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Searching for the Future: Challenges Faced by Destination Marketing Organizations

Department of Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University in College Station, Laboratory for Intelligent Systems in Tourism, College Station, Texas

Daniel R. Fesenmaier

School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Temple University, in Philadelphia, National Laboratory for Tourism and eCommerce, Philadelphia

Sandro Formica

School of Tourism and Hotel Management, Temple University, Philadelphia

Joseph T. O’Leary

Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University in College Station

Threats in the external environment and changes in the industry’s markets and structures have challenged destination marketing organizations to change in fundamental ways. The strategic responses to these developments are essentially decisions to proactively shape, adapt to, or passively struggle through a crisis. Envisioning the future of tourism and examining possible ways of reaching various future scenarios are essential exercises in this process of deciding which strategic approach to adopt. In response to the increasing need for new visions of the future of tourism and particularly destination marketing, leading destination marketers from the midwestern United States were invited to participate in a large focus group to discuss the specific challenges encountered by their organizations. This article summarizes the issues raised and their implications for destination marketing organizations as well as tourism research.

Key Words: destination marketing • organizational change • information technology • future trends

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