Project Overview
Solimar International is supporting the World Bank’s Western Balkans tourism engagement to help advance destination management organization (DMO) development across the region, with a focused emphasis on Albania and Serbia. The work is responding to government interest in strengthening tourism governance systems that can better coordinate national, regional, and municipal destination management functions across the six Western Balkan countries. Because each country has a distinct political and administrative structure, the engagement is focusing on practical, adaptable DMO models rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
The assignment is helping frame how DMO systems can be developed in different governance contexts, including Albania’s interest in a tiered national-provincial-municipal DMO system, Serbia’s potential launch of a national minimum viable product DMO with two provincial pilots, and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s federation and canton structure. Solimar’s role includes supporting stakeholder activation, preparing workshop content, shaping country-level engagement, and developing a high-level DMO handbook that can serve as a conversation starter for governments and World Bank country teams across the region.
A central feature of the approach is using international DMO examples and facilitated dialogue to help stakeholders understand core DMO functions, governance options, funding models, and phased implementation pathways. The engagement is combining regional knowledge-sharing with country-specific planning, helping government counterparts explore how DMOs can strengthen coordination, improve destination competitiveness, and support more effective tourism development across the Western Balkans.
Major Activities
Concept Note, Work Planning & Regional Framing
Solimar prepared a concept note to align the World Bank team on the program of work, including an online pre-mission workshop for Albanian stakeholders, an Albania mission agenda, a Serbia follow-up plan, and a high-level DMO handbook. The concept note is framing the engagement around two parallel tracks: country-level stakeholder activation in Albania and Serbia, and a regional handbook designed for use across all six Western Balkan countries.
Albania DMO Engagement & Workshop Design
Solimar is designing an online pre-mission workshop to build a shared baseline understanding of DMO models among Albanian stakeholders. The session is introducing DMO functions, common organizational structures, and examples of three-tiered systems from destinations such as Croatia, Slovenia, and Georgia. The Albania mission is designed to convert this early dialogue into a practical DMO development pathway, including stakeholder discovery sessions, regional cluster discussions, a half-day DMO workshop, and a government readout with Ministry leadership.
Serbia Follow-Up & MVP DMO Planning
Solimar is supporting planning for a Serbia follow-up engagement focused on launching a national MVP DMO conversation and exploring two provincial DMO pilots. The proposed activities include ministry briefings, discussions with the Serbia Development Agency, review of provincial DMO selection criteria, and either a provincial dialogue in Novi Sad or a private sector roundtable in Belgrade.
Regional DMO Handbook Development
Solimar is developing the structure for a high-level DMO handbook in PowerPoint format to support World Bank teams and government counterparts across the Western Balkans. The handbook is designed to explain why DMOs matter, what they do, common DMO structures, case examples of tiered systems, how DMO models can be adapted to Western Balkan realities, and a six-step pathway for standing up a DMO.
Results
Concept Note framing the Western Balkans DMO engagement, including:
- Regional and country-level engagement context
- Albania pre-mission workshop structure
- Albania mission agenda
- Serbia follow-up plan
- High-level DMO handbook outline
- Timeline, day allocation, open questions, and next steps
Albania DMO engagement materials and workshop approach, including:
- DMO model presentation framework
- Examples of national, regional, and local DMO systems
- Stakeholder discussion structure
- Draft pathway for Albania’s tiered DMO system
- Role clarification across national, regional, and municipal levels
Serbia MVP DMO planning framework, including:
- National MVP DMO concept
- Provincial pilot discussion structure
- Initial approach for selecting two provincial DMO pilots
- Proposed stakeholder engagement in Belgrade and Novi Sad
Regional Western Balkans DMO Handbook framework, including:
- DMO functions and governance models
- Five-stage maturity model
- International tiered-system examples
- Adaptation patterns for Albania, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Six-step pathway for establishing a DMO
- Discussion prompts for facilitated government and stakeholder sessions