What you should know about your DMO part one: Plett Tourism
The Plett Tourism team came across an interesting article recently published by Vinpro (original source below). The following is a summarised and edited version of the original article and is aimed at local tourism businesses and those interested in following the workings of their official DMO (Destination Marketing Organisation) and LTO (Local Tourism Office): The Plett Tourism Association.
A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS
While competition is healthy within a town or destination, the reality is that when more people visit Plett, everybody benefits. That’s the marketing job of the DMO: to get more people to Plett, to get them to stay longer and to spend more money. Plett Tourism needs to focus on the things that make Destination Plett unique and make people want to visit. Supporting the work of the DMO – whether it directly impacts your business or not – enables us to work together to grow Plett as a destination.
A DMO ISN’T RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR SALES
With a few exceptions, such as bookings through the local tourism office, DMOs are not responsible for selling things. Once someone makes a decision to visit Destination Plett, there are legions of other places where people can book and buy hotel rooms, flights, packages, activities and more – the DMO is responsible for the decision to visit the destination, for selling the experience.
DMOs NEED TO TAKE A LONG-TERM VIEW
Plett is competing with every destination on the planet. As a tourism business, you may worry about next month’s sales, however your DMO should take a long-term view to build the destination brand, reputation and demand for the long term. If they don’t, other destinations will win those visitors in the long run. Plett Tourism has a destination marketing strategy that focuses on short-, medium-, and long-term goals which informs decisions and plans going forward.
PEOPLE WORKING AT THE DMOs ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS
DMOs are often publicly funded and that comes with specific complications. The DMO is under a lot of political and press scrutiny. If they make a “mistake”, it can be used by politicians in the opposition or result in negative press. Both can have very bad impacts on funding and support. This situation is frustrating for the industry and can be equally frustrating for the staff of the DMO – but they won’t tell you that! The staff at Plett Tourism are involved in the industry because they believe wholeheartedly in Destination Plett and want the best for the town, and your business: to grow the industry and for all businesses to benefit.
STOP EVALUATING MARKETING BASED ON HOW IT LOOKS
It’s very easy to have an opinion about marketing based on what it looks like and simpler to critique based on comparisons with competitor destinations. A DMO could fall into the trap of paying too much attention to what their industry might think instead of what is most effective for reaching potential visitors. For tourism businesses, it makes more sense to focus on objectives and results rather than how something looks – it’s a more well-rounded evaluation of the work that the DMO is doing.
EMBRACE FAILURES
In order to learn, you need to win…but you also need to lose. As a marketing organisation, experimentation allows us to find out what works and what doesn’t. So many DMOs are afraid to do anything different or innovative because, if it doesn’t work out, they risk getting criticised by media, industry stakeholders or politicians with the possibility of their funding being in jeopardy. As a result, many DMOs are very risk-averse and old fashioned with mediocrity as a result. Plett Tourism, since its inception, has had a clear vision as a DMO and has implemented strategies based on clear objectives including seasonality, inclusivity and diversity of product offerings. Over the years, Plett Tourism has launched the Plett Winelands product, Plett Wine & Bubbly Festival, Plett ARTS Festival, the Plett Trails Network and Plett Trails app, iKasi Life product, the Plett Ocean Festival and Marine Science Symposium, and supported countless other initiatives and start-ups.
As the official LTO (Local Tourism Office) and DMO (Destination Marketing Organisation) for Plettenberg Bay/Greater Bitou Area, the Plett Tourism Association works closely with stakeholders including Wesgro, DEDAT and SATSA.
Wesgro is the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape; DEDAT (Department of Economic Development and Tourism) is the government agency that creates opportunities for businesses and citizens to grow the economy and employment; SATSA (South African Tourism Services Association) is a dynamic, non-profit, and private membership-based tourism industry association.
The purpose of the Plett Tourism Association is to market Destination Plett, and enable the tourism industry in Bitou, to increase tourism, ensure a sustainable local tourism industry and perform the functions of the Local Tourism Office as the recognised LTO. This includes representation of the municipality and the town at tourism trade shows; during tourism stakeholder meetings, conducting research and surveys and other functionalities as required to maximise tourism’s contribution to the local economy for the benefit of all Bitou communities – #OnePlett.
Source: This list first appeared in William Bakker’s Destination Marketing Blog http://www.wilhelmus.ca
