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.
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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