The Politics of Tourism: A Strategic Approach for DMOs   Introduction At no time in recent years has the country been as divided as it is now. Who would have ever believed that political and social issues could divide the country to the level it has? In many areas, these issues have impacted the individual level; friends and families have broken up, and the country is split between blue and red states. In addition, critical social issues have become part of consumer purchase decisions. In some cases, consumers and different groups have organized and used boycotts as tools to impact co ..read more

Institutional Investors in Tourism Destinations. Some Things to Think About... Institutional investors play a significant role in shaping the tourism industry and destinations. It doesn’t matter if your destination is a major urban center or a destination in the mountains. With their substantial financial resources and long-term investment strategies, these investors have the power to influence the development, growth, and sustainability of tourism destinations around the world. Typically, institutional investors are driven by two primary objectives: increased revenue and reduced costs. Their ..read more

“A smooth sea never made a skilled pirate.”                                                                                                 Franklin Delano Roosevelt I hope this finds you well as you settle into the new year. As the new year kicks off, I thought I would offer a few thoughts to get your mind going. The tourism industry has always been d ..read more

What Smart DMOs Can Learn From Burning Man By now, many have heard about this past year's Burning Man and the challenges some experienced with rain and mud. While much of the press coverage was way overblown, many experienced burners indicated it was a great time, as it always is. I had the good fortune of attending Burning Man for the first time and was absolutely amazed at what I saw and experienced. I will definitely be back in future years. But in taking a closer look at Burning Man, I concluded there is much a smart DMO can learn from the Burning Man community. First, Burning Man is one ..read more

Is it time for DMOs to Rethink SWOT? Almost every DMO nationwide uses a SWOT analysis somewhere in their organization. Be it a strategic plan, a tourism development plan, or a marketing plan. SWOT analysis has become a standard insert for decades. But has it been used well, how influential is it in shaping organizational strategy, and is it time to rethink this standard plan element? A Bit of History SWOT analysis was created in the 1960s by Albert Humphrey, a management consultant at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in California, USA. It was initially developed as part of a research pr ..read more

Is congestion pricing coming to your destination? It just might be. One of the major fallouts of over-tourism has been the level of congestion, traffic, and crowding. Tourism destinations across the globe have been searching for and implementing innovative new solutions to help better manage the impact of visitor demand on communities, natural resources, and residents. For several years New York and Manhattan, in particular, have been looking to implement congestion pricing for those looking to access a specific part of Manhattan. Just this week, the New York Transit Authority cleared a fina ..read more

Hi There! I recorded this quick message for you regard my Strategy Is Not Planning Article series.- Click Here ..read more

Greetings! Before the holidays I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Noble Studio in Reno NV. The interview covered a wide range of topics impacting the tourism industry and DMOs. As you get ready for the new year I thought you might enjoy my thoughts on the ever changing industry landscape. To read the interview click here. Thought Provoking Thought Leadership Strategy and Creativity Matter For more information contact me, carl@smgonline.net Check out my new YouTube channel here ..read more

Issue #18 (706 words/3 Minutes) "If you plan, that's a way to guarantee losing. If you do strategy, it gives you the best possible chance of winning." Professor Roger Martin, University of Toronto You have a new strategic plan you have spent months choreographing and spent a significant budget on; now what? Well, if Professor Martin is right in his thinking, now might be the perfect time to reevaluate the process and the plan. As I reviewed in Part 1 of this three-part series Strategy is Not Planning. What you may have in your new strategic plan is a list of your organization's expenditures ..read more

Issue # 17 (893 Words/4 Minutes) Metric Centric Vs. Strategy Centric? Are DMOs Missing the Forest for the Trees? “What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” John Lubbock Let's face it destination marketing organizations (DMOs) have become incredibly data-centric over the last 25 years. Years ago, it was only the very biggest DMOs and State tourism agencies that could even afford marketing research of any kind on a consistent or regular basis. Most DMOs were relegated to information requests, phone calls, counting coupons, or business replies to cards inserted into magazines. Metrics wer ..read more