DMOS AS A MODE OF LOCAL GOVERNANCE IN SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

Julie ScottTouch TD Ltd

Responsible Travel: working definition of Sustainable Community Based Tourism (SCBT)

• Mode of sustainable development – with collective benefits to community

• Kind of tourism product• Mode of governance – ‘community’ playing a

defining role. Community = ‘individuals with some kind of collective responsibility, and the ability to make decisions by representative bodies.’

Kemaliye/Eğin N-E Turkey

The town's wealth depended … on the fact that the men of the town were granted the right, by imperial edict, to supply the Ottoman capital of Istanbul with wood and coal, and were by tradition bankers to the court and ruling classes. From a young age the men therefore worked in Istanbul, where they became

acquainted with the culture of this large city, and later in life used the money they had earned to build fine

homes in Kemaliye. The women, who remained behind, poured their yearning for their menfolk into

beautiful needlework and other handcrafts (Prof. Dr. Berrin Alper)

Cultural heritage – vernacular architecture, crafts, poetry and songs …

Adventure tourism & extreme sports

Arrivals – uneven and sporadic

Situation analysis shows:

On the plus side:• Stunning natural assets and

landscape• Rich tangible and intangible

cultural heritage• Strong social capital• Investment in product

development (outdoor/adventure tourism equipment, training)

Challenges:• Location• Perception of security

situation• Lack of strategic follow

through• Lack of targeted marketing• Fragmented on-line

presence• Governance deficit

DMOs

• Traditionally public sector led or owned institutions

• This has changed in many places with the rolling back of public spending

• Variety of organisational & business models possible

• Common model in UK now that of community enterprise

Community Enterprise Model

Possible partners:• private sector representative

bodies and key tourism enterprises

• key relevant local authority departments

• civil society and voluntary interests

• cultural and heritage partners• wider economic stakeholders• university/academic tourism

partners

Possible sources of income:• membership subscriptions• hotel taxes• income from sales• commission from on-line

bookings• advertising in DMO

publications or website• selling DMO services to

other destinations

Suffolk Coast Ltd – formed 2012

Community DMOs

• Non-political entities – offer continuity

• Combine business, public sector & local community

• Destination focus facilitates strategic clustering strategies & joint marketing partnerships

• Provide a forum for collaboration between businesses, and between public and private sector and community

• Offer efficiencies of cost and operation through the pooling of resources – such as information, marketing/branding and internet presence

A community DMO for Kemaliye

• Proposal adopted at stakeholder meeting• Organisational form adopted: cooperative– Well established & familiar in Turkey– Combines entrepreneurial flexibility with inclusive,

collaborative management structure, accountable to public sector, private sector and community stakeholders

– has the capacity to enter into joint venture arrangements with other companies and investors – e.g. to create a community run outdoor adventure centre

Considerations• Local governance through enterprise – avoids

potential for conflicts of authority/legitimacy (treading on government toes)

• Long term sustainability requires:– development of DMO business plan– 5 year strategic plan & 2 year work plan, including: – marketing strategy– establishment of systems for collection and storage

of data, and monitoring of sustainability indicators

Considerations (cont.)

• Buying in professional expertise?• Capacity building, training and knowledge

transfer• Need to build confidence and trust• Previous good – and bad – experience of

cooperative working• Time scales – and institutional support

Thank you!