Beyond the DMO’s Board of directors, who are accountable for the implementation of the Tourism Development Plans –along with other stakeholders-, there can be created a sort of Think Tank usually called a Competitiveness Club, with representatives of both the private and the public sector, to work as a consultation body that gives support and advice in the elaboration and implementation of the Tourism development Plans.
This is a volunteer driven organization, where members participate driven by their professional interest in exchanging opinions and visions on the challenges of the local and global tourism industry. Particularly, when elaborating the competitiveness assessments and improvement programs, the Competitiveness club is due to provide support in the assessment of the conditions of the destinations’ operators, products, facilities, infrastructures and related supporting sectors.
Furthermore, the Competitiveness club should provide advisory support to the local Government and DMO both in the destination strategies design and implementation. This would entail a close cooperation with the monitoring system and the open innovation system. To be effective, there should be appointed a formal leader and a secretary.
Finally, as a representative body of the tourism private sector, it could also play the role of lobby, to defend the interest of the local industry in the design of the Government policies, given their important influence in many issues affecting the tourism business.
What other functions do you think that Competitiveness Clubs could be in charge of?
