Keywords
Marketing strategy
Abstract
As marketing practices continue to advance, the tourism industry is constantly evolving in terms of marketing strategies and in the shifting duties of its stakeholders. Different organizations plan the advancement of their marketing strategies differently, and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) are no exception. With so many destination options, travelers may find themselves with too many destinations and too much information to easily make the decision on their own. The main role of the DMOs is to sell the destination using different marketing strategies and various incentives to make their destination more appealing, and by working with all of their stakeholders to be able to provide the best experience to visitors. This study examined the perception of effectiveness of various marketing channels, different social media channels, and different incentives that were being used by the DMOs. Some of the marketing channels that DMOs considered most effective in today’s environment included website management, word-of-mouth, and search engine optimization; in terms of social media marketing channels, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter were ranked as most effective. This study showed that some of the most effective incentives used by the DMOs were unique attractions accessibility, free Wi-Fi, and complimentary rentals. This study also explored the importance of various stakeholders to a DMO, and the results showed that some of the most important stakeholders were the hoteliers, the local government, and the local community.
Recommended Citation
Lopez Torres, B., & Ogbeide, G. (2015). Destination marketing organizations’ stakeholders and best practices. Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, 16(1), 54-60. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/discoverymag/vol16/iss1/11