PRESENTED BY SADEKE SMITH COLBOURNE COLLEGE

 A local tourism destination is a physical space in which a tourist spends at least one overnight. It includes tourism products such as support services and attractions and tourist resources within one day’s return travel time. It has physical and administrative boundaries defining its management, and images and perceptions defining its market competitiveness.

 Travel and tourism enhances the quality of life for a local community by providing jobs, bringing in tax dollars for improvement of services and infrastructure, and attracting facilities like restaurants, shops, festivals, and cultural and sporting venues that cater to both visitors and locals.  Hence, it’s against this background that we will examine the destination holistically.

DESTINATION HEAVEN

A destination is the specific location to which a traveler decides to go. Destinations can be defined variously and can include: >Towns, Villages and Cities >Historical Sites, Heritage Sites >Self-Contained Resorts, Holiday Villages >Amusement and Theme Parks >Regions or Groups of Countries (e.g The Caribbean) WHAT IS A DESTINATION?

 What do you hope to achieve  For the country  Key stakeholders  Communities affected by tourism

 Local authorities  Accommodation providers of many sorts and sizes  Attractions, events and cultural organisations  National Park authorities  Restaurant, leisure and retail operators  Transport providers  Intermediaries (for example tour operators and conference organisers)  Local tourism consortia and partnerships  Business support and skills agencies.  Craft vendors

 Core values guiding the process  Design, Innovation, marketing approaches needed to build on core values  Linkages with other strategic industries

 Engage in a comprehensive destination assessment  Encourage community participation in process  creating easy to follow action steps to win local support  Enable the generation of increased revenue and opportunities for partners.

Customer perception of destination Brand image Country image Satisfaction Brand value - quality - price Brand identity Positioning strategy Marketing programs Developing the identity Creating brand meaning Creating brand awareness Developing positioning statementsMarketing strategic plan

Country Image Destination Image Destination Value Price Quality Intention to Return Destination Satisfaction

 Destination management is a subject of growing importance as destinations compete to provide the highest quality of experience for visitors; and to manage the impacts of tourism on host communities and environments  Destinations contain a number of basic elements which attract the visitor to the destination and which satisfy their needs on arrival. These basic elements can be broken down into attractions (the ‘must sees’ or ‘must dos’) and the other remaining elements.

 To compete effectively, destinations have to deliver wonderful experiences and excellent value to visitors. The business of tourism is complex and fragmented and from the time that visitors arrive in the destination, until they leave, the quality of their experience is affected by many services and experiences, including a range of public and private services, community interactions, environment and hospitality.  Delivering excellent value will depend on many organizations working together in unity. Destination management calls for a coalition of these different interests to work towards a common goal to ensure the viability and integrity of their destination now, and for the future.

 Many destinations now have Destination Management Organizations or DMOs to lead the way. Traditionally responsible for destination marketing, the role of the DMO (often Tourist Boards) is becoming far broader. DMOs today should not only lead on marketing, but must also be strategic leaders in destination development. This role requires them to drive and coordinate destination management activities within the framework of a coherent strategy.  Promotion must attract people to visit in the first place; creating a suitable environment and quality delivery on the ground will ensure that visitors’ expectations are met at the destination and that they then both recommend the destination to others and return themselves on a future occasion

 Destination management calls for a coalition of many organizations and interests working towards a common goal. The Destination Management Organization's role should be to lead and coordinate activities under a coherent strategy. They do not control the activities of their partners but bring together resources and expertise and a degree of independence and objectivity to lead the way forward. It follows that DMOs must develop a high level of skill in developing and managing partnerships. Though DMOs have typically undertaken marketing activities, their remit is becoming far broader, to become a strategic leader in destination development.

Jamaica Tourist Board and offices:  Promoting country to overseas customers  Promoting regions of the country to overseas and domestic customers  Providing information to customers (Tourist Information Centres)

 Destination appeal and experiences offered are shaped by:  Attractions  Public and Private Amenities  Accessibility  Human Resources  Image and Character  Price

ATTRACTIONS

 These are often the focus of visitor attention and may provide the initial motivation for the tourist to visit the destination. These can be categorized as natural (e.g. beaches, mountains, parks, weather), built (e.g. iconic buildings such as the Eiffel tower, heritage monuments, religious buildings, conference and sports facilities), or cultural (e.g. museums, theatres, art galleries, cultural events).  They could be in the public realm such as a nature park, cultural or historical sites or could be community attractions and services such as culture, heritage or lifestyle. Other, less tangible factors, such as uniqueness and emotional or experiential triggers are also attracting tourists to destinations

AMENITIES

 These are the wide range of services and facilities which support the visitors’ stay and include basic infrastructure such as utilities, public transport, and roads as well as direct services for the visitor such as accommodation, visitor information, recreations facilities, guides, operators and catering and shopping facilities

 The destination should be accessible to a large population base via road, air passenger services, rail or cruise ships. Visitors should also be able to travel with relative ease within the destination.  Visa requirements, ports of entry, and specific entry conditions should be considered as part of the accessibility of the destination.

HUMAN RESEOURCE

 Tourism is labour intensive and interaction with local communities is an important aspect of the tourism experience.  A well-trained tourism workforce and citizens who are equipped and aware of the benefits and responsibilities associated with tourism growth are indispensable elements of tourism destination delivery and need to be managed in accordance with the destination strategy.

PRICE

 Pricing is an important aspect of the destination’s competition with other destinations. Price factors relate to the cost of transport to and from the destination as well as the cost on the ground of accommodation, attractions, food and tour services.  A tourist’s decision may also be based on other economic features such as currency exchange.

MEETING & CONVENTIONS

 Convention- is a meeting of delegates for action on particular matters. These may be matters of policies, trade, science, technology, travel, tours among others. It is usually kept once a year and is a generally large.  Conference- a near synonym for a convention, usually implying much discussion and participation. A conference program commonly deals with specific problems or developments in the technical & scientific areas, travel among others.  Symposium- similar to a forum, except that conduct is more formal or panel and the method is one of presentations.  Lecture- is a meeting type where there is one presenter or expert. The presentation is usually followed by discussion followed by questions.

 Work shop- is a general session involving only small groups that deals with specific problems or assignments. Workshops are used by tour directors for skill training and drills.  Retreat- is a small meeting typically in a small location for the purpose of bonding intensive planning sessions or simply to get away from it all.  Exhibition- is an event held in conjunction with another meeting such as a convention and is used to display goods & services by vendors. Exhibitions' usually have a built in audience and is where buyers and vendors get to engage each other.  Trade shows/ expositions- is define as an exhibition held for its own sake. If the trade show or exposition is open to the public it is called a consumer show.

A convention and visitor bureau (CVB) is a not-for-profit organization (or a quazi-governmental entity) supported by transient room tax, government budget allocations, private membership or a combination of any or all three. It can also be named a tourist commission, tourist and convention commission, or other similar variations

A CVB does not actually organize meetings/conventions/events. It does, however, help planners and visitors learn about the destination and area attractions and make the best possible use of all the services and facilities the destination has to offer. For visitors, CVBs are like a key to the city. As an unbiased resource, CVBs can serve as a broker or an official point of contact for convention /meeting/event planners, tour operators and visitors. They assist planners with preparation and encourage business travelers and visitors alike to visit local historic, cultural and recreational attractions.

The bureau in each city, county or region has four prime responsibilities:  To encourage groups to hold meetings, conventions, events and tradeshows in the city or area it represents; to assist those groups with meeting/event preparations and while their meeting/event is in progress.  To encourage tourists to visit and enjoy the historic, cultural and recreational opportunities the destination offers.  To represent a specific destination and help the long-term development of communities through a travel and tourism strategy.  To serve as a community’s marketing agency by promoting the city’s/county’s assets to visitors with the objective of increasing the economic impact to the local economy via the greenest and cleanest of economic strategies - people visiting, spending money and leaving the community intact.

 Divide yourself into groups of five (5) and analyze Jamaica’s tourism Product within a one (1) hour time line, after which each group will present their views in a panel discussion. The analysis should include:  Swot analysis  Feasibility assessment  Holistic destination management and marketing analysis.

 Buhalis, Demetrius. (2000) Conceptual Model of Tourism.  Kotler, Phillip:(2002) Marketing Management Millennium Edition, Prentice Hall  (