The Smart DMO

A new step in the digital transformation of destination management organizations

Bibliographic Data

ID21864541
AuthorsUlrike Gretzel (0000-0001-8416-1829, University of Southern California, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume30
Pages3002
Publication date2021-10-14
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Journal of Tourism Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1994-7658 • E-ISSN: 1314-0817
PublisherVarna University of Management (PUBLISHER • BG)
DOI10.54055/ejtr.v30i.2589
OpenAlexW3208517577
LanguageEN
Citations received23

Smart tourism development has been adopted by destinations around the world to strengthen their long-term competitiveness in light of rapid technological, societal and environmental change. Destination management organizations (DMOs) are generally endowed with smart tourism governance at the destination-level and typically see it as a great opportunity to prove their relevance. However, these organizations also face enormous challenges and often lack the capacities and competencies needed to successfully govern smart destinations. While recent literature highlights the importance of smart destination governance, it does not provide much guidance in terms of the functions and roles of smart DMOs. This paper presents a preliminary conceptualization of six smart DMO functions that support smart governance roles, namely mobilizing, match-making, managing, sensing, shapeshifting and stewardship. As such, it presents practical guidance for DMOs trying to implement smart destination governance and outlines the need for research on smart DMOs

Business · Conceptualization · Corporate governance · Destinations · Digital marketing · Digital strategy · Knowledge management · Political science · Politics · Process management · Tourism · Computer Science · Cruise Tourism Development and Management · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Marketing

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Open DOIOpen Access