How Destinations use Foresight and Adaptation for Success: Cleveland Case Study

Written by Aaron McIntire on August 31, 2023. Posted in Blog.

Cleveland: A Case Study on Revitalization

Downtown, Cleveland, Ohio by David Lennon; Licensed for free use from Pixelbay

As someone who grew up in a suburb just ten minutes south of downtown Cleveland, Ohio, I quickly became acquainted with the essence of living near a city that embodies the Rust Belt ethos, a once bustling metropolis with a population exceeding 914,000 people. Cleveland has seen a dramatic decline over the course of the last 50 years. Its current population barely reaches 370,000. This decline, coupled with the retreat of the steel industry, played a significant role in pushing the city into the Rust Belt category. Despite these challenges, Clevelanders continue to adapt; driven by an appreciation for the city’s unique character, many still call the city home.

Despite its historical setbacks, Cleveland’s tourism sector has shown impressive growth. In particular, Destination Cleveland, is one of Ohio’s premier Destination Marketing & Management Organizations (DMOs). Reported a notable 12% increase in visitors to Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Reaching around 19.7 million visitors – up from 17.6 million the previous year. This upward trajectory is promising, but the critical question remains: How does a city revive itself when its once-dominant industries have faded away? This challenge plagues destinations worldwide. Yet Cleveland’s response offers inspiration and a potential blueprint for others to follow – a testament to adaptation, cooperation, and progress.

Contemporary Success

Cleveland’s recent surge in tourism is due to the combination of its sporting and political events. The city is home to three major league sports teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers (basketball), the Cleveland Guardians (baseball), and the Cleveland Browns (football). Notably, Destination Cleveland’s data from 2016 revealed that a staggering 18 million people visited the city in 2016. While the Cleveland Cavaliers’ championship parade and the Guardians’ success played a crucial role in achieving this record-breaking number, there was more to the story. Over the years, Cleveland saw a consistent increase in its annual visitor count, with an astonishing growth rate of nearly 3%. How did a city that welcomed only 13.7 million visitors in 2007 manage to attract 19.2 million visitors annually within a relatively short span of time?

Susan Glasser’s 2019 article on Cleveland.com featured insights from David Gilbert, the CEO & President of Destination Cleveland, shedding light on the organization’s successful approach. Two main factors emerged as pivotal: diversifying the range of appealing activities available and targeting local audiences with effective marketing efforts. Firstly, a destination should offer an enticing array of activities, ensuring visitors find something appealing. Secondly, gear marketing strategies towards local communities, focusing on attracting visitors from nearby cities such as Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincinnati, or Pittsburgh.

Cleveland’s journey from industrial lows to a soon-to-be thriving tourist destination showcases the power of strategic planning, community engagement, and leveraging the city’s unique assets. As cities worldwide grapple with their own revitalization challenges, the lessons learned from Cleveland’s success story could have a global impact, fostering a culture of resilience, adaptability, and collective success for destinations.

Make No Mistake, This Is Cleveland!

Arts & Activities Abound

Cleveland boasts an array of captivating activities to cater to a wide range of interests. One shining gem is the Cleveland Playhouse, nestled in the heart of downtown within the vibrant Playhouse Square District. As the largest performing arts center outside of Broadway, it offers an immersive theater experience. Additionally, consider the Cleveland Museum of Art, which stands as a respected institution with an exceptional art collection. Highlighting India, Southeast Asia, and Egypt. For the music enthusiasts and history buffs. You may find your heart racing at the sight of the iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A pyramid-shaped beacon that illuminates the incredible journey of Rock and Roll through the ages.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by David Mark; Licensed for free use from Pixelbay

However, if these options don’t resonate with you, consider immersing yourself in the natural beauty of Lake Erie, a tranquil freshwater lake with a rich and storied history. Cleveland’s connection to this picturesque lake adds a unique dimension to its allure.

The wonderful Metroparks

Venturing further afield, the Cleveland Metroparks beckon with their diverse offerings. This expansive system of 18 reservations and over 100 hiking trails dot the Greater Ohio area. Provides an ideal escape into nature. As a hidden treasure within the Forest City, the Metroparks Zoo is another remarkable highlight. It’s worth noting that Cleveland boasts more greenery than even Northern California, a testament to the city’s commitment to preserving its natural spaces. The moniker Forest City accurately reflects the lush biodiversity of the Metroparks and the city.

My summer takeaway

One of Solimar International’s goals is to underwrite tourism projects while promoting sustainable tourism. Given the current demand for Northeast Ohio tourism, sustainable tourism is growing across Cleveland, besides the typical gentrification that is across the country. I have not witnessed any harm done to the city due to its tourism industry. Perhaps this is how citizens of Cleveland prefer it, keeping the living costs relatively cheap with an accompanying modest population. This will result in a tourism industry that ranges from nonexistence to treading water.

Why industry and climate change are crucial for adaptation.

Silicon Heartland!

Cleveland may have erratic tourist attractions on a year-to-year basis, but some developments can send more people to the city. With population growth on the horizon, more people will discover the city’s strengths. It doesn’t matter what the people want. As the city gets bigger, it must take its tourism more seriously. So, what developments make me believe the city will see a population bump? Earlier this year, in a joint press conference with President Biden. Governor Mike Dewine announced a deal to see the tech company Intel create a new chip manufacturing plant outside of Columbus in New Albany, Ohio.

The billions of investment dollars aim to transform factories across Ohio. A Silicon Valley in the Midwest, a Silicon Heartland, as citizens hope to coin it. This is arguably the most significant economic investment in the state, and if all goes well, the impact will be profound.

Being one of the larger cities in the Midwest, the cost of living is already a little higher. A future-proof technology company like Intel moving into the Buckeye state can immediately affect home prices. Cleveland is located about two hours north of the Columbus area. If housing becomes scarce, driving prices will rise. I imagine people will move further away for cheaper homes. If the plan to turn Ohio into a Silicon Heartland is successful, the state may see a population increase.

A hopeful climate forecast.

Climate change is another factor that I see potentially increasing the population of Cleveland, Ohio. Historic Cleveland holds the Mistake on the Lake moniker because of the city’s pollution problems affecting the adjourning Lake Erie. The Great Lakes contain the world’s largest supply of freshwater. Access has been a crisis, depending on where one lives. Suppose people in packed cities like Los Angeles already have to ration their water supplies in 2022. It is daunting to imagine what the near future holds for communities at risk of running out of water. Cities along the Great Lakes will only become more appealing as climate issues become more apparent.

Failing to Drive Adaptation

Poor financial foresight may harm

Recent local events, such as the closing of Sokolowski’s University Inn. A Cleveland staple for nearly 100 years. It was shocking to many, making headlines across the local news. Some blamed it on the economic times, but the restaurant was a tourist staple. Its location offers some of the best views of the city. It is also next to the recently made Cleveland script signs. The closure of these sites has made me concerned that my city would not be properly prepared to have sustainable tourism.

A recent Tax Levy for the MetroPark system also put fear in Clevelanders’ hearts. Given how much the city government promotes them. We Northeast Ohioans are lucky to have the MetroParks. I always assumed there was some special law that guaranteed their funding. Luckily, the levy passed with 77% approval, yet these numbers still concern me. These parks are the city’s best attraction. The fact that there was a slim possibility that the parks may lose funding deflated me. Some people just assume these great parks will always be there. They sadly do not think what can happen if they lose funding. We may be discounting the success of the Metroparks.

An Adaptation-Focused Mindset is All You Need

The apathetic attitudes of Clevelanders toward the few things they can be proud of have left me frustrated. If we cannot take care of our best tourist attractions, how can we possibly handle matters when push comes to shove? The Sokolowski house is still popular as the surrounding location has become a serene viewpoint for pictures of Greater Cleveland. There are rumors that the property is for sale. We won’t know if the buyer is a local or an out-of-towner.

Rocky River Reservation by Cleveland Metroparks

Can Cleveland maintain sustainable tourism with a hypothetical population surge?

One of my biggest takeaways from my Solimar Internship is that sustainable tourism relies on cooperation and innovation from all parties. From the stories I’ve heard, it can quickly become complicated and sometimes political. People can be stubborn and understandably resist exploitation. Claiming ownership over local attractions and city culture leads to mishaps, as we can see from the mishandling of Sokolowski’s house. As well as the proposed defunding of the Metroparks.

Overconfident businesses might make poor decisions simply because they have lived in a single community their whole lives. This does not translate to positive tourism for a city still debating funding its beloved public parks. Our community could fail to enact sustainable tourism. It is essential for the native people to be able to carry their weight when it comes to tourism. Otherwise, those from the outside will dictate the direction.

Hope for Cleveland’s future

This can either be a good or bad thing. But I know that if a young outsider introduces a business that doesn’t represent the city. It may rub the locals the wrong way. I’d love for Cleveland to transform into a Midwest Portland. Yet this rapid progress can be harmful to locals and their environment. That is why it is important for Clevelanders to know their story. While also focusing on what needs to change to maintain authenticity. The historic Ali Summit was held in downtown Cleveland in 1967. Itself, a pivotal moment within the American Civil Rights movement, has held more impact for Clevelanders. If Clevelanders aren’t aware, a possible increase in tourism may harm sites such as the historic Metroparks. Leaving many voters considerate to future levies.

Not being a destination city might be okay with the people of Cleveland now, but that can quickly change if more people choose to live or flock to our city. It is crucial that we prepare for adaptation without losing the essence of what makes Cleveland unique. By embracing common values, we can work harmoniously with inquisitive businesses and tourism companies. DMOs can focus on crafting experiences that benefit everyone. Regardless of the city’s evolution over the years, cultivating self-awareness and readiness for environmental changes remains paramount. Without proactive efforts, visitors might opt for other destinations. I would like to see Cleveland’s further success. I believe that adaptation and foresight from citizens to decision-makers are critical for success. Together, we can ensure that the belief in the land remains strong!

Follow in my footsteps and join Solimar’s virtual internship cohort!

Tunisia, destination that uses situation analysis

How to Conduct a Situation Analysis to Develop a Tourism Strategy?

Written by Madison Tomaso on December 2, 2022. Posted in Blog.

What is A Situation Analysis?

Tourists at destination after successful tourism strategy — A successful tourism destination requires situation analysis.

Traveling to a destination can feel like an individual journey. But, did you know that most tourism destinations develop thoughtful strategies to ensure their destinations attract visitors in intentional and measured ways? A tourism strategy is designed to highlight a destination’s best aspects, such as food and history, while also offering solutions to tourism challenges that a destination might face, such as limited infrastructure. A successful tourism strategy is a first step to making a country safe, educational, and enjoyable for travelers. Essential to every tourism strategy is a situation analysis that details the supply and demand of tourism to the destination along with the opportunities and challenges that a destination faces using techniques such as stakeholder interviews, online data analysis, and on-the-ground assessments.

Why is a Situation Analysis Important?

The tourism industry is a critical source of jobs and economic growth, as well as a decisive factor in a nation’s sustainable development. While a tourism strategy is necessary to help develop tourism, a cookie-cutter approach will not be effective at addressing each destination’s unique circumstances. Thus, individualized situation analyses are critical for creating an effective tourism strategy. In this blog, we will examine some guidelines for performing an impactful situation analysis, as well as the use of situation analysis in one growing destination, Tunisia.

Situation Analysis, as Explained by the World Bank

Analyzing data for situation analysis — Data analysis is a crucial aspect of conducting a situation analysis.

How do tourism practitioners go about conducting a situation analysis of a destination? Solimar International, for example, follows the strategy guidelines outlined by the World Bank, a global partnership dedicated to using sustainable solutions to combat poverty. Per the World Bank’s method, there are four essential steps to conducting a successful situation analysis.

Project planning
Desk-based research
An in-country evaluation
An analysis of their data to compile a report detailing both their research and conclusions

Each step requires complex research, discussion, and analysis. Within these guidelines, the World Bank also offers detailed suggestions on how to complete each step: A situation analysis team must interview a range of stakeholders within a country’s tourism industry, everyone from artisans selling goods to travel booking agents. Desk research entails compiling and studying all documents relevant to the destination’s tourism, and the statistical analysis of comparing the performance of the country to similar countries. This data must then be analyzed to identify the opportunities, challenges, and solutions surrounding the destination. Finally, the World Bank advises the team to use all their data, research, and analysis to create the final tourism strategy document.

What Should be Included in the Final Report?

Because the main objective of a situation analysis is to identify both the biggest opportunities and constraints associated with a given destination, the report therefore must outline the destination’s offerings. These can include anything from thriving wineries to well-preserved cultural sites. However, the report must also acknowledge the challenges that were pinpointed by the analysis. Issues such as poor infrastructure or lack of safety can be major hindrances to tourism. In addition, a proper analysis should identify potential solutions to the constraints, and these should be included in the report as well. It is also crucial for the report to list key stakeholders in the local tourism industry, in addition to potential partners that may help to implement the plan. This detail ensures that the plan includes everyone who has a vested interest in helping the strategy succeed.

Practical Application: How A Situation Analysis was Used in Creating Tunisia’s Tourism Strategy

View of Tunisia, destination using situation analysis — *Tunisia is a beautiful destination for tourists to enjoy*

Tunisia is a wonderful destination, with numerous activities for tourists to enjoy. It is rife with opportunities for successful tourism, from a Mediterranean coastline to historical sites. However, the destination is not yet on par with nearby destinations such as Morocco and Egypt. Tunisia receives approximately a million tourists per year, and the country hopes to grow its tourism sector. To achieve this, Solimar is currently working on the USAID Visit Tunisia program Tunisia’s tourism visibility. One of the program’s initial goals was to develop a national tourism strategy, which included a comprehensive situation analysis.

To complete the analysis, Solimar interviewed major stakeholders in Tunisia, including those in the public and private sectors. It is critical to converse with stakeholders in order to understand the expectations for the plan’s results and to provide further insight into the destination’s current tourism situation. Extensive desk research was conducted this included comparing Tunisia’s data to that of competing countries, and reading previous strategies and relevant documents for Tunisia. Solimar also reviewed all available tourism sector data from Tunisia. Through this data, Solimar was able to better understand both the problems and advantage tourism faced in Tunisia. Finally, Solimar analyzed the statistics from Tunisia’s tourism sector. Using this data and analysis, Solimar was able to form a solid foundation of the country’s current tourism industry to inform the development of recommendations for the National Tourism Strategy.

Interested in learning more about strategic planning for tourism? Be sure to like Solimar on Facebook to stay updated on our latest projects!

Regenerative travel allows you to ethically view some of these stunning sites

Why Regenerative Tourism is the Industry’s Future

Written by AnnieCombs on September 8, 2022. Posted in Blog.

When not managed or appropriately planned, tourism can be a very extractive process that comes at the expense of local people and their homes. Often, multinational tourism companies capitalize on popular destinations to the detriment of residents. These destinations are “mined” for labor, culture, land use, and natural features. Extractive tourism, a term coined by academic Vijay Kolinjivadi, contributes to climate change and environmental degradation and commodifies indigenous traditions. Local residents are often priced out of their homes due to the gentrification caused by tourist demand to be catered to.

Sustainable tourism is the first step toward counterbalancing the destruction caused by traditional tourism. The goal here is to make tourism a neutral force in destinations, causing no net harm–but also no net benefit. Regenerative tourism takes a step beyond sustainability; it encompasses the notion that tourism should leave a place better than before, taking a holistic approach to improving the well-being of destinations. Often, regenerative tourism operations offer visitors concrete ways of participating in conservation activities to increase their appreciation of the destination.

What Does Regenerative Tourism Do for the Planet?

Regenerative tourism operations require tourism professionals to brainstorm creative ways to minimize environmental impacts. Nature-based solutions integrate natural processes into the built environment to increase resilience, and are great methods for creating a regenerative tourism framework. These solutions can be big or small, ranging from building submerged structures for coastal wave-breaking and substrate for coral colonization to making plates out of locally-grown bamboo instead of plastic or paper. Nature-based solutions, implemented within a regenerative tourism plan, can help make tourism a force for good in the world. If every tour in a destination contributed to restoring the landscape, the positive change tourists could bring would be enormous!

Regenerative tourism does not only apply to previously damaged ecosystems, however. When starting a new tourism operation, it is essential to consider its possible effects on the environment. Implementing a regenerative plan before damage can even begin helps to ensure that tourism professionals do not create future problems for themselves. Keeping rivers clear, forests green, and beaches clean guarantees that tourists can continue to enjoy a destination for years to come. An unhealthy ecosystem can cause severe damage to a tourism operation’s bottom line; healing the environment as the market grows ensures business can stay booming. After all, you can’t offer snorkel tours if there are no fish to see. Regenerative tourism provides the promise of stability in both the natural and business worlds.

Sundarbans Forest in Bangladesh — Preserving natural beauty, like in the Sundarbans Forest of India and Bangladesh, is a significant part of any regenerative vacation

What Does Regenerative Tourism Do for People?

Regenerative tourism is not only focused on the restoration of the natural environment. On the contrary, it is deeply concerned with the experiences of people. First and foremost are the residents of a travel destination. Regenerative operations are either run by or look to partner with local communities. This ensures that tourism dollars flow into the destination, not the pocketbooks of outside investors.

Close relationships with local and indigenous peoples also allow for the concrete preservation of cultural heritage. Native residents can choose how to present their traditions to visitors rather than having foreign companies commodify their way of life. It can even increase local support for tourism!

Many popular destinations have become the victims of “overtourism,” or the congestion of a location by tourists, which locals perceive to have a detrimental effect on their own quality of life. The indigenous of Hawai’i, in particular, have been righteously hostile to tourists for several years, with some factions pushing for a complete halt of visitor traffic. However, a recent study in the Journal of Travel Research suggests that regenerative tourism models make tourism much more palatable for Hawai’i residents, with 96.3% of 463 respondents looking favorably to tourists who would participate in conservation activities.

regenerative tourism helps with impacts of crowds — Crowds of irresponsible tourists can reduce local support for tourism

Why Should Travelers Look for These Tourism Opportunities Moving Forward?

Booking a trip from an organization that uses regenerative tourism strategies can contribute to peace of mind, as visitors know that they aren’t promoting the destruction of the ecosystems they want to experience. These tours may not be the most well-known, but that doesn’t mean they offer a lower-quality experience. Many of them are hidden gems that give travelers unique opportunities for interaction that other tours could never provide, with smaller group sizes making for a more personalized adventure.

Local guides are a great way to support a local economy — Utilizing local guides makes for a smaller and more tailored experience for tourists.

Experiential tourism is the name of the game these days, with travelers wanting to pursue immersion over superficial encounters. Regenerative tourism operations allow visitors to get their hands dirty with activities such as planting native trees, clearing invasive plant species, and removing fishing gear and other plastics from water bodies. Local guides offer in-depth glimpses of the reality of life in these locations. These enterprises seek to create a culture of reciprocity with residents, allowing both sides of the tourism equation to learn from each other. Tourists who participate in these kinds of regenerative pursuits have reported feelings of deep satisfaction and connection with nature and are likely to continue these behaviors upon returning to their homes.

picking up trash is a meaningful way to contribute to a place — Participating in conservation activities, like beach clean-ups, makes visitors feel more connected to a destination.

On a more practical note, a 2021 study by Booking.com found that 68% of tourists want to ensure that their money goes to an operation that supports local people and is distributed equitably. On a regenerative trip, visitors can be sure that their money supports the people who live and work at these destinations. Residents are the people who have the power to keep the world’s favorite travel destinations clean, biodiverse, and economically stable while offering an honest look into their cultures. Recreational travel through regenerative tourism helps to support a bright future for the tourism industry on all sides.

To learn more about regenerative tourism and why it is the future of our industry, check out our Director of Conservation & Community Development Chloe King’s white paper about regenerative tourism here. You can also see Solimar’s regenerative tourism projects on our website.

Blog by Annie Combs and Deanna Elliott

7 New Trends in Tourism Planning You Must Know

Written by Greta Dallan on July 26, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

What is Tourism Planning?

Tourism planning consists of creating strategies to develop tourism in a specific destination. Knowing and understanding current trends allows those in the industry to tailor their operations to meet demand. It is crucial for DMOs and tourism businesses to stay up-to-date.

Origin and development of tourism planning

Tourism planning was born from the necessity of simultaneously balancing the economic goals of tourism and preserving the destination’s environment and local welfare. It arose in the second half of the 1990s, when mass tourism brought an unparalleled change in the travel environment. Consequently, the industry had to develop new standards to adapt to this change.

The aim of tourism planning

The current objective of tourism planning is to control tourism’s unprecedented expansion to limit its negative social and environmental effects, while maximizing its benefits to locals.

These goals can be reached by:

Analyzing the development of tourism in the destination
Examining the state of affairs in a specific area and executing a competitive analysis
Drafting tourism policies
Defining a development strategy and actionable steps

Businesses looking for support through this process can reach out to Solimar International or check out this free toolkit. Solimar has a dedicated team of staff who employ a wide range of skills to promote economic growth, environmental preservation, and cultural heritage conservation.

developing strategies and planning are key to improving destination tourism — Planning development strategies are necessary to improve tourism.

Why is Tourism Planning Important?

Tourism planning should be part of destination development plans because it supports a destination’s long term success and incentivizes the collaboration of key stakeholders.

Tourism planning maximizes tourism benefits like:

Promotion of local heritage and cross-cultural empathy
Optimization of tourism revenue
Natural environment and resource protection

Tourism planning also minimizes tourism drawbacks such as:

Overtourism, and consequently anti-tourism feelings
Economic leakage
Disrespect for the local culture
Damage to the local environment

Tourism planning is also important because, by creating plans and strategies, destinations provide an example that other destinations can follow to improve tourism in their area. It ensures that the destination is consistent with changing market trends, constantly addressing tourist and resident needs as they arise.

This was made clear in the Cayman Islands. The surge of cruise tourism caused a massive influx of tourists, which brought new challenges to the small islands. Consequently, the destination’s goal shifted from attracting tourists to sustainably managing them. The development of a National Tourism Management Plan was key to provide stakeholders with the tools they needed for sustainable tourism management.

What are the Newest Tourism Trends?

In the planning process, it is fundamental to consider how new tourism trends influence the future of tourism planning and allow destination strategies to stay innovative.

1. Safety and Cleanness

The Covid-19 pandemic brought about significant change to tourism and tourists’ perception of travel. Tourists are now more concerned about safety and cleanliness. They have a preference for private home rental, contactless payments, and booking flexibility due to the constantly-evolving global health situation. They are also more willing to visit natural environments and less crowded destinations where they feel safer.

→ Tips for DMOs: Have safety and cleanliness standards, allow flexible bookings and contactless payments, and focus on open-air experiences.

An excellent example of these practices is Thailand, which decided to boost tourism after Covid-19 by rebranding itself as a safe tourist destination, issuing safety certificates to infrastructures to build public trust.

2. Social Media

Social media is the preferred channel for travel inspiration, influencing travelers’ decision-making because videos and pictures create an emotional bond between people and places.

The preferred platform depends on the traveler’s generation:

Gen X uses Pinterest and aesthetically pleasing blogs
Millennials use Instagram
Gen Z uses TikTok

Generation Z is also more willing to travel after Covid, and they will have high spending power in the next few years.

Video content is favorable because of the high engagement and interaction it creates compared to pictures. In this context, TikTok is the future of travel marketing. On this fast-growing platform, videos are likely to become viral because of the app’s algorithm. For example, the travel campaign #TikTokTravel, where people were invited to share videos of their past trips, was viewed by 1.7 billion people.

tourists use social media like Instagram to plan travel — A tourist searches for Instagrammable locations

→ Tips for DMOs: DMOs can use TikTok to promote attractions, restaurants, and tours partnering with influencers. Social media can attract new customers, monitor Instagrammable locations, and manage overcrowding by promoting lesser-known areas. This all helps shift tourists away from hot spots.

Follow Solimar International’s success with social media promotion through their World Heritage Journeys of the European Union project. By providing research, media-rich itineraries, website promotion, and mobile maps, Solimar International can help your organization reach its target audience.

3. BLeisure Travel

Due to technology, the separation between work and life is blurred. This premise gives birth to the BLeisure travel, a genre of travel that combines business and leisure. Aside from those who travel for work, combining some leisure during their stay, there is an increasing number of digital nomads. These people are freelancers or smart workers who decide to adopt a traveling lifestyle. They will look for business hotels where they can easily obtain a fast Internet connection and a good working environment.

Some destinations are rebranding themselves, targeting those who work remotely. A good example is Aruba, which promotes itself as a paradise for workation.

BLeisure tourists could work from their favorite destinations — How working as a BLeisure tourist could look

4. Destination Uniqueness

The tourism market is becoming increasingly competitive, especially for destinations with similar climates or natural features. To stand out, destinations need to focus on their distinctive assets. Places should identify a destination brand, which highlights their culture and the unique experiences they offer to tourists, instead of branding common and widely-available tourism practices.

An example of destination uniqueness as a trend of tourism planning is Uganda, which is widely known as a safari destination. The country rebranded itself by focusing on its one-of-a-kind cultures, landscapes, food, and traditions, labeling itself “The Pearl of Africa.” This is one aspect of Uganda’s tourism planning process. By identifying and promoting a destination brand, Uganda aims to develop an immersive tourism for meaningful and transformative experiences abroad.

5. Transformative Travel

Transformative travel is an expression of the experience economy combined with experiential travel. The latter is about living once-in-a-lifetime, off-the-beaten-track experiences rather than conventional ones, connecting visitors with local cultures.

Transformative travel is defined by the Transformational Travel Council as:

“intentionally traveling to stretch, learn and grow into new ways of being and engaging with the world.”

Therefore, transformative travel is an immersive experience that aims to inspire personal transformation, growth, and self-fulfillment. People travel to transform their own lives and the lives of those who live in the destination.

→ Tips for DMOs: Destinations should focus on providing unique and authentic experiences that connect travelers with locals. This enables tourists to experience local culture, food, and lifestyles, lending way to authentic experiences that they are sure to remember.

6. Sustainability and Community Engagement

Travelers are becoming more conscious of their environmental impact, and they are more willing to adopt a sustainable travel style. This means not only doing less harm to the environment, but also making a positive impact on cultures and economies, generating mutually beneficial relationships between tourists and locals.

An excellent example of a country that stays ahead of trends in tourism planning is Jamaica. Instead of boosting sun and beach tourism development, Jamaica has recently focused on community-based tourism, providing several experiences that empower locals.

By focusing on poverty reduction, gender empowerment, equality and employment, Jamaica utilizes tourism to achieve social justice goals.

Similarly, Solimar contributed to an Artisan Development project in Morocco. By strengthening the connection between local artisans and tourists, Marrakech and Fez saw a significant increase in direct selling to consumers, which contributed to increased local welfare.

developing sustainable framework is ket to the tourism planning process — Giving tourism a sustainable framework is a necessity for tourism planning

7. Technology to Manage Overtourism

The rise of charter flights boosted mass tourism. This has pressurized cities, raising the debate on the limits of acceptable change and generating anti-tourism sentiments among residents. One example of this is in Sedona, Arizona, where we helped manage visitor flow by marketing and promoting the nearby towns and attractions in Arizona’s Verde Valley.

→ Tips for DMOs: Destinations should exploit technological advances to develop crowd management techniques. Some DMOs used gamification to manage tourism flow, spreading visitors in less known or less crowded areas. This is popular in London, for example, with the Play London with Mr. Bean app, a program that allows tourists navigate to different parts of the city and find points of interest quickly. This gives the city the opportunity to redirect tourist flows to spread-out spots in London.

To learn more about the tourism planning process and future trends in the tourism industry, visit our Institute for Sustainable Destinations website today.

By Greta Dallan & Hannah Lambert

destination branding two kayak sunsetters

How to Brand Your Destination: a Complete Guide

Written by Caitlyn Marentette on June 6, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

Want to learn how to successfully make your destination stand out from the competition? This article tells you all about destination branding and how to build your own original brand!

How to Build a Successful Destination Brand

The tourism industry is one of the most universally robust industries in the world. Hundreds of thousands of people travel every year, and there are many types of travelers who feed into the industry. Even more people work in the tourism sector. So, how do you attract potential visitors to your tourism destination?

There are plenty of approaches to attract potential customers to a tourist destination. Social media, marketing campaigns, and word of mouth are just a few ways to achieve this. You might see photos of dazzling landscapes on Instagram, see a hotel ad on TV, or read a post about a famous tourism destination in a magazine. What these things have in common is a recall to what makes a destination unique, important, or appealing to a specific audience.

Bringing these features out through tourism marketing is a tactic called destination branding. Think about a famous city—Berlin, for instance. There are a number of images that you probably think of when Berlin comes to mind: the (in)famous Berlin Wall, the unmatched cosmopolitanism, the tall-standing TV Tower, and the authentic Brezeln. A collection of cultural markers like these produces a profile that is unique to Berlin. These markers can then be used to produce and to employ a marketing strategy that attracts potential tourists to Berlin. Of course, this is not specific to just one city; any site can have a brand identity.

So, the question remains: how do you produce a successful brand for your site? Below, we have compiled a short list of items to get you started on building a successful destination brand.

Berlin TV Tower (Fernsehturm) has become an iconic piece of Berlin’s identity, completing the panorama of the city alongside Brandenburg Gate or the Berliner Dom

A Brand is the Most Valuable Tool in your Marketing Strategy

A brand goes far deeper than a logo or company slogan. These are simply considered marketing tools. A brand is defined by the public perception and the emotion it makes you feel. It is the promise being made to the target audience that is derived from the product or destination’s uniqueness. Your branding efforts are the process of creating brand messaging and experiences that attract visitors. These should be as compelling and memorable as possible, in order to draw in potential customers. Successful branding occurs when this experience remains in the hearts and minds of the target audience.

Developing a Valuable Destination Brand Identity

Developing your brand identity, or brand personality, revolves around three main axes:

Destination uniqueness;
Stakeholders’ and travelers’ perceptions; and
Consistency in the marketing campaigns.

A strong brand identity is essential when you are trying to reach potential tourists and attract them to your destination. We could define the brand identity as a summary of the destination’s main traits, the words your main audience would use to describe the destination.

Does your destination offer a wide array of cultural experiences? Are most visitors coming to your destination to relax, or do they come to challenge themselves and take on new adventures? Is your destination mostly suitable for families, groups of friends or romantic getaways?

Developing your brand identity starts by auditing your destination and identifying your main target. It is recommended to involve stakeholders to better understand how they perceive the uniqueness of your destination. Start a conversation with small tourism businesses, travel agents and tour operators promoting your destination, local authority or former visitors and gather their emotions about your destination.

Including the consumer perception of your destination will ensure that the appropriate types of travelers are targeted in your brand messaging. Do not neglect to take a look at competition – locally or internationally – and to think it through: “What do I offer that is different?”, “What is our added value?” You can read an example of destination branding through consumer perceptions from Croatia.

The wide open Namibian landscape – understanding the consumer perception of your destination’s uniqueness is key to build a strong brand identity

Understanding the travel motivations of your visitors, as well as their decision-making process, will support you in building a suitable brand messaging. Associate experiences with your destination which are as distinctive, compelling, memorable and rewarding as possible. Take the example of Namibia’s online marketing campaign which Solimar ran between 2011 and 2013 that emphasized the breathtaking and seemingly endless natural landscapes of Namibia.

Once this message is clear, your marketing campaigns will help spread your identity and reach your targeted audience. The key in the marketing campaign is consistency! Make sure the brand messaging perceived is coherent on all the elements of your integrated marketing communication. Each support and channel should represent the same brand identity.

Moreover, the consistency of the brand identity continues on the spot where it is important to build brand value at each point of contact, from signage at the airport to landscapes while driving to the hotel or between parts of a destination. The experience of the traveler must reflect your brand identity.

Finally, keep track of the success of the campaign and reassess your strategy every year, or if a major event has disrupted your campaign (Covid-19 anyone?).

In short, developing a powerful brand identity consists of:

Running a destination audit
Clarifying who is your target
Building your destination SWOT
Identifying your competition, their location, and your added value
Involving local stakeholders in your branding process and assess their perception of the destination
Reassessing your Marketing Strategy annually

Using the Brand Pyramid for a Strong Destination Brand

One of the most effective ways to produce a powerful destination brand is by using a brand pyramid. Brand pyramids are models that distill the important elements of a site down to an advertising essence. Brand pyramids are important for destination branding, because they clarify the most important aspects of the destination. This helps produce a tagline that markets the message of a destination to potential visitors.

There are five tiers in the brand pyramid, which are organized from a wide base to a narrow top. The first tier, labeled rational attributes, are tangible destination characteristics. In other words, rational attributes are the markers that can be empirically observed. The physical, quantifiable features of a site are listed here. These features can be diverse, ranging from unique products and services to local cuisines to historic landmarks.

The second tier is labeled emotional benefits. These are the feelings associated with a site. This tier plays a crucial role in creating a destination brand, because it addresses the tangible emotional experience(s) of visiting a site. The first two tiers work together to create a strong brand image by listing tangible attributes alongside the emotional sentiments that the site produces.

The third tier of the brand pyramid is brand personality. This lists a group of adjectives that describe the personality of the site. This is how a target audience will describe a site in a few basic words. The brand personality can describe atmospheres and resources, and they can also attract specific audiences. As the public health situation evolves, a brand personality can illuminate how amenable a site is to a specific audience.

The fourth tier, the positioning statement, describes the one-of-a-kind site attributes. Here, brand developers ask which characteristics are seen or experienced only at that site. This is an especially important step in the brand development process. Knowing what makes a site stand out will give shape to a strong brand identity.

The final tier is brand essence. The brand essence is exactly what it sounds like: it distills aspects of all the tiers below to produce an essential brand identity. This is what the brand means, described in a few words. This is the tier that creates a destination brand, usually in the form of a tagline. A great example of the destination branding process was successfully implemented in Solimar’s Jamaica Community Experiences project from 2015-2018.

Brand Pyramid model to build a powerful destination brand – Solimar DMO Development Program

Looking for more destination development strategies? Check out Solimar’s Institute for Sustainable Destinations program on DMO Development. Or Contact Us directly for information!

Authors: Caitlyn Marentette / Célia Hulin / Thomas Kalchik

WE DEVELOP, MANAGE, AND MARKET SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DESTINATIONS

Tag: #tourismstrategy