Destination Management Module 1 PDF

**College:** **Human Ecology** **Department:** **Hospitality Management** **Campus:** **Bayombong** DEGREE PROGRAM Bachelor of Science COURSE NO. TMPE 5 SPECIALIZATION Tourism Management COURSE TITLE Destination Management YEAR LEVEL 3rd Year TIME FRAME WK NO. IM NO. **COURSE OVER...

**College:** **Human Ecology** **Department:** **Hospitality Management** **Campus:** **Bayombong** DEGREE PROGRAM Bachelor of Science COURSE NO. TMPE 5 SPECIALIZATION Tourism Management COURSE TITLE Destination Management YEAR LEVEL 3rd Year TIME FRAME WK NO. IM NO. **COURSE OVERVIEW** This course tackles problems of destination management. Furthermore, this course discusses the theories and concepts of destination management with a comprehensive approach that emphasizes planning, development, and marketing a destination. The objective of the subject is to make students familiar with the principles of creating and managing market-oriented destinations by means of suitable marketing tools. The subject of destination management will be useful for students who already have advanced knowledge in the issues of tourism, marketing and management. Case studies will be elaborated by students in particular destinations. **DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES** At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. **COURSE OUTLINE** **TIMEFRAME** **COURSE CONTENT/SUBJECT MATTER** --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 1 Basic Terminologies Week 2 Unit 1: Ensuring a Sustainable Form of Development Week 3 Week 4 Unit 2: Tourism Inventory, Vision, and Goal Setting Week 5 Week 6 Unit 3: Auditing the Visitor and Resident Experience Week 7 Week 8 Unit 4: Utilize Clusters to Gain a Competitive Edge Week 9 **Week 10** **MID-TERM EXAM** Week 11 Unit 5: Establishing Destination Management Organizational Partnerships Week 12 Week 13 Unit 6: Developing Destination Marketing & Positioning Strategies Week 14 Week 15 Unit 7: Building the Destination's Online Presence Week 16 Week 17 Unit 8: Developing a Visitor Information Program **Week 18** **FINAL EXAM** **COURSE CONTENT** People travel for a variety of reasons: to escape, explore, understand, and participate. But at the core of the experience lies the destination - the place that hands something to the traveler to keep forever and share with others. This toolkit helps destinations put in place strategies and programs that will best tell their unique story and become an inviting host for visitors no matter the purpose of their journey. Destination management organizations (DMO) are often the only advocates for a holistic tourism industry in a place; and in this role they ensure the mitigation of tourism\'s negative impacts to the environment and local communities as well as the sharing of opportunities for a vibrant exchange of people. In fact, a DMO may best serve to facilitate dialogue among the private sector, public sector, and other stakeholders that may otherwise never collaborate or understand how their decisions reverberate down a destination\'s long tourism value chain. Because of this unique capability, DMOs prove invaluable for supporting tourism development, especially in developing destinations where tourism is an important economic driver and mechanism for equitable social capacity building. Developing a DMO iteratively relies on identifying and redefining a destination vision through collaboration. The pages that follow outline how to build a successful DMO to increase visitation while preserving a destination\'s assets. Every destination is different, however, so no one volume could ever be a complete resource. The information within hopefully guides the reader to explore more deeply additional interests and seek out examples of innovation by other organizations around the world. The processes, examples, and tools have been adapted from several years of expertise in the field by tourism professionals. We would like to thank those individuals who - without their diligent work and insight - this toolkit would not be possible: James Dion, Shawndra Herry, Matt Humke, Simon Jones, Eric Lin, Juan Luna Kelser, Hamilton McNutt, Jennifer Park, Chris Seek, Natalie Sellier, Ashley Silver, and Jonathan Tourtellot. Drs. Don Hawkins and Kristin Lamoureux of The George Washington University are responsible for the education of hundreds of successful individuals - both in the classroom and out. We are both sincerely thankful to be their students and look forward for every new chance to learn from them. We\'d also like to thank Roberta Hilbruner, whose unparalleled championing of sustainable tourism has improved numerous destinations and people throughout the world. ***Basic Terminologies*** There are a few terms and concepts that often haunt the tourism literature. Here we present several to avoid confusion. Their definitions and support material come from the World Heritage Center (2007). ***Destination and Sites*** - - - - ***Attractions*** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ***Tourism Products*** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ***Experience*** - - - - - - - - - ***Unit I: Ensuring a Sustainable Form of Development*** This unit was adapted with permission from an article by Jonathan Tourtellot (2010). All material not otherwise cited derives from this source. **Traditional Tourism Vs. Sustainable Tourism** You know the scene: it is high season and today the famous historic site is drawing hundreds maybe even thousands of visitors. Tourists trail guides with colorful umbrellas held high. You hear routine explanations about kings, battles, artists, and architecture delivered in English, Japanese, French, Italian, and Arabic. A minister of tourism might look at the scene and smile, \"Business is good.\" Preservationists might look at the scene and fret, \"Can the site withstand all this traffic?\" Many residents simply avoid the area, while other more entrepreneurial types rush in with their wares and scams to prey on the crowds. And many affluent and educated visitors take one look at this scene and hasten elsewhere, \"Too touristy!\" How to handle all this? In 1960, when affordable jetliners helped to launch the modern-day tourism explosion, the world experienced fewer than 70 million international arrivals a year. Since then, humankind has grown - a lot. We are more numerous and more affluent, and we want to see new places. Tourism\'s growth confronts destinations with both opportunity and stress. Now international arrivals approach one billion, a fourteen-fold increase in tourism traffic - and that is only a fraction of domestic tourism, which has soared recently in countries with fast-growing middle classes such as China, Mexico, India, and Brazil. In popular destinations, this increasing visitation offers both challenges and opportunities. Destinations that hope to become popular face a choice: traditional tourism or a more sustainable approach. - - - - - - - - - - **Note:** \*Simply adding more planners and managers does not necessarily work. ***Sustainable Tourism And The Triple Bottom Line*** **So what is sustainable tourism?** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From 2004 through 2010, National Geographic Traveler (http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/2009/11/destinations-rated/intro-text) has published global \"destination stewardship\" surveys of expert opinion about the sustainability and quality of whole places. To capture the entire tourism experience and its impact, expert panelists consider six criteria - - - - - - \- and submit a combined score for each destination. - - - - - - - - - ***A Double-Edged Sword*** - - - ***[Lesser known sites have the opposite problem:]*** - - For 11 years, Art Pedersen served as UNESCO\'s point person on tourism at World Heritage sites (http://whc.unesco.org). He notes how countries may vigorously promote the attributes of a site proposed for World Heritage, seeking the prestige of inscription and the tourism windfall it might bring. \"But is there a management plan in place for all those visitors?\" he asks. \"They don\'t do that.\" He argues that a site needs a variety of tools to achieve a good relationship between tourism, an attractive site, and the neighboring communities. ***Tools To Help Manage Destinations More Sustainably*** First, it makes sense to take stock of the situation. 1. a. b. c. ***Scientific research.*** Ecosystems are under pressure almost everywhere. Protecting them requires understanding how they work. At Australia\'s Great Barrier Reef, for instance, marine ecology findings led to the politically difficult but scientifically defendable decision to increase \"no take\" fishing zones from 14% to 33%. Elsewhere, National Geographic and others have been funding similar research that has led to such actions as bans on fishing the Nassau grouper spawning aggregations on the Belize Barrier Reef. ***Monitoring.*** In China, Yangshuo\'s karst landscape and constituent towns are a major Chinese tourist attraction. To understand sustainability issues, UNWTO has worked with Sun Yatsen University to monitor some 40 sustainability indicators developed by UNWTO. This \"Tourism Observatory\" conducts annual surveys of four key groups: businesses, residents, foreign tourists, and domestic tourists, and then assesses indicator data. Thus, the exercise includes input from people often left out of tourism management: visitors and residents. The reports help local leaders identify and resolve problems. ***Managing The Tourist Torrent*** - - - - - ***Belize.*** The World and Blue Hole National Monuments attract divers and snorkelers. To protect the marine resources, the PUP for the two sites uses indicators as coral cover and conch abundance as part of its Limits of Acceptable Change management approach. That in turn provides guidance on tourist management. PUP workshops engaged tourism service providers throughout the process to ensure a cooperative approach and to help develop new tourism products in a sustainable way, so that diving boats, for instance, go to ecologically robust sites rather than fragile ones. ***Spain.*** The Alhambra\'s notably high stewardship score in the face of heavy visitation is due in part to the palace\'s healthy relationship with its host city, Granada. Tourism consultant Georges Zouain worked on some policies that have made a difference. The Moorish palace had been suffering from day trippers coming by busloads from coastal resorts. Granada residents received no benefits, and visitors had an inferior, overcrowded quick dip experience into the site. Redirecting buses and providing city-to-site shuttles discouraged superficial visitation. The new arrangement encourages tourists to tarry in the city while waiting for their reserved Alhambra hour to come round. \"Visitors are spending more in the city,\" says Zouain. \"To visit properly you would come independently, not on a tour bus. You would book a room for two or three days, preferably in a boutique hotel in an old Arab house.\" In Zouain\'s ideal visit, you would spend time with the people. \"It\'s a friendly population. Have tapas and wine in the evening. Listen to the city\'s good music.\" This is the kind of approach needed for most destinations: an integrated tourism experience - socially, economically, environmentally. The triple bottom line. ***ENGAGING GATEWAY COMMUNITIES*** - - - - - - BOX 1.2 GEOTOURISM Stewardship COUNCILS Geotourism stewardship councils bring together people with interests in all endemic assets of a place. It is a public-private partnership with members from government, business, and civil society. Councils may begin as ad hoc committees and may eventually evolve into permanent institutions. A council\'s integrated composition and independent status allows it to survive changes in government and provide continuity to tourism policy. As the Center\'s head of field operations, James Dion has helped numerous councils invite resident participation. The process adds value to geotourism assets. Whether reporting from Peru\'s Cuzco/Machu Picchu circuit, or from California\'s Yosemite region, Dion often calls these meetings \"inspiring.\" They build pride. \"There\'s a thrill in watching people rediscover what their towns and country sides have to offer,\" he says. Figure 1.2. Catalytic Project. T-shirted student team helped residents in Peru make nominations for a geotourism map. (Photo: James Dion, Solimar) Steve Thompson witnessed this in his own home, where he led a successful geotourism project. The region, branded the \"Crown of the Continent,\" centers on the , on the U.S.-Canada border. Thompson led the formation of the Crown of the Continent Council (www.crownofthecontinent.net). He emphasizes the importance of this forum in an area divided by international and provincial borders. \"In our case,\"he says, "the council enabled diverse stakeholders to come together and develop a community, to create a sense of regional identity that previously didn\'t exist.\" Heritage tourism expert Cheryl Hargrove has worked for years in the Great Smokies region, a classic case of gateway decline and - possibly - renewal. The Great Smoky Mountains experienced a traditional tourism boom even before jetliners came along. \"What didn\'t work,\" she says, \"was the assumption in the 1950s that gateways could be all things and everything.\" The result was , a cheesy, amusement-driven center on the edge of a national park. For decades, it pulled in an unsophisticated tourism market whose nature appreciation roared through the forest on dirt bikes. Citizens and businesses of the Gatlinburg Gateway Foundation now work to clean up the town\'s image. According to Hargrove, \"They\'re saying \'we want our place to reflect the characteristics of the park experience.\' \" ***BUILDING CAPACITY*** ***In impoverished and underdeveloped areas***, though, sufficient local businesses may not exist. Such regions need to build capacity, to develop enough financial and human resources to address problems and responsibly seize opportunities. - Now Hawkins sees hope for Petra in a strengthened regional commission that embraces not only the archaeological site but also municipalities and local Bedouin tribes. One problem, says Hawkins, is that too many day trippers do not stay long enough to help the local economy. International aid programs help small businesses to address that. To spice up the gateway\'s relatively dead evenings, for instance, he cites a grant that helped the Petra Kitchen restaurant set up an evening workshop in Bedouin cuisine, with tourists cooking and then eating their newly created meals. \"If you don\'t grow the economy around the World Heritage sites,\" sums up Hawkins, \"you can\'t substantively address the conservation agenda for them or the needs of the local communities for jobs and education.\" ***IS ALL THIS WORKING?*** Not well enough, not yet. In many parts of the world, plans are not put into effect. Pedersen complains about the \"futility of management plans that don\'t get implemented. We all spend millions of dollars on this stuff. Yet no capacity is being built.\" James Dion says planners often put the cart before the horse. In many communities, he argues, \"The people don\'t need a plan, they need a vision. They don\'t need training, they need empowerment.\" Only then can plans and training succeed. With increasingly popular places, the challenge is when to stop. Where is the balance point? The Petra authority is modeled on a similar authority in Aqaba, Jordan\'s economically successful but environmentally questionable resort zone on the Red Sea. While some Jordanian leaders want to keep development near Petra on a size and style appropriate for a great heritage site, other interests reportedly think theme parks there would be a fine idea. For example, the King of Jordan just announced the creation of a \$1.5 billion Star Trek theme park in Aqaba (Singh, 2011). Shades of Gatlinburg! It is a common pattern. The same mistakes made half a century ago in the Smokies now repeat in many other parts of the world that see a World Heritage inscription as a green light to erect a casino next door. Wholesale dependence on the traditional-tourism model can even result in capacity loss. After World War II, in the Northern Mariana Islands - then part of a UN Trust Territory - indigenous Chamorro guides gave heritage tours of key war locales on Saipan and Tinian in fluent Japanese. Decades later, Saipan shifted to traditional sun-and-sand mass tourism, still focused on Japan but relying heavily on Filipino labor and a standard resort business model. As older Chamorro guides died or retired, young Chamorros did not take their place. Now sun-and-sand hotels are struggling, yet Saipan has little capacity to resurrect heritage tourism, lacking home-grown guides fluent in the language of their biggest tourism market. Figure 1.3. Unsustainable Tourism. Failed tourist shopping mall, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. (Photo: Jonathan Tourtellot) ***What About the Tourists?*** - - - - - - WHAT WE\'VE LEARNED, WHERE WE\'RE GOING - - - - - - - ***A simple policy recipe for ensuring a sustainable form of tourism development can be followed by remembering six steps:*** Promote sustainable development Create products for specific visitor market segments Gain and maintain competitiveness Enhance visitor experience Preserve local resources Improve residents\' quality of life By keeping these steps in mind, a destination is on the right track to a better future of sustainable tourism that will last through many future generations. Either establishing a destination certification program or enrolling in an existing program will help ensure the planning and implementation stays on the correct path of sustainability. **LEARNING ACTIVITIES** 1. **ASSIGNMENT** Reading and Reflection Assignment in Tourism Destinations 1. 2. **EVALUATION and LABORATORY ACTIVITY** 1. a. b. c. d. i. ii. iii. e. **REFERENCES**