Destination marketing organization

A destination marketing organization (DMO) or convention and visitors bureau (CVB) is an organization that promotes a town, city, region, or country in order to increase the number of visitors. It promotes the development and marketing of a destination, focusing on convention sales, tourism marketing, and services.

Such organizations promote economic development of a destination by increasing visits from tourists and business travelers, which generates overnight lodging for a destination, visits to restaurants, and shopping revenues and are typically funded by taxes. Convention and visitor bureaus are the most important tourism marketing organizations in their respective tourist destinations, as they are directly responsible for marketing the destination brand through travel and tourism "product awareness" to visitors. DMOs produce billions of dollars in direct and indirect revenue and taxes for their destinations' economies with their marketing and sales expertise.^[1]

Destination marketing organizations are often called travel, convention, visitors, or tourism bureaux, welcome centers, information centers and more. Regardless of the name, these organizations offer many services to the traveling public.

Australia

The Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) consists of 17 city and regional bureaux,^[2] dedicated to marketing their specific region as business events destinations to intrastate, interstate, and international markets. The bureaux also promote Australia as a whole.

Barbados

The Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA)^[3] is a not-for-profit agency of the Barbados government's Ministry of Tourism. The authority maintains 11 global offices focused on promotion and event marketing to tourists about Barbados. The offices are located in the nations of: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Georgia

The Georgia Travel is a commercial company which is responsible before the Georgian board of the tourism for the tourist arrivals to the country. It promotes both the summer vacation in Georgia and the winter ski resorts. It cooperates with some digital marketing companies, such as Promodo^[4]

Germany

The German Convention Bureau (GCB) represents the interests of the German tourism industry. The GCB markets Germany as a destination for conventions, meetings, events and incentives, both on a national and international level and is the place to contact for anybody planning an event in Germany.

Indonesia

The Destination Management Organization in Indonesia is a program of Central Government.

Korea

Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) is a statutory organization of the Republic of Korea (South Korea), under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and is commissioned to promote tourism in South Korea.

Lviv

Lviv Convention Bureau is the official convention bureau of Lviv (Ukraine). Lviv Convention Bureau is a governmental organization (subdivision of Lviv City Council). It promotes Lviv as MICE (meetings, incentives conferences, events) destination in Eastern Europe.

Italy

The Convention Bureau Italia (CBI) is a network that includes all main Italian local CBs and tourist boards and many private companies, such as congress centres, hotels, PCOs, DMCs, and service providers. CBI promotes Italy as a MICE destination, coordinates and represents the Italian offer as well as spreads the culture of the MICE industry through proper training. Convention Bureau Italia is the benchmark for everyone wanting to organize an event in Italy.

The VR Convention Bureau (VR CB) is a non-profit organization that markets tourism in North East Italy, as a meetings and conventions destination.

Jordan

Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) is an independent public–private sector partnership committed to utilizing marketing strategies to brand, position and promote Jordan as the destination of choice in international markets. Launched in March 1998, JTB has consistently worked to heighten tourism in Jordan through an integrated program of international promotional activities including trade fairs, trade workshops, trade and consumer road shows, familiarization trips, press trips, brochure & multimedia production, and media relations. The organization's main office is located in Amman, Jordan and is supported by a number of satellite locations in the Middle East, the Americas, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

Prague

Prague Convention Bureau is the official convention bureau of Prague, the capital city of the Czech republic. It is a non-profit organization working alongside the Czech Tourist Authorities. It promotes Prague for organizing a conference, meeting, seminar, exhibition or incentive events.

United States

In the United States, convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs), financed through bed taxes or their members, perform destination marketing. Every U.S. state and almost every larger city and county has its own CVB.

Organization

Although many government and chamber of commerce bodies also market destinations to visitors and meeting planners, most U.S. convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) are independent non-profit organizations.

Services

Typically, a convention and visitors bureau provides information about a destination's lodging, dining, attractions, events, museums, arts and culture, history and recreation. Some even provide bus services, insider tips, top ten attraction and activity lists, blogs, photos, forums, free things to do, season-specific activity suggestions and more. The organization works with tourists and meeting planners to provide valuable information on their local area. Their goal is to help make a visitor's trip or a conference attendees' meeting a much more enjoyable and rewarding experience. In many locations, they work closely with a convention center that will offer large spaces for larger meetings, trade shows, and conventions than can be accommodated in a single hotel. Usually, these organizations also have a local office where one can find maps, brochures, travel professionals, local insight, visitors guides, souvenirs and more.

Marketing initiatives

A convention and visitor bureau's marketing initiatives are typically achieved through the following: trade association marketplaces, web pages, advertising, distribution of promotional and collateral material, direct sales, hosting familiarization tours for journalists and travel industry personnel, and sponsoring other hospitality functions. The target decision maker of these marketing initiatives is not typically a resident in the community. Most often, if visitors are going to spend the night in a hotel, they reside at least 100 miles away. Thus, the marketing activity usually takes place or is directed outside the convention and visitors bureau's community. Convention and visitors bureaus in larger destinations often will market nationally and globally, while smaller cities may focus just on their state, region, or specific niche tourism markets.^[5]

Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Convention Bureau (PRCB) is a non-profit organization established in 1962 to drive meetings, conventions, trade shows and incentive groups to Puerto Rico.

Thailand

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is a state organization established in 2002 to promote MICE events held in Thailand.^[6]

See also

• Destination Marketing Association International

References

• R. C. Ford and W.C. Peeper, 2008. Managing Destination Marketing Organizations: The Tasks, Roles, and Responsibilities of the Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive, Orlando, FL, ForPer Publications.

External links

• Destination Marketing Association International official website
• Travelogx | Latest Destination Blogs From Around The World