The Changing Role of the DMO, 2020

The Changing Role of the DMO A practical toolkit

Photo: Mastbos Breda – VisitBrabant

Contents

Introduction 3 A practical toolkit 4

1. Strategy 6

2. Communications & Public affairs 7

3. Partnerships & Collaboration 8

4. Destination branding 9

5. Knowledge & Insights 10

6. Sustainable business practices 11

7. Platform for residents 12

8. Accessibility & Inclusiveness 13

9. Hospitality development 14

10. Nationwide network 15

About Destination Netherlands 16 Co-creation of this toolkit 17 Partners 18 2. The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit

In 2019, fifteen selected representatives from DMO network Destination Netherlands (Kennisnetwerk Destinatie Nederland) came together to identify the biggest challenges facing DMOs and to formulate a new vision for the role of DMOs in the Netherlands.

However, in March 2020, everything changed abruptly as we were confronted with a global pandemic and life as we knew it – including the visitor economy – ground to a halt. Ensuring a sustainable recovery for tourism in the Netherlands will require energy, investment, and cooperation between local, regional, and national players. In these times of transition and reorientation, a clear vision for the changing role of DMOs is more important than ever.

We have distilled this vision into a practical toolkit for DMOs that provides guidance in a variety of different areas. We hope that it will prove useful to Dutch DMOs seeking to grow and develop further.

This toolkit can be employed during discussions with stakeholders in order to help make decisions and clarify what changes are needed. We invite all DMOs in the Netherlands to try using the techniques in this toolkit and explore how they can be applied to their own vision and strategy.

The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit 3.

Photo: Zuid-Limburg – Visit Zuid-Limburg

Introduction

Tourism has been growing rapidly in recent years – at least it did until March 2020. Digitalisation is progressing at breakneck speed, and the field of destination marketing has begun to evolve into destination marketing and management.

A practical toolkit What role will the DMO play in the future? Which topics are most important, and how should you address them?

In this toolkit, you will find the ten most important topics to consider. Which ones will you tackle first?

4. The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit

Photo: Storm surge barrier – VVV Zeeland

10 Topics for DMOs 1. Strategy

6.

2.

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3.

8. Accessibility & Inclusivity

4.

9. Hospitality development

5. Knowledge & Insights

10.

The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit 5.

1. Strategy Focus on long-term contributions to the well-being, prosperity, and development of your city or region ​

Align your DMO’s strategy with your city or region’s vision on social, political, and environmental issues, making sure they correspond to your organisation’s KPIs​

Assemble a strong board for your DMO that is both balanced and representative of your city or region​

Engage in regular dialogues with residents, politicians, local government, institutions, and the business community​ Ensure that there is always a direct link between your objectives as a DMO and the projects you are implementing

Inform residents about DMO activities and objectives ​

6. The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit

Photo: The Hague Marketing Bureau

2. Communications & Public affairs ​ Contribute to policymaking. Engage in dialogues with policymakers and involve them in developments, trends, and discussions. Share your DMO’s knowledge, experience, and insights with them Inform stakeholders of your organisation’s goals, activities, and success stories and encourage them to share these successes

Arrange to share news with local media, for example through a weekly newsletter and regular updates on social media channels

Lobby politicians and influencers at the regional and national levels

Organise meetings (eg. town forums and inspiration workshops) to physically bring residents, politicians, and businesses together to discuss major issues and challenges associated with the leisure economy in your city or region

The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit

7.

3. Partnerships & Collaboration Assemble a broad partner network that accurately reflects the makeup of your city or region

Engage in open and inclusive partnerships. Take on a pivotal role in your city or region

Aim to meet with different strategic partners three to four times each year

Support partners in communicating about the destination and developing their products and services in order to ensure that they match your city/region’s DNA as closely as possible

Communicate proactively with partners; share and amplify each other’s successes

8. The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit

Photo: Beach houses in Domburg – VVV Zeeland

4. Destination branding Start a movement – for example by forging a new brand alliance with different players across your city or region, or by setting up an ambassador programme. A solid fanbase will keep the brand fresh and help it to grow organically Let others do the talking: while DMOs serve as brand custodians, the brand itselve must remain open and accessible to allow for smooth interactions

Monitor how the brand fits into the image of the Netherlands as a whole and how the destination is represented in international markets. Reflect on how local businesses can use these perceptions to stand out and strengthen customer loyalty Analyse the differences between residents’ and visitors’ perceptions of the destination’s brand

The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit 9.

5. Knowledge & Insights Use high-quality data and market research to gain more insight into the market, visitor trends, and visitor behaviour

Convince local and regional decision makers of the importance of data collection and gaining insight into the visitor economy, and use this data to attract investors

Add skills such as data analysis and storytelling to your organisation

Be prepared to share knowledge, insights, and advice with policymakers, business owners, and institutions. Collaborate with institutions for education and research

Develop tools for communicating data and insights in an accessible way

Have facts and figures ready when speaking about developments in the leisure economy

10. The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit

Photo: Kiekkaaste birdwatcher’s hut in Groningen – Stella Dekker Fotografie

6. S ustainable business practices Invest in your community; set a good example by making your own business practices greener and more sustainable

Develop environmentally friendly routes and attractions in your city or region. Employ smart infrastructure and information campaigns to encourage visitors to reduce their carbon footprint and waste output Provide a platform for local makers and their products

Be mindful of how local residents feel about the leisure economy

Take action to correct tourism-related problems that risk damaging the built or natural environment

The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit 11.

7. Platform for residents Provide a platform for local artisans, creatives, and other makers so that they can benefit from tourism

Involve residents in communications and storytelling about your city or region through campaigns, social media, events, and other platforms

Encourage citizen’s initiatives that promote hospitality and make the destination more appealing

Make sure that your organisation is reflective of the makeup of your city or region

12. The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit

Photo: Kralingse Plas – Iris van den Broek

8. Accessibility & Inclusivity Promote inclusive tourism in your city or region by working with partners to remove physical and digital barriers

Work with the business community and cultural as well as educational institutions to raise awareness about opportunities for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups

The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit 13.

Photo: De Markthal - Ossip van Duivenbode

9. Hospitality development Understand who your visitors are, as well as their motives and expectations, in order to provide the best possible service

Look at your destination through your visitors’ eyes

Drive the development of hospitality in your city or region – not only at your DMO’s own touchpoints, but also with businesses, local government, residents, and cultural institutions

Expand your capacity for communicating with visitors through a variety of channels (especially digital communication channels)

Invest in guiding residents: encourage them to visit cultural institutions and explore unfamiliar neighbourhoods and lesserknown attractions and events in your city or region

14. The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit

Photo: Batavia Regatta in Lelystad – Aleksander Willemse

10. Nationwide network Encourage professionalisation in the sector by cooperating and sharing knowledge across multiple regions

Form coalitions or ‘destination clubs’ with interested parties in order to pool resources and share responsibilities. These coalitions should be based on long-term commitment and should focus on setting clear objectives and achieving tangible results

Aim to coordinate more closely with other DMOs, Destination Netherlands, and NBTC Holland Marketing in order to achieve the goals set out in Perspective 2030

The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit 15.

About Destination Netherlands Destination Netherlands (Kennisnetwerk Destinatie Nederland) is a network for and by professionals from around 65 organisations involved in destination marketing and destination management, with a small team based at VVV Netherlands in Utrecht.

Our promise: to actively develop and strengthen the field of destination management by sharing knowledge and building connections. Our aim: to contribute to the development of attractive destinations for both visitors and residents.

As professionals, we support each other as we grow into future-oriented Destination Management Organisations (DMOs). This is the common theme uniting all of our expertise groups. We also draw inspiration from specialists outside of our network. The interests of the DMO sector as a whole are our top priority.

We connect organisations, people, and initiatives, we maintain our network, and we seek out new connections that add value to our network.

16. The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit

This toolkit is the result of co-creation guided by Toposophy, with input and expertise from: Renske Satijn and Jannelieke Aalstein - Rotterdam Partners Martijn Bulthuis - Leiden Marketing Peter Kentie and Erik van Gerwen - Eindhoven365 Marco Esser - The Hague & Partners Geerte Udo - amsterdam&partners Edith Kurris - Visit Zuid-Limburg Herre Dijkema - Toerisme Veluwe Arnhem Nijmegen Erik van den Dobbelsteen - VVV Zeeland Giel Polman - Limburg Marketing Rijk van Ark - Utrecht Marketing Heleen Huisjes - VisitBrabant Roeland Tameling - expertgroup Marketing Kennisnetwerk Irma van Oosten - Marketing Op Voorne Putten Cinto Prosperi - VVV Ameland Nik Smit - Almere City Marketing Kees van Wijk and Wendy Sieger Kintzen - Kennisnetwerk Destinatie Nederland Eduard Pieter Oud – Respons (discussion leader) Peter Jordan – researcher tourism & placemaking; Toposophy

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Photo: Ferander Bike

Co-creation of this toolkit

Partners

18. The Changing Role of the DMO - A practical toolkit

Photo: Shutterstock

Dit is Assen!

VVV Oosterhout • VVV Eerbeek • VVV Elburg • VVV Vlaardingen • Samenwerkende VVV’s in de Peel • Samenwerkende VVV’s in Twente • Samenwerkende VVV’s in Duin- en Bollenstreek • Schiedam Partners

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Photo: Kralingse Plas – Iris van den Broek

Contact Destination Netherlands VVV Nederland BV Papendorpseweg 99 Building A, 4th floor 3528 BJ UTRECHT info@destinatienederland.nl phone: +31 30 3074174 Destination Netherlands consists of a network of around 65 Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), based at VVV Netherlands in Utrecht.

Publishing details: Destination Netherlands 2020 Design: Miquel Imlabla, www.mixthis.nl Translation: EdenFrost Communication