database) and PAT (a product potential and attractiveness tool). The framework and tools were tested in a South African destination and provided the stakeholders with mechanisms to develop and implement food tourism. This paper outlines the key components and an evaluation of the framework and tools that have been developed. Guidelines and recommendations for the development, packaging and marketing of local and regional foods are postulated. Proposals for future research are also outlined.     

Stakeholder Network Integrated Analysis: The Specific Case of Rural Tourism in the Portuguese Peneda‐Gerês National Park

This study addresses the structure, nature and composition of stakeholder networks related to rural tourism in a Portuguese National Park (Peneda‐Gerês National Park). In particular, it examines their interactions along the following dimensions: marketing information (marketing exchanges such as flyers, tourism information and information on specific events), administrative resources (logistic and technical support), human resources (allocation of human resources), training (training of local stakeholders in the area of promotion) and financial resources (financial support). In terms of methodology, it uses both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The analysis of the type and nature of interactions among different stakeholders within a specific rural tourism destination is the main focus of this study. Among these, the marketing information network shows both a high number of connections and high centrality indices, which may indicate that there is a significant share of information about common projects, products and services among stakeholders. In contrast, the training network evidenced the opposite behavior pattern. The study also contributes to a better understanding of how different local stakeholders are positioned in a complex structure of interactions that are critical in providing useful directions to maximize potential opportunities that may contribute to promote rural tourism and local development efficiently. Several limitations and implications are offered in the final section. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sport events and integrated destination development

Sport events are recognised as contributing to the development of tourism destinations, both through direct visitation and through destination image building, and yet they are not well understood in terms of their contribution to the development of destination networks. The development of the ‘tourism destination framework’ by Haugland, Ness, Grønseth, and Aarstad [2011. Development of tourism destinations: An integrated multilevel perspective. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(1), 268–290.] is supported by five propositions which are assessed here, in the light of the evidence collected from Sail Port Stephens and other published studies. Overall, the results support the propositions, and further suggest that sport events can become a mechanism through which destinations can develop products and services that utilise resources and competencies across several firms to contribute to destination development.     

Tourism and development challenges in the least developed countries: the case of The Gambia

Despite some recognition of the role of destination marketing organisations (DMOs) in crisis management, limited attention has focused on the role of DMOs in crisis events, and in particular their role in managing knowledge across diverse stakeholder groups and domains. This theoretical paper attempts to address this deficiency by synthesising knowledge management and tourism crisis management literature, to outline the potential role of DMOs in managing knowledge across boundaries during crises. Carlile's [(2004). Transferring, translating, and transforming: An integrative framework for managing knowledge across boundaries. Organization Science, 15(5), 555–568] work on boundary spanning is used to consider potential organisational and management issues for DMOs dealing with crisis events and how they should be managed. This paper argues that because of the role and nature of DMOs, they should play an important role as knowledge spanners/brokers to transfer, translate and transform knowledge to stakeholders. The paper concludes with future research avenues related to knowledge management, DMOs and crises.     

Image Difference Between Culture and Nature Destination Visitors in Tropical Africa: Case Study of Nigeria

The study evaluates images of tourism destinations in diverse cultures and nature destinations in Nigeria amongst 880 domestic and foreign tourists surveyed by systematic random sampling. Colour photographs and structure questionnaires were employed to evaluate the destination preferences and images considered very important to various tourist groups, and comparison was also undertaken through chi-square test. The results revealed nature destinations, especially ecotourism/wildlife and landform areas, as desired most by tourists. Natural attraction, landform features, facilities/ amenities and historic/archeological features represented most important images underlying destination perception and selection. Safety/security and prompt services/ personal quality were least appreciated destination features. Significant differences emerged between domestic and foreign tourists and tourist groups in various destinations, in types of destinations preferred and in environmental images held of tourism destinations. Implications of the study for destination planning, management and marketing are highlighted.     

Investigating the Attractiveness of an Emerging Long‐Haul Destination: Implications for Loyalty

Although several studies have demonstrated a positive relationship between destination attractiveness and loyalty, most published research has focused on travellers from geographically close markets and on mature destinations. This study adopts a demand‐side perspective to investigate these concepts for an emerging long‐haul destination (South Africa). A survey was conducted among a sample of Italian tourists to explore the determinants of destination attractiveness and to investigate the effect of destination attractiveness on tourists' loyalty. Moreover, this study considers the moderating role of previous travel experience on the relationship between attractiveness and loyalty. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exploring the Implications of Virtual Reality Technology in Tourism Marketing: An Integrated Research Framework

The proliferation of the Internet and other technological innovations has transformed the structure of the tourism industry as well as affected how tourism destinations are perceived and consumed. The 3D virtual world provides opportunities for destination marketing organizations to communicate with targeted markets by offering a rich environment for potential visitors to explore tourism destinations. However, as of yet, there is little understanding about how to effectively market tourism destinations to virtual world participants who are technology users as well as potential consumers. The purpose of the present study is to develop a research framework that integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and self‐determination theory to understand how tourists use a 3D virtual world. Primary data were obtained for this study through self‐administered Web questionnaires. The data were conducted in a laboratory setting with 186 participants. This study contributes to the empirical TAM literature by applying the model to a 3D virtual tourism site. Additionally, this study provides a research framework to capture the entertainment nature of a 3D virtual world by extending the TAM to incorporate psychological elements of self‐determination theory to understand consumer experience. From the perspective of tourism professionals, this study contributes to an understanding of how best to construct informative and interactive tourist destinations in 3D virtual worlds to attract potential online and real‐world tourists. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of destination marketing organisations' websites: evidence from China

Despite the extensive use of the Internet as a marketing tool by Chinese destination marketing organisations (DMOs), few studies have been conducted to measure the effectiveness of Chinese DMOs' websites. This study attempted to fill the gap by constructing a conceptual website evaluation model consisting of five dimensions of information, communication, transaction, relationship and technical merit. The proposed framework was tested to evaluate the effectiveness of each of the dimensions of 31 Chinese Provincial Tourism Administrations' (PTAs) websites. The results indicated that overall, the PTAs in China were not using their websites effectively. Among the five dimensions, transaction and relationship dimensions were the weakest areas of Chinese PTAs' websites. Great variation exists in the website effectiveness among different provinces. Suggestions and implications were provided and discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modified Importance–Performance Analysis for Evaluating Tourism Businesses Strategies: Comparison of Slovenia and Serbia

A modified nine‐quadrant importance–performance analysis is employed to assess the importance which Slovenian and Serbian tourism industry stakeholders attach to 48 nominated strategic activities to promote business and destination competitiveness. An important finding is that respondents in each country allocated the bulk of activities to the ‘keep up the good work’ strategy. In both destinations, this strategy was dominated by activities related to product development and innovation. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the identified priority activities require close examination to determine their ‘enabling conditions’ and the implications of an action based on them. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Destination environment quality and tourists' spatial behaviour in Nigeria: a case study of third world tropical Africa

In order to ascertain important features of tourist behaviour and destination environments that could form the basis for destination quality improvement in Nigeria, 376 tourists were randomly sampled from seven tourism destinations, using a simple rating scheme in a questionnaire survey. Results obtained showed that activities involving leisure/recreation, cultural appreciation and appreciation of nature, history and cultural artifacts were dominant experiences, values and motivation for destination visit. Results also showed variations in quality of environmental features between tourists in various destinations and between foreign and domestic tourists in their spatial behaviour, values and motivations. The study provides unique implications for tourism planning management and marketing, and a context for cross‐cultural comparison with similar western studies. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley &Sons, Ltd.     

Segmenting Mainland Chinese Tourists to Taiwan by Destination Familiarity: a Factor‐cluster Approach

This research examines the effectiveness of destination familiarity as a segmentation variable. Based on the traditional destination‐choice model, which suggests that customers might eliminate unfavorable destinations in the early stages of information search process, this research proposes that familiar customers should possess more favorable destination images and higher visiting intentions than unfamiliar customers. As the results confirm the positive effects of destination familiarity on destination image and travel intention, the effectiveness of destination familiarity as a segmentation variable is also verified. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.