Destination organisations : the next generation
U
S-based Destinations International has partnered with MMGY NextFactor , a travel and tourism consultancy firm , to create what they call a ‘ strategic roadmap for the NEXT Generation of destination organisations ’.
Their study comes as most destination organisations re-evaluate their purpose and face a stack of challenges and less funding to capitalise on opportunities .
The DestinationNEXT 2021 Futures Study offers some direction for how destination leaders can navigate our industry ’ s highly fluid future . The survey asked global destination leaders a range of questions relating to 100 travel trends , 80 industry strategies , shifting organisational roles , and key performance indicators . A total of 706 participants in 52 countries took part in the survey , with data supplemented by interviews with global leaders in tourism , hospitality , business events and other sectors . The project kicked off in January 2021 and was completed in four phases :
1 . Global advisory group : A group of executives and destinations provided guidance and identified the key trends and strategies for the report .
2 . Major trends impacting the global visitor economy : Over 150 interviews were conducted with the global advisory group and six advisory panels designed to provide a variety of perspectives on the industry ’ s future . 3 . Major strategies for destination organisations : A list of 80 strategies was developed in a second Strategy Map around three pillars : destination marketing , destination management and destination organisation .
4 . Report and presentation : The creation of a report and presentation deck included case studies and best practices to help implement the recommended strategies .
This qualitative and quantitative research led to three themes / opportunities for destination organisations :
1 . Destination alignment : Aligning the public , private and civic sectors to drive destination performance .
2 . Sustainable development : Destination and product development should marry people , planet , profit and policy .
3 . Values based marketing : A community ’ s values , goals and creative energy are the new competitive advantage
These common themes have the potential to create a framework that accelerates the recovery of the global visitor economy , as well as lay the foundation for building a more resilient sector in the coming decades .
Destination organisations are also dealing with many other industry and societal disruptions , including the climate crisis , the rise of remote working , the acceleration of e-commerce and hybrid events and serious workforce capacity issues hampering recovery .
Don Welsh , president and CEO , and Jack Johnson , chief advisory officer at Destinations International , say : “ Destination leaders need to leverage all the information and opportunities collectively to lead their organisations effectively . We are proud to release this report to help our members by providing them with a roadmap toward a successful , more impactful future .”
The global visitor industry is at a crossroads . When push comes to shove , will the industry really ‘ build back better ?’ Will we see definitive advances in sustainability , equity , diversity and inclusion ; and community building to make our sector more human and earn the respect of other leaders ? Or are a majority of stakeholders simply waiting out the pandemic for the old status quo to return ?
These , the study shows , are going to be the defining questions for how destination organisations move forward as a community shared value .
To learn more about the DestinationNEXT Futures Study , search : https :// destinationsinternational . org / reports / destinationnext-futures-study
One of the DestinationNEXT Future Study ’ s transparency exercises asked destinations to answer the following questions : 1 . Does your website have an ‘ About Us ’ page ? Does it tell your organisation ’ s story ? 2 . Does your website have annual reports and business or strategic plans ? 3 . Does your website have ways for residents to contact you ? 4 . Does your website have bios of your board of directors and staff ? Do these bios contain information about community involvement by the individuals ?
8 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 116