DMO Mission Statements: Common Themes and Differences
This paper examines the mission statements of several North American Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) to identify common themes and notable differences. The analysis reveals three recurring themes across most DMO mission statements: marketing destinations to potential visitors, increasing visitor numbers, and stimulating local economic growth. The paper also highlights dissimilar mission statements, including those of the Roseville Visitors Association, Henderson NV Department of Tourism, and Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitor Authority, each of which incorporates distinctive elements not found in most other DMO statements. The findings are connected to the broader scholarly understanding of DMOs as non-profit, umbrella organizations responsible for long-term destination development.
- Introduction to Destination Marketing Organizations: Defines DMOs and introduces the paper's focus
- Common Themes in DMO Mission Statements: Three recurring themes across analyzed mission statements
- Dissimilar Mission Statements Among North American DMOs: Unique elements in three specific DMO statements
- Link Between Common Themes and the DMO Role: Connecting findings to scholarly definitions of DMOs
- Conclusion: Summary of key findings on DMO missions
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What makes this paper effective
- Clearly organizes its analysis into distinct categories — common themes and dissimilar statements — making the argument easy to follow.
- Grounds its findings in scholarly sources (Pike & Page, 2014; Salazar, 2014) to connect the empirical analysis to established definitions of DMO roles.
- Uses concrete examples from real organizations (Roseville Visitors Association, Henderson NV, Reno-Sparks) to support its comparative claims.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates comparative thematic analysis — examining multiple organizational mission statements side by side to extract shared patterns and meaningful differences. This technique requires the writer to move beyond description toward synthesis, showing how individual cases either confirm or diverge from a broader pattern.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a definition and context for DMOs, then presents three common themes found across mission statements, followed by three examples of dissimilar statements with specific organizational cases. It then connects those findings to academic literature on DMO roles before closing with a brief conclusion summarizing the key takeaways.
Introduction to Destination Marketing Organizations
Destination marketing organizations (DMOs) play a crucial role in promoting tourism by marketing various destinations to potential visitors and tourists. Similar to Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs), DMOs are organizations that promote regions, countries, cities, or towns in order to increase visitor and tourist numbers. As a result, these organizations establish mission statements that guide their marketing and promotional initiatives. The mission statements of destination marketing organizations differ depending on the specific organization and its vision. This paper examines the mission statements of various North American Destination Marketing Organizations to identify common themes and differences.
Common Themes in DMO Mission Statements
An analysis of the mission statements of various North American Destination Marketing Organizations revealed several common patterns. One of the most prominent themes is a focus on marketing the respective destination to potential visitors or tourists. Each of these organizations focuses on presenting their respective regions, cities, or towns as suitable destinations for visitors from across the globe. This indicates that destination marketing organizations are fundamentally oriented toward marketing and positioning various locales as desirable places to visit.
The second theme identified in the analysis is an emphasis on increasing the number of visitors to their respective places. In essence, the primary goal of the marketing initiatives undertaken by each of these DMOs is to grow visitor numbers. Most of the analyzed mission statements clearly state that increasing the number of people and tourists visiting their respective places is a central objective.
The third common theme is the improvement of economic growth in the respective region, city, or town. As these organizations help increase visitor numbers, more people travel to and spend money in their destinations. This increase in visits translates into vibrant economic activity. Therefore, stimulating local economic growth is a crucial component of the mission statements of destination marketing organizations.
Dissimilar Mission Statements Among North American DMOs
Despite the common themes identified above, some DMO mission statements stand apart from the majority. One notable example is the Roseville Visitors Association in Minnesota. While its mission statement incorporates the common themes described above, it is slightly dissimilar to the others because it explicitly addresses the leadership role the organization assumes in delivering excellent visitor experiences through collaboration with community and business partners. This distinguishes it from the other mission statements analyzed, which do not incorporate a leadership role or an emphasis on community and business collaboration.
The second dissimilar mission statement belongs to the Henderson, NV Department of Tourism. Unlike most other destination marketing organizations, Henderson's mission statement includes providing a wide range of cultural and artistic opportunities to visitors and the local community. These opportunities include concerts, visual arts exhibitions, performances, civic events, and festivals. The mission statement of Atlantic City's CVA similarly incorporates world-class entertainment events, setting it apart from the majority of the DMOs included in this analysis.
The third dissimilar mission statement is that of the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitor Authority. Although this organization's mission statement incorporates the identified common themes, it differs in its specific focus on attracting overnight visitors. Unlike most other DMO mission statements, the Reno-Sparks statement explicitly targets overnight visitors to Reno Tahoe lodging properties, reflecting a more specialized marketing objective.
Conclusion
Destination marketing organizations are mandated with the responsibility of promoting a country, region, city, or town in order to increase the number of its tourists or visitors. As evident from the analysis of mission statements of selected North American DMOs, these organizations generally focus on marketing and branding a destination, increasing visitor numbers, and stimulating economic growth. However, some organizations may incorporate distinctive missions, including the promotion of cultural events, artistic performances, and specialized visitor experiences. These variations reflect the diverse local contexts and priorities that individual DMOs serve.
References
Pike, S. & Page, S. J. (2014, April). Destination marketing organizations and destination marketing: A narrative analysis of the literature. Tourism Management, 41, 202–227.
Salazar, D. (2014, October 8). What is a destination marketing organization? Retrieved September 20, 2017, from https://prezi.com/rzubfiz-pzri/what-is-a-destination-marketing-organization/
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