Destinations & Communities: Implementation
‘Destination Planning’ is an iterative process, while developing, marketing and managing a destination happens concurrently and in an evolutionary way. Destinations don’t noticeably move from one phase to another but rather move fluidly between planning and implementation. Implementing sustainable tourism outcomes is a delicate balance of developing without overdeveloping, marketing without over-promoting and managing without stifling the natural and dynamic social and cultural attributes of unique and vibrant destinations.
Memorable destinations get the right balance of natural, cultural and man-made features and make the most of their landscape and climate without threatening their sustainable future and work with the community to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits.
As a major employer worldwide, tourism can sustain viable communities and promote living cultures. As an industry that is primarily about bringing the customer to the product and experience (with the exception of virtual tourism), it faces a number of unique challenges including: community engagement and support, access, and public infrastructure investment. Consumer perceptions and expectations may also be influenced by factors outside the industry’s control. In addition, destination management involves challenges in engaging diverse stakeholders involved tourism.
Over the past decade, over $260 million has been invested by the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre in understanding what factors influence sustainable implementation of destination planning, leading to vibrant, sustainable and memorable tourism destinations.
The three core elements in the implementation phase of destination management – ‘Destination Development’, ‘Destination Marketing’ and ‘Ongoing Management’ – are described further in the links below. Navigating down through these links also provides additional topic-specific information, tools and resources.
Destination Development
A destination cannot promote products and experiences it doesn’t have. Destination development is a continuous process of coordination and development of amenities, facilities, products and services that support host communities to deliver quality experiences for visitors and enhance residents well-being. Managing destination development is fundamental to successful ‘Implementation’ of tourism management; where destination managers and stakeholders put into action the priority strategies and plans developed during the ‘Destination Planning’ process. The destination development process should be informed by the ‘Situation Analysis’ and ‘Planning Process’ phases and monitored against clear KPIs throughout the ‘Destination Performance’ process.
The successful implementation of the destination development phase of destination management involves:
Development is shaped by the planning scheme and approvals process of a destination which is a reflection of community aspirations for ‘places’. Getting the right planning scheme is a giant leap towards encouraging sustainable tourism development;
Development of an effective and collaborative destination management structure to facilitate stakeholder engagement and communication and guide development and management;
Facilitation of a process to engage public and private sectors for investment in required tourism infrastructure and product, including:
Identification of public infrastructure services and facilities demands, including consideration of host community and visitor needs;
Planning for the development of appropriate public and private infrastructure and facilities to transport and distribute visitors to, and effectively throughout the destination;
Development of tourism-related products and experiences that are aligned with core brand values and the needs of the visitor market segments of the destination;
Development of tourism experiences within natural and protected areas, ensuring conservation values are maintained;
Provision of visitor information services to encourage increased expenditure and satisfaction;
Facilitation of a process to engage public and private sectors for investment in required tourism infrastructure and product, including:
Providing a forum to engage stakeholders in a proactive way to address key sector challenges for the destination, including:
Ensuring high standards for tourism products and facilities to enhance the visitor experience;
Developing a high quality labour market to deliver on visitor expectations and needs;
Developing a strategic approach to the management of risk, visitor health, safety and security.
Destination Marketing
Destination marketing is the process of communicating with potential visitors to influence their destination preference, intention to travel and ultimately their final destination and product choices. Destination marketing is a major part of the ‘Implementation’ process; it is the articulation and communication of the values, vision and competitive attributes of the destination. The actions implemented in the destination marketing phase should be underpinned by the findings of the ‘Destination Planning’, process and the subsequent ‘Destination Development’ activities.
Successful destination marketing involves:
Understanding the motivations and preferences of visitors in their decision-making and travel planning process and how these behaviours change over time;
Identifying appropriate visitor markets that ‘fit’ the destination attractions and experiences and align with community values;
Developing a ‘Strategic Marketing Plan’ to provide direction for destination marketing activities;
Developing a stakeholder agreed, strong and recognised destination brand and image that is underpinned by the values and unique point of difference of the destination;
Facilitation of a process to engage stakeholders to implement key marketing activities including:
Relevant promotional and advertising actions to influence visitor perceptions, awareness and destination choice;
Effective sales and distribution channels to enable conversion of intention to visit into actual visitation;
Development of cooperative marketing programs with tourism organisations and businesses to provide resource synergies and increased visitation potential for a destination.
Gaining ‘cut-through’ of your message either through innovative marketing ideas, for example Tourism Queensland’s ‘Best Job in the World’ campaign or by allocating significant budget to marketing to gain a greater ‘share of voice’.
Effectively building a destination brand that is in harmony with the community’s aspirations.
Ongoing Management
Destination management is a not a static framework but rather a cyclical and continuous process that requires ongoing management, monitoring and improvement. The tourism sector is complex and dynamic. It is likely to become increasingly competitive over the next decade as changes and trends in the global and national operating environment impact on consumer preference and needs, government policy and investment attraction. Aside from these trends, a destination’s approach to managing tourism may also be influenced by regional changes to the operating environment or changes to organisational structures, resourcing or governance of stakeholders involved in destination management.
Destination managers must be proactive in this ever changing environment and be able to develop flexible and effective strategies and plans to manage good destination outcomes. To be successful, a destination must commit adequate resources and time for the ongoing management of tourism including the continuous review of the planning, development and marketing activities and processes of the destination. Developing a framework for ongoing management of a destination for tourism involves:
Undertaking regular performance monitoring and evaluation against destination goals to assess performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, future opportunities and areas for improvement;
Identifying and implementing best practice principles and strategies for sustainable destination management;
Pursuing innovation in destination planning, development and marketing;
Understanding and identifying strategies to leverage key enablers for future growth and development including investment, research and labour;
Undertaking forecasting and trend analysis to identify future strategic direction and priorities for tourism planning, development and marketing activities.
