Variable geometry for DMOs A principle for effective business development in tourist destinations

Variable geometry for DMOs A principle for effective business development in tourist destinations

This paper proposes a new perspective of the role of DMOs in Europe, particularly in Switzerland, by bringing forward the concept of variable geometry with overlapping strategic business fields (sbf’s). In the past, local and regional DMOs have served the needs of the enterprises and the community from a purely territorial perspective. We suggest tracing tourist destination boundaries from the viewpoint of activities and attractions, visited by a strategically relevant and rather similar group of tourists. For three DMOs, we have carried out a series of workshops with the local tourist elite to identify the current and future strategic business fields (sbf’s). The resulting boundaries of the sbf’s were the basis for discussing (1) the future geographic area of responsibility for the DMOs, (2) the role of the DMO for the sbf’s, (3) future cooperative initiatives with neighboring DMOs, (4) alternative and specific approaches of financing and governing the DMOs