Introduction Introduction

In a paraphrase of the opening line of Anna Karenina, it could be said that all well managed destinations resemble one another, each badly managed destination is badly managed in its own way.

The new Destination Managers Toolkit (DMT), built on the considerable foundations of the original Destination Management Handbook, aims to set out common guidelines to help destinations resemble one another in their good management practice.

It is not definitive. Opinions may differ on particular points, ideas can change and develop over time – government structures certainly do.

The DMT’s web-based format is designed to absorb changes in thinking and organisation, to be reviewed and revised as accepted practice develops and new best practice becomes mainstream.

It is also designed to sit alongside and complement Tourism Insights, the tourism market intelligence tool for tourism professionals. The DMT will develop as the specialist destination management arm of the pair.

As with the original version much is owed to the contributors who wrote the articles. They are listed in the Contributors section and I thank them for their valuable efforts. Thanks also to VisitBritain, the Regional Development Agencies, Tourism South East, South West Tourism, and the New Forest District Council for contributing staff resources and money towards the production of the DMT.

I hope readers find it helpful, use it to develop their knowledge and skills, and suggest changes and additions to keep it up to date and, above all, relevant to those doing the job on a day-to-day basis.

Roger Budden

Consultant Editor

Introduction Introduction

This section explains the role of public agencies in destination management and the role of the destination manager in engaging the industry to establish their active involvement. It also outlines where tourism overlaps with the place-making agenda, planning, and other public policy areas.

Introduction Introduction

Destination managers have a key role to play in ensuring that all elements of the tourism product within their destination complement rather than conflict with the environment and host community, champion the special qualities of the area, and offer a quality experience to all visitors. This section explores ways to manage a destination sustainably and encourage business engagement in quality and skills development.

Introduction Introduction

This section details how good practice in destination management includes recording and monitoring trends in business volume and value, and visitor behaviour and satisfaction. It shows how this can be used to inform responsive, relevant development and marketing programmes and to benchmark destination and organisational performance against other areas.

Introduction Introduction

Marketing is one of the core functions of a destination manager. The section provides advice on adopting a strategic approach at the outset of any market planning, targeting markets, defining the product, identifying the right media and implementing campaigns.

Introduction Introduction

The provision of quality information to visitors in a destination is key to generating high satisfaction levels. This section identifies the core components of visitor information provision, outlines the options for delivery, and identifies the emerging technologies affecting the future provision of visitor information.

Introduction Introduction

The provision of quality information to visitors in a destination is key to generating high satisfaction levels. This Section identifies the core components of visitor information provision, outlines the options for delivery, and identifies the emerging technologies affecting the future provision of visitor information.