Destination Tourism as a Flourishing Industry - Essay Example

Institute: Introduction: overview of DMS and DMO In tourism, destination is referred to be a geographical area that is chosen by the tourists or the visitors for the purpose of leisure, entertainment, knowledge, etc. Destination tourism is a flourishing industry where destination is treated as a strategic business unit and is considered to be an area of competition by the Destination Management Organizations (DMO). The Destination management systems (DMS) are used by the DMOs as a strategic approach to manage the destination for the business of tourism and gain strategic advantage over the other players in the industry of tourism. The destination management system provides a co-ordinated approach to connect the various stakeholders related to the destination tourism activity and achieve a better way of managing the destination for the purpose of tourism. The various stakeholders of Destination Management System includes the Destination Management Organizations containing its employees, the marketing and sales group, the product management group, the supplier of services through destination management system and, the visitors of the destination. The destination management system provides ways of increasing the service level of the DMOs to their visitors and enables them to provide a high quality experience to the tourists who visit the destinations of their choice (Kotler and Keller 45). The destination management system ensures that duplication of efforts are not done and that the management staffs of the DMOs are properly educated and trained to increase the attractions of destination tourism. Thus DMS helps to provide the sought after facilities and services at affordable price to the visitors by which the DMOs are able to attain strategic advantages in tourism. Online destination marketing The new developments in the field of Destination Management Systems point towards the aspect of online destination marketing being adopted by the Destination Management Organizations. The marketing function of the DMOs is aimed to attract more number of the visitors and the tourists to a particular destination by increasing the attractiveness of the place. The shift of destination marketing through the online mode has been observed as the DMOs have inclined towards the use of technology for marketing the destinations to expand the business of tourism. The online destination marketing adopted by the DMOs in the latest stage of tourism marketing have allowed the DMOs to offer an integrated portfolio of services to be catered to the customers by the use of online websites and portals of tourism (Buhalis 47). The destination management organization is able to acquaint their customers about the various characteristic features of the destination and the areas of attraction in real time mode. The online destination marketing is a form of real time destination management system that provides unbiased information on the attractive features of the destination, the public services, amenities and the modes of transport available that connects the destination. The quality of the infrastructure, human resources, hospitality and services available at the regional prices in the destination are also informed to the visitors in quick time through online destination management system. The image of the tourist place and the destinations are easily informed to the large customer base in quick time and, therefore, plays important role to influence the customer’s decision for selecting destinations for the purpose of visit. The online destination marketing by the Destination Management Organizations could be explained as application of the marketing concepts in the digital marketing of the products and services related to destination tourism. The marketing concepts related to the new developments in the online marketing of destinations are that of customer-centricity, targeting, positioning and segmentation in order to offer benefits and facilities to the customers who plan to visit destination for a purpose (Levinson 79). With the online marketing of destinations, the destination management organizations have been able to increase their focus on providing integrated services to the customers in a strategic manner. The services include offer of several alternative options for accommodation, transport, food, clothes, entertainment, etc. This helps in targeting customers who looks for destinations that meet their aspirations and desires, economy, etc. The widely available options offered in the online mode of marketing of destinations provide ample number of choices to several segments of customers. The customers could be divided in the various segments according to the demands of price, lifestyles, convenience and other features of the destination. The information on the accessibility, hospitality and services, competitive prices help to attract the visitors and the increasing acceptability of the destination among the visitors help to develop the brand image of the pace for tourism. The critics of the previous visits, appraisals and the positive experiences of the earlier visits to the destination helps in positioning the destination brand in the hearts of the visitors. The new developments of online destination have been beneficial for the visitors as it reduced their efforts to weigh alternate options for the destination and at the same time make quick decision with the help of the information provided by the online destination management systems. DMO: Access Destination Services Access Destination Services is one of the well known Destination Management Organization that is based in Florida, USA. The chosen DMO has the objective of providing integrated services of tourism to the visitors of the destination of Florida. The DMO also has its presence in the states of Arizona, Illinois, Texas, Nevada, etc. and, therefore, promotes substantial tourism in several destinations of US. The DMO has online presence and has adapted to the new developments and shift in trend to the online mode of destination marketing through which it informs the various stakeholders, suppliers and the visitors and generates interest on the above mentioned destination with offers of engagement in the tourism activities. In order to fulfil its organizational objectives and expand its destination management activities in the new horizons of online destination marketing, the DMO informs the visitors of the several attractions and the unique features of the places of Florida, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Illinois, etc in real time. The attractions of the sandy beaches, water sports events, golf courses, shopping opportunities and the scope of entertainment are informed to the visitors along the colourful pictures through various online media like the social media, official website, etc. The opportunities of endless dining, fishing, etc. are highlighted as part of their efforts in promoting tourism through Destination Management Systems. The intended visitors are requested by the DMO to put in requests for information of the range of services provided by them to the visitors planning to come to the destinations. As part of the destination management efforts, the DMO promotes their destinations with the convenience on accessibility of the destinations due to the presence of public utilities and services. The facilities and benefits offered by the DMO to their visitors justify the prices to be incurred by the visitors. There are challenges in the activities of destination marketing and services offered by Access destination Services to provide their customers with the convenience in decision making for selecting the destinations and thereafter provide a valued experience to their customers who visit their places (Access Destination Services 1). The complexities arise due to the legislation and regulation of the government and the taxes imposed on the activities of tourism. The imposition of taxes raises their cost of operation and thus makes it challenging to provide their visitors with valued experience at competitive prices. Despite challenges and complexities in the, Access destination Services have made important contributions in promoting the destinations of US by providing valued service and experience to the visitors. Approach to evaluation of DMO footprint The footprint of the Destination Management Organization in the tourism industry could be evaluated by analyzing the activities of marketing, product management and creation of favourable environment for the convenience of the visitors. The approach of evaluation of the DMO foot print in the field of destination management for the promotion of tourism is guided by the comparisons of the best practices in the field of destination management systems. The marketing functions of the destination management organizations are aimed at the promoting the brand image of the destination. The best practices in the marketing function of the DMOs include unbiased information provided by the organization on the services available to the visitors for coming to their preferred destinations. The DMOs have also set up facilities for booking the services through online mode of transactions that satisfies the needs and demands of the customers. The customer relationship management is an important feature of the marketing of the destinations by the DMO. The comparison of the best practice with the actual practices of the DMO provides an insight of the footprint and the contribution of the organization in promoting tourism through effective marketing of destination through the online mode (Middleton and Clarke 68). The best practices of the DMO include serious steps being taken in the aspect of product management in the destinations. The product management measures include the coordination and management of events in the destination in order to improve the experience of the visitors. The development of the facilities to the convenience of the visitors are given due importance in the best practices of destination management. A comparison of the best practices with the actual practice on the development of events, recreation facilities, transport, food and shopping determine the contribution and the footprint of the DMO in the tourism sector. The evaluation of the DMO footprint also takes into consideration the activities of the organization in planning and setting up proper infrastructure for the growth of tourism. The extent to which the DMO has engaged in the activities of educating their staffs, training of their employees, implemented technology applications to provide to create a favourable environment for the visitors determine the success of the DMO (Dogra 62). Key findings The Destination Management Organization like the Accent Destination Services have been contacted with the help of online channels like the social media, electronic mail and the following have been found from its activities on destination management. The implementation of the online mode of destination management have not only allowed the DMO to adapt to the new developments in the destination management system but also provided the visitors with real time information on the solutions and comprehensive services available in the destinations. The DMO has focussed on transforming the concept of online destination management system to reality by providing the right blend of interconnected services to the visitors that not only fulfils the recreational and motivation needs of the visitors but also addresses the budgetary needs of the tourists (Hawkins and Middleton 56). The DMO has been effective in marketing the attractions of the destination through the online destination management systems. This ensured availability of real time information to the customers on the range of services provided by them to the visitors. The online marketing of the destination has been effective done by the DMO through mentioning the list of tours, events, recreation facilities supported by the connectivity through various modes of transport. The visitors coming to the destination would be provided assistance by the company in undertaking tours for sight-seeing, excursions, shopping, botanical tours, etc. The destination management company conducts events for recreation and entertainment that are aimed at supporting the visitors during the time of visit (Morgan and Ranchhod 94). The DMO offers transport facilities in cases of transfers from the airport to the place of accommodation and also in case of sight-seeing tours. The information of all these facilities offered by the destination management company provides real time information to the customers and helps them in taking quick decision for visiting the destinations that would match their budgeted expenses. The visitors are also able to book their visits and the supporting facilities through online mode of transaction. Thus the new developments in the implementation of destination management have helped the visitor to get improved access to the services provided by the suppliers through the destination management system. The development of the human resources, educating and training of the staffs has enabled the DMO to build a strong brand image for the destination (Kozak and Andreu 84). Thus use of technology and application of the destination management system in the online mode have provided convenience to the visitors that have resulted in the increased inflow of visitors to the destinations (Page and Connell 63). The new development in destination management system has resulted in the increase in economic activities of the destination and promotion of tourism in the region. Discussion and conclusion The functions of the Destination Management Organizations resemble that the application of the destination management systems have undergone changes and the new developments have been observed in this field with the use of technology and online mode of destination marketing. The increased focus of the DMOs and their initiatives for promoting tourism in the region have led to the adoption of online destination marketing strategies in order to attain strategic advantage in the markets. Access Destination Services is an example of the DMO that has used destination management system and provide comprehensive services to the visitors to satisfy their needs. The best practices in the destination management system show that the DMOs which have been effective in promoting tourism have been able to attract the customers by providing information on the attractions of the destination and supporting facilities in terms of transport, communication, food, shopping and other recreational facilities available to meet their demands. The latest developments in the destination management system have provided the platform where the services offered by the suppliers of facilities could be obtained by the visitors through the online mode. The facilities of online booking have not only provided real time benefits to the visitors but also led to the increase in economic activities of the destination. Work Cited Buhalis, Dimitrios. E-Tourism: Information Technology for Strategic Tourism Management. New York: Prentice hall, 2003. Print. Kotler, Philip. and Kelly, Keller. Marketing Management. New York: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print. Levinson, Jay. 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