Destinations & Communities: Destination Planning
Tourism can and will evolve with or without planning, however the sustainability of a destination depends on whether the type and scale of tourism is best suited to the destination. Effective destination management relies on an iterative and continual planning process that integrates tourism into a community’s social, economic and environmental aspirations. Tourism destination planning is an area which has attracted significant research and analysis, summarised in the following sub-sections of Destination Planning:
Situation Analysis
Planning Process
Ongoing Engagement
Effective destination management looks at the strategic direction for future development, marketing and management of tourism where decision making is based on an assessment of the best available knowledge. In short, effective destination planning should:
Be collaborative process that ensures the engagement, participation and commitment of all relevant stakeholders;
Be a coordinated approach that is managed based on clearly defined processes and frameworks;
Be based on an understanding of existing internal and external operating environments of the destination;
Be based on a sound understanding of tourism supply and demand forecasts for the destination;
Consider all relevant information including market research, stakeholder values, the planning environment and available resources and assets;
Develop a clear and agreed strategic direction for the destination including a tourism vision, goals, strategies and actions, brand and positioning, roles and responsibilities, ongoing management processes and performance measures;
Result in the development of key planning and strategic documents including plans for destination management, ongoing research, strategic marketing, risk identification and management;
Be used to inform all phases of destination management including ‘Implementation’ and ‘Destination Performance’;
Be an ongoing or cyclical process, where plans and strategies are regularly reviewed to ensure relevance within the changing environment.
Elements of effective destination planning can be achieved through three steps – the situation analysis phase, the planning process and ongoing engagement. Further information on these steps is provided in the links below along with specific information, tools and resources to assist destination managers.
Ongoing Engagement
Successful tourism at a destination level relies on a partnership between a wide-range of stakeholders. Many destinations succeed in gaining input and having stakeholders participate in ‘Destination Planning’, however, few manage to keep those stakeholders engaged throughout the ‘Implementation’ and ‘Destination Performance’ stages.
Australia’s Long-Term Tourism Strategy recognised this challenge and has formed multi-sectoral working groups each with a responsibility for implementation of different strategies to ensure stakeholders remain engaged.
Lessons for successful ongoing engagement of stakeholders include:
Be specific: having specific projects or strategies to address will keep stakeholders engaged. The Mackay Whitsundays RTIIP Implementation Group focussed on a number of catalyst projects to focus stakeholders.
Allocate funding: for implementation, including a Project Manager if possible, this will ensure progress continues and projects progress.
Measure success and celebrate the wins: the Far North Queensland Economic Development Strategy from the late 1990’s set the benchmark for ongoing engagement through an online reporting program showing progress on each initiative through a percentage completed progress bar until a project was completed with regular reporting both internally and externally on progress.
Having strong leadership to continue to inspire progress at an operational level. The Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum is an excellent example of leadership and ongoing engagement.
Partnership Agreements: can help to formalise ongoing engagement, moving beyond simply having a responsibility allocated in a project plan.
Destination Management Tip
Stakeholders need to be engaged throughout the entire destination management process, not just in the planning phase.
Planning Process
The fundamental principle of the destination management process is that it involves bringing together stakeholders to clearly articulate the strategic direction and actions for the development, marketing and management of a destination for the future. The planning process should be informed by the findings of the ‘Situation Analysis’ phase of destination planning to ensure that all existing knowledge is considered and incorporated into the strategic direction of the destination. Lessons for an effective destination planning process include:
Strong leadership is needed from destination managers and local tourism champions to ensure stakeholder participation and commitment;
Development of a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process and clear definition of stakeholder roles and responsibilities in order to leverage skills and experience and provide focus for planning and management;
Development of a shared stakeholder vision for tourism and destination management in the destination over time to agree a common direction and values for the destination;
Development of strategic planning documents that provide a long-term direction for the destination’s development, marketing and management as well as short, medium and long-term actions to achieve the destinations vision. Strategic planning documents include:
A long-term Strategic Plan identifying the strategic priorities and direction for the destination including prioritisation of actions and strategies;
A Research Plan that identifies the data and information required by destination managers to make informed planning and strategic decisions;
A Risk Management Plan that outlines a framework and processes for identifying and responding to tourism risks and crises that may impact on a destination;
A Strategic Marketing Plan that identifies the marketing strategies and activities to successfully attract target visitor markets and influence destination and product choice.
A Festivals and Events Plan that identifies opportunities to bring locals and visitors together to celebrate the unique and special features of a destination.
According to the Achieving Sustainable Local Tourism Management Phase 1 – Practitioners Guide developed by the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre, good planning processes are characterised by:
Clear planning and management processes;
Reliable information;
Adaptive management approaches;
Information management and accessibility;
Encouraging collaboration;
Sharing information and experiences;
Good communication strategies.
Situation Analysis
You can’t manage what you don’t understand. The key to unlocking the potential of a destination is understanding how it performs against a set of agreed benchmarks (for example market share, yield, triple-bottom line sustainability). The situation analysis phase of destination management involves analysing and understanding the environment in which a tourism destination operates. The aim is to assist destination managers in identifying key factors that will influence how a destination is developed, marketed and managed over time. It is an essential part of ‘Destination Planning’ and should underpin the ‘Implementation’ phase where the strategic direction for a destination is committed to action.
Research has shown that a comprehensive situation analysis should include:
An understanding of the destination community’s aspirations and values;
Identification and analysis of current visitor markets;
Understanding consumer (visitor) characteristics, behaviours and preferences to identify preferred future target markets;
Reviewing and analysing the operating environment of a destination, including internal and external factors that might influence the planning and development a destination;
Undertaking an infrastructure, product and experiences analysis that is matched with a visitor demand analysis to identify key gaps in the destination’s product offering and opportunities to value add to the visitor experience;
Measurement of the value of tourism, including economic and non-economic contribution, to provide understanding and potentially increased recognition of the importance of tourism;
Forecasts of future visitation in sufficient detail to support understanding of the likely demand and the future mix of visitors;
An understanding of the existing and future resource impacts of tourism on a destination and identification of strategies to develop a sustainable approach to tourism development and growth. This includes an assessment of the impact on natural areas and protected areas within a destination;
An indication of the vision for tourism is articulated and agreed by the governments, tourism industries and community stakeholders;
A review of important issues, challenges and opportunities facing the destination across the short-term, medium-term and long-term;
Recognition of the human and financial capital available to support tourism and destination management;
An analysis of the statutory and planning environment and how these regulations will impact on tourism planning and development in a destination, including the impact of climate change regulations;
Review and where possible alignment of region-level strategic planning with national and state policies and plans to assist the development of partnerships and leverage strategic opportunities.
Review of lessons learned from other destinations on pitfalls, successes and future opportunities.
