A Critical Review of the Role of DMOs in International and Regional Tourism Development (Term Paper Sample)

A Critical Review of the Role of DMOs in International and Regional Tourism Development This essay aims to provide an overview of tourism as an asset, its economic contributions, social and cultural significance, and environmental impact, and include case studies that will show the role of DMOs. The essay will discuss the tourism area life cycle, conduct a SWOT analysis, and analyse the carrying capacity and tourist typology based on DMOs. The essay will also include theoretical applications in the context of DMO. The role of DMO based on Tourism Destination Plans (TDPs), infrastructure development, human resource management, natural resource management, and sustainability and green tourism will be discussed. Case study examples will be used to provide detailed information. Tourism management involves the coordination of tourism activities such as planning, marketing, and development to maintain the destination. Tourism management has integrated sustainable practices such as economic recovery through tourism and financial boost to support tourism businesses. The social aspect of sustainable practices integrated into tourism management includes awareness of the importance of the local community's culture. Tourism management that reduces environmental pollution, poor waste management, and preservation of the destination’s natural resources enhances sustainability in tourism (Baena and Cerviño, 2024). DMOs are the key to the success of destinations. Through proper management, the economy grows, resulting in the development of the regional economy. It is also used as a tool for advertisement of the destination, which attracts international tourists. DMOs promote local events and festivals from regional to international, boosting tourism development at both levels. Since effective destination management is embraced, tourists gain a positive experience internationally and regionally (Foris and Bivolaru, 2022). Destination management involves the coordination of amenities, accommodations, events and activities, attractions, local resources, and environmental concerns. Destination management is of global importance due to the growing demands of tourism interests, tourism investment, and the need to develop effective marketing strategies to promote tourism practices (Reali, 2024). Tourism involves individuals travelling for different purposes, such as leisure and business activities. The continuous visitation of tourists has made the industry a significant asset and the most thriving industry in the world. The tourism industry's economic, social, and cultural contribution has made it an essential asset. UK region indicates how the economic activities of tourism have resulted in positive outcomes. The tourism industry in the UK has contributed to 4.1% of the country's direct economy. This is attributed to the ability of the industry to result in £58 billion, equivalent to 4.1% of the country’s GDP (Visit Britain, 2023). The social asset of the tourism industry is its employment regionally and internationally. The industry resulted in the employment of 18.9 million people in 2019, indicating an increase in social inclusion through employment by 4.5%. 2021 saw 15.3 million jobs being created in the industry globally, creating an opportunity for people to be more involved in tourism internationally (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2023). Regionally, specifically in Europe, tourism jobs for young people accounted for 5.7% in 2021. Through the employment of more young people in the industry, the opportunities result in social growth and expansion of the industry (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2023). Cultural tourism is an asset due to the interest of the people in spending more time experiencing the cultures of different communities regionally and internationally. For example, in London, cultural tourists spend £7.3 billion annually, which boosts the UK economy by £3.2 billion. Cultural tourism also creates more than 80000 jobs, an important asset in the industry (London.Gov, 2024). UNWTO Barometer presents data on the impacts of tourism on GDP, local economies, and employment. Regionally, the 2022 data shows that tourism activities greatly started to reduce in 2020, affecting the growth of GDP due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Global tourism GDP stood at 2.5% in 2022, based on the tourism GDP estimates in five regions: Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Asia and the Pacific. Regionally, the tourism GDP for Europe was 4.0%, for the Middle East, it was 3.7%, Africa was 3.2%, the Americas was 2.5%, and Asia and the Pacific was 1.3%. The region that greatly benefitted from tourism GDP in 2022 was Europe. The GDP was attributed to the significant number of visitors the region received. The sector has also contributed to the employment of people in their regions and internationally. The employment involved the tour guides, crews, pilots, hostel staff and managers, and many others. The regions that ever employed many people in 2023, based on UNWTO data, include the Americas, Europe, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific. Brazil in the Americas employed over 8000000 people in 2023, Spain and Türkiye in Europe employed over 2000000 people the same year, India in South Asia employed over 40000000 people, and Indonesia in East Asia and the Pacific employed over 10000000 people (UNWTO, 2023). Local economies such as that of the UK attracted two million domestic tourists in 2022; these were visitors who spent overnight in the destination, and those who attended for a day were 126000 visitors to the local businesses (UNWTO, 2024). According to the Council of Europe (2020), DMOs have been proven to protect cultural heritage and enhance social integration, which promotes cultural exchange. DMOs include residents from the destination, and destination management is made easy if the managers are from the destination. The decision-making through the DMOs helps consider the social practices and their impacts on the value of the destination culture and, therefore, develops policies that prevent interference with the culture, avoiding erosion of the culture. The museums have been managed in that they limit congestion and unauthorised people to prevent the stealing of artefacts, ancient tools, and other traditions protected in the museum. Activities such as cultural festivals, traditions, and norms of the destinations are made globally known through marketing, and therefore, people from other regions travel to celebrate the culture, resulting in cultural exchange through the efforts enhanced by DMOs. Scotland’s Highlands provide the importance of Scotland's destination management social and cultural heritage. Scotland’s Highlands tourist attractions incorporate cultural practices such as the highland games. The highland games incorporate social integration and cultural exchange through the lifting and throwing games. The cultural heritage in the highland also embraces traditional solo dance organised by DMOs to showcase the highland dancing. The DMOs' activities in Scotland’s Highlands attract visitors to witness the culture of the Scottish people and how they preserve their heritage (The Clan Buchanan, 2024). Tourism activities determine how they manage the environmental space and their impacts. Sustainable practices must be embraced to eliminate the negative impacts of tourism. Sustainable practices require effective community participation, effective governance for quality sustainable tourism, and stakeholder involvement, all of which are achieved through the enhancement of DMOs (Putra, 2024). The sustainable tourism strategy in Bali provides an example of how DMOs protect the environment while economically boosting the destination. Bali’s destination management organisation has developed and implemented measures protecting its resources. It has implemented a policy that encourages eco-conscious tourist travel through its Island of the Gods. This is embraced to protect the destination and ensure the resources are maintained for future generations. In the destination, DMOs have developed a ban on littering on the Island and single-use plastics. There are no single-use plastics, meaning all visitors must carry reusable bottles of water, and in case they need to shop in the local markets, they must have an eco-bag. Bali's marine life has made the place very attractive, which is why it has developed sustainability initiatives that protect its environment and resources by reducing plastic waste. In visits to the temples in Bali, tourists are reminded to observe environmental protection and respect the natural resources surrounding the temples and other attractions at the destination. Bali’s destination management organisation has made the residents realise the importance of their resources; hence, they play a bigger role in making the destination more sustainable (The Ungasan, 2024). Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) is a theory developed in 1980 by Richard Butler in an attempt to explain the evolution of the destination through a series of stages. He stated that the destination goes through several stages: exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, stagnation, decline, or rejuvenation. The case study of Ibiza, which focuses on the consolidation stage, shows the role of DMOs in the management of the destination in Ibiza. Ibiza has been a popular tourist destination in the Western Mediterranean since as early as the 1970s. In the exploration stage, the destination experienced tourists who were exploring, and later, in the 1950s, the destination started experiencing the population's involvement in tourism. The development stage in Ibiza experienced various developments in the destination, and the fastest growth was witnessed (Ramón-Cardona and Sánchez-Fernández, 2024). During the consolidation stage, Ibiza experienced some issues that affected the destination. The stage was followed by a...