Key factors for implementation and success of destination management systems. Empirical evidence from European countries

PurposeDestination management organizations perform a very important role regarding the management of tourism destinations. Destination management systems are a key technological infrastructure for these organizations. However, in the literature, it is not clear what are the factors that promote the implementation of these systems, neither what are the factors that contribute to their success. This study aims to propose and test two research models to overcome these research gaps.Design/methodology/approachThe first model refers to the determinants of the implementation of destination management systems, and the second model refers to the determinants of the success of those systems. The models are tested with data collected through a questionnaire survey from destination management organizations of five European countries, which are among the leaders in international tourism receipts.FindingsConcerning the factors that promote the implementation of destination management systems, this study reveals the importance of the diversity of partnerships that the private sector establishes in the destination, of advantages resulting from governance and of partners' involvement in the functions of destination management organizations. Concerning the factors that promote the success of these systems, this study highlights the importance of a phased implementation, the fact that a high number of functionalities in the system prevents success and the importance of having a revenue model that can support financial and operating costs.Originality/valueThe study provides important theoretical and practical contributions to the successful implementation of destination management systems by destination management organizations.

[1]  P. Dicken,et al.  ‘Globalizing’ regional development: a global production networks perspective , 2004 .

[2]  N. Scott.  Tourism governance in OECD countries , 2012 .

[3]  Eleni Michopoulou,et al.  Destination Management Systems: Technical Challenges in Developing an eTourism Platform for Accessible Tourism in Europe , 2007, ENTER.

[4]  Ewen James. Michael,et al.  Tourism Micro-Clusters , 2003 .

[5]  Giuseppina Passiante,et al.  Getting The Benefits Of ICTs In Tourism Destinations: Models, Strategies And Tools , 2009, Int. Arab. J. e Technol..

[6]  Jaehun Joo,et al.  A Business Model and its Development Strategies for Electronic Tourism Markets , 2002, Inf. Syst. Manag..

[7]  Ulrike Gretzel,et al.  The role of information technology use in American convention and visitors bureaus , 2006 .

[8]  Tiago Oliveira,et al.  Understanding e-business adoption across industries in European countries , 2010, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[9]  D. Buda,et al.  Desiring the dark: ‘a taste for the unusual’ in North Korean tourism? , 2015 .

[10]  Dimitrios Buhalis,et al.  Digital Divide in Tourism , 2010 .

[11]  S. Hassan.  Determinants of Market Competitiveness in an Environmentally Sustainable Tourism Industry , 2000 .

[12]  P. McCole,et al.  The role of electronic commerce in creating virtual tourism destination marketing organisations , 2000 .

[13]  Tammo H. A. Bijmolt,et al.  PROVIDING INFORMATION AND ENABLING TRANSACTIONS: WHICH WEBSITE FUNCTION IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR SUCCESS? , 2015 .

[14]  Ulrike Gretzel,et al.  Implementing a Knowledge-Based Tourism Marketing Information System: The Illinois Tourism Network , 2003, J. Inf. Technol. Tour..

[15]  Dimitrios Buhalis,et al.  COMPETITION OR CO-OPERATION?: Small and medium sized tourism enterprises at the destination , 1998 .

[16]  D. Fesenmaier,et al.  Identifying the Success Factors of Web-Based Marketing Strategy: An Investigation of Convention and Visitors Bureaus in the United States , 2006 .

[17]  U. Gretzel,et al.  Defining Internet Readiness for the Tourism Industry: Concepts and Case Study , 2001, Lectures in E-Commerce.

[18]  Xiang Li,et al.  Benchmarking destinations via DMO websites: a methodological process. , 2007 .

[19]  Katrin Blumberg,et al.  Tourism destination marketing – A tool for destination management? A case study from Nelson/Tasman Region, New Zealand , 2005 .

[20]  Hong-Mei Chen,et al.  Destination Information Systems: Design Issues and Directions , 1997, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[21]  B. Doolin,et al.  Evaluating the use of the Web for tourism marketing: a case study from New Zealand , 2002 .

[22]  Bindi Varghese.  “Intervention of Destination Management Organization’s In Tourist Destinations for Branding, Image Building and Competitiveness – A Conducive Model for Karnataka” , 2013 .

[23]  Brian King,et al.  Small Tourism Businesses and E-Commerce: Victorian Tourism Online , 2002 .

[24]  Claudio Petti,et al.  DMS Business Models Design and Destination Configurations: Choice and Implementation Issues , 2007, J. Inf. Technol. Tour..

[25]  Gianluca Solazzo,et al.  Architectural Scenarios Supporting e-Business Models for a DMS , 2007, ENTER.

[26]  Simon Milne,et al.  Tourism, economic development and the global-local nexus: Theory embracing complexity , 2001 .

[27]  Stephen L. J. Smith,et al.  The effectiveness of regional marketing alliances: A case study of the Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership 2000–2006 , 2008 .

[28]  Rodolfo Baggio,et al.  The Websites of a Tourism Destination: A Network Analysis , 2007, ENTER.

[29]  P. Robinson,et al.  Destination marketing: The use of technology since the millennium , 2017 .

[30]  Stuart Levy,et al.  Destination Branding: Insights and Practices from Destination Management Organizations , 2005 .

[31]  Tanvi Kothari,et al.  Assessing eBusiness Models of U.S. Destination Marketing Organizations , 2007, ENTER.

[32]  Dimitrios Buhalis,et al.  DMO online platforms: Image and intention to visit , 2018 .

[33]  Andrew J. Frew,et al.  Evolving Destination Systems: VisitScotland.com , 2008, ENTER.

[34]  A. Zehrer,et al.  Does distributed leadership have a place in destination management organisations? A policy-makers perspective , 2017 .

[35]  Dimitrios Buhalis,et al.  E-Tourism Developments in Greece: Information Communication Technologies Adoption for the Strategic Management of the Greek Tourism Industry , 2004 .

[36]  M. Sinclair,et al.  Tourism and economic development: A survey , 1998 .

[37]  Pietro Beritelli,et al.  2014 St. Gallen Consensus on destination management , 2013 .

[38]  Patrice Braun,et al.  Regional Tourism Networks: The Nexus Between ICT Diffusion and Change in Australia , 2003, J. Inf. Technol. Tour..

[39]  François Bédard,et al.  Implementation of a Destination Management System Interface in Tourist Information Centres and its Impact , 2008, ENTER.

[40]  Dimitrios Buhalis,et al.  E-destinations: Global Best Practice in Tourism Technologies and Applications , 2013, ENTER.

[41]  U. Gretzel,et al.  Future eDestination Marketing , 2014 .

[42]  C. Laesser,et al.  The 2016 St. Gallen Consensus on Advances in Destination Management , 2017, Journal of Destination Marketing & Management.

[43]  Rob Law,et al.  Perceptions of Functionality and Usability on Travel Websites: The Case of Chinese Travelers , 2008 .

[44]  Steve Clarke,et al.  Information technology and tourism a theoretical critique , 2009 .

[45]  Martin Raiser,et al.  Subsidising Inequality: Economic Reforms, Fiscal Transfers and Convergence Across Chinese Provinces , 1998 .

[46]  Ana María Munar,et al.  Social Media Strategies and Destination Management , 2012 .

[47]  Ahmet Usakli,et al.  How 'social' are destinations? Examining European DMO social media usage , 2017 .

[48]  Matias Thuen Jørgensen.  Developing a holistic framework for analysis of destination management and/or marketing organizations: six Danish destinations , 2017 .

[49]  Alan Fyall,et al.  Destination collaboration: A critical review of theoretical approaches to a multi-dimensional phenomenon , 2012 .

[50]  A. Morrison,et al.  Utilitarian Value in the Internet , 2004 .

[51]  Jo Connell,et al.  The implications of technological developments on Tourist Information Centres , 1999 .

[52]  Ram L. Kumar,et al.  A multi-disciplinary framework for the management of interorganizational systems , 1999, DATB.

[53]  Youcheng Wang.  Web‐based destination marketing systems: assessing the critical factors for management and implementation , 2008 .

[54]  Michael J. Baker,et al.  Responding to the electronic marketplace: Lessons from destination management systems , 1996 .

[55]  David H. Brown,et al.  Relative size and complexity: e-business use in small and medium sized tourism enterprises in Thailand , 2009, J. Enterp. Inf. Manag..

[56]  U. Gretzel,et al.  Internet Technology Use by American Convention and Visitors Bureaus , 2003 .

[57]  T. Kong.  A Selective Review of Recent Developments in the Economic Growth Literature , 2007 .

[58]  Mariapina Trunfio,et al.  Engaging Destination Stakeholders in the Digital Era: The Best Practice of Italian Regional DMOs , 2018, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research.

[59]  Dimitrios Buhalis,et al.  Progress in tourism management : a review of website evaluation in tourism research , 2010 .

[60]  Kenneth L. Kraemer,et al.  Information Technology Payoff in E-Business Environments: An International Perspective on Value Creation of E-Business in the Financial Services Industry , 2004, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[61]  P. Beritelli.  Cooperation among prominent actors in a tourist destination , 2011 .

[62]  Rui Raposo,et al.  Social media as a communication and marketing tool in tourism: an analysis of online activities from international key player DMO , 2016 .

[63]  Kai R. T. Larsen,et al.  A Taxonomy of Antecedents of Information Systems Success: Variable Analysis Studies , 2003, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[64]  Rodolfo Baggio,et al.  The web graph of a tourism system , 2006, physics/0606043.

[65]  Jie Lu,et al.  Development, Distribution and Evaluation of Online Tourism Services in China , 2004, Electron. Commer. Res..

[66]  Marianna Sigala,et al.  Evaluating the performance of destination marketing systems (DMS): stakeholder perspective , 2014 .

[67]  Dimitrios Buhalis,et al.  Experience Value Cocreation on Destination Online Platforms , 2018 .

[68]  Harald Pechlaner,et al.  Cross-Border Destination Management Systems in the Alpine Region–The Role of Knowledge Networks on the Example of AlpNet , 2002 .

[69]  Nina Mistilis,et al.  Challenges for Competitive Strategy in Public and Private Sector Partnerships in Electronic National Tourist Destination Marketing Systems , 2004 .

[70]  Josep A. Ivars-Baidal,et al.  Smart destinations and the evolution of ICTs: a new scenario for destination management? , 2019 .

[71]  Donald Getz,et al.  COLLABORATION THEORY AND COMMUNITY TOURISM PLANNING , 1995 .

[72]  D. Weaver.  A broad context model of destination development scenarios , 2000 .

[73]  T. Jamal,et al.  Chapter 18 – Collaborative Networks and Partnerships for Integrated Destination Management , 2006 .

[74]  Dimitrios Buhalis.  Marketing the competitive destination of the future. , 2000 .

[75]  Dimitrios Buhalis,et al.  Destination Management Systems Utilisation in England , 2003, ENTER.

[76]  Yves Pigneur,et al.  An eBusiness Model Ontology for Modeling eBusiness , 2002, Bled eConference.

[77]  D. Aurelien.  The Determinants of Destination Management System (DMS) and CSFs Evaluation for Madagascar , 2014 .

[78]  M. Sigala.  Examining the adoption of destination management systems , 2013 .

[79]  Rick Christian,et al.  Developing an online access strategy: Issues facing small to medium-sized tourism and hospitality enterprises , 2001 .

[80]  T. Hatten,et al.  The Tourism Entrepreneur , 2002 .

[81]  F. Zach,et al.  Assessing the Value of Collaborations in Tourism Networks: A Case Study of Elkhart County, Indiana , 2011 .

[82]  B. Lee.  The impact of social capital on tourism technology adoption for destination marketing , 2015 .

[83]  Rodolfo Baggio,et al.  Destination networks: Four Australian cases , 2008 .

[84]  Stuart A. Rosenfeld.  Bringing business clusters into the mainstream of economic development , 1997 .

[85]  Marianna Sigala.  Destination Management Systems (DMS): A Reality Check in the Greek Tourism Industry , 2009, ENTER.

[86]  John King,et al.  Destination marketing organisations—Connecting the experience rather than promoting the place , 2002 .

[87]  Mike Raco,et al.  Competition, Collaboration and the New Industrial Districts: Examining the Institutional Turn in Local Economic Development , 1999 .

[88]  Pauline J. Sheldon.  Destination information systems. , 1993 .

[89]  Andrew J. Frew,et al.  Destination Website Effectiveness – A Delphi-Based eMetric Approach – A DMS Perspective , 2007 .

[90]  M. J. Carneiro,et al.  Destination Management Systems Implementation , 2015 .

[91]  Leonor Teixeira,et al.  Destination management systems: creation of value for visitors of tourism destinations , 2014, Int. J. Technol. Manag..

[92]  Marco Cozza,et al.  Smart Tourism Destinations: Can the Destination Management Organizations Exploit Benefits of the ICTs? Evidences from a Multiple Case Study , 2018, PRO-VE.

[93]  Teemu Hakolahti,et al.  Business Webs in the Tourism Industry , 2006, ENTER.

[94]  H. Pechlaner,et al.  Destination management organizations as interface between destination governance and corporate governance , 2012 .

[95]  R. Law,et al.  Progress on information and communication technologies in hospitality and tourism , 2014 .

[96]  Marianna Sigala.  Developing Destination Management Systems (DMS): roles, functionality and future trends , 2011 .

[97]  R. Law,et al.  Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the Internet - the state of eTourism research. , 2008 .

[98]  Paul Lynch,et al.  Small tourism business networks and destination development , 2001 .

[99]  Ricard Rigall-I-Torrent.  Sustainable development in tourism municipalities: The role of public goods , 2008 .

[100]  HsingChau Tseng,et al.  A study of user acceptance of destination management systems in Taiwan tourism with the modified technology acceptance model , 2012 .

[101]  Josef Withalm,et al.  Collaboration Agents , 2007, ENTER.

[102]  F. Zach,et al.  Business models in tourism: a review and research agenda , 2017 .

[103]  Dimitrios Buhalis,et al.  Information technology in peripheral small and medium hospitality enterprises: strategic analysis and critical factors , 1998 .

[104]  Rob Law,et al.  The Dynamics of Search Engine Marketing for Tourist Destinations , 2011 .

[105]  D. Mackinnon,et al.  Learning, innovation and regional development: a critical appraisal of recent debates , 2002 .

[106]  Antonella Zucchella,et al.  Resource-based local development and networked core-competencies for tourism excellence , 2010 .

[107]  Bill Doolin.  Shaping Technological Outcomes: Website Development in Four Regional Tourism Organisations , 2005, ENTER.

[108]  Ruggero Sainaghi,et al.  From contents to processes: Versus a dynamic destination management model (DDMM) , 2006 .

[109]  Matthias Fuchs,et al.  E-Business Readiness, Intensity, and Impact: An Austrian Destination Management Organization Study , 2010 .

[110]  U. Martini,et al.  The coordinating DMO or coordinators in the DMO? – an alternative perspective with the help of network analysis , 2015 .

[111]  Dimitrios Buhalis,et al.  Destination Management Systems: Criteria for Success - An Exploratory Research , 2000, J. Inf. Technol. Tour..

[112]  Michael J. Baker,et al.  Can destination management systems provide competitive advantage? A discussion of the factors affecting the survival and success of destination management systems , 1996 .

[113]  Stephen Burgess,et al.  A Government-Funded Internet Portal as a Promoter of Regional Cluster Relationships: A Case Study from the Australian Wine Industry , 2005 .

[114]  Harald Pechlaner,et al.  Requirements for destination management organizations in destination governance: Understanding DMO success , 2014 .

[115]  Harald Pechlaner,et al.  The Role of Information Technology in the Information Process for Cultural Products and Services in Tourism Destinations , 2001, J. Inf. Technol. Tour..