Wykorzystanie Internetu w działaniach Destination Management Organizations (DMO)

Abstract

This article presents the possibilities of the use of the Internet in the activities of those organizations that are known as Destination Management Organizations (DMO). First, the idea of these entities and the potential significance of the Internet in their functioning were presented. In the further part, selected examples were characterized concerning the issue under analysis, based mainly on research results presented in foreign-language literature as well as on the basis of the author’s observations. Those entities which are responsible for the management and/or marketing of individual tourist destinations are considered to be Destination Management Organizations. The observations of the activities of the present-day Destination Management Organizations allow one to state that these organizations are more and more frequently using the possibilities which are offered to them by modern technological solutions including the Internet. The use of the Internet creates not only an opportunity of the development of Destination Management Organizations but, which is repeated on many occasions, it is currently the required aspect connected with the functioning of these organizations. Thereby, Destination Management Organizations have been “forced” to strengthen their positions through an intensive use of those possibilities that are offered by the Internet. A relatively great number of different research results which cover the issue analyzed are available in the literature. The following are included among those areas that are most often examined in relation to the use of the Internet by Destination Management Organizations: technical aspects of websites, easiness of their operation, the attractiveness of the website, effectiveness of marketing actions, designs of the websites, marketing strategies used, available content, use of the websites, satisfaction with the websites, language content and interaction. The authors in their studies make references to those issues that concern among others positioning of website (including R.A. Holmes) or use of modern applications (ANZAMAC). A lot of attention is currently paid to actions connected with the use of increasingly popular community portals (including Facebook and Twitter) which are becoming not only an attractive means of conveying information but also an effective tool of the promotion of individual destinations. In the area analyzed, evaluation of websites by their users seems be a separate and essential issue. S. So and A.M. Morrison as well as K. Kaplanidou and Ch. Vogt carried out research concerning this. The results of this research are important as that they make it possible to determine not only the strengths of the websites of individual Destination Management Organizations but also to indicate those potential areas which require some improvement. An assessment of the effectiveness of those activities that are undertaken in the Internet constitutes a relatively difficult research problem. Such an attempt was made by R.A. Lara and G.B. Marroquín among others, who proposed to apply a method involving the use of computer tools on the grounds of the ROMI methodology (Return on Marketing Investment), which makes it possible to define the effectiveness of activities and the level of economic profitability of an on-line marketing strategy in relation to the investments made by Destination Management Organizations. The discussion covered by the article in relation to the problem analyzed explicitly points out the necessity to use the possibilities which are currently offered by the Internet. However, attention is to be paid not merely to potential benefits but also to threats. At the same time, due to the growing scope of the competences of Destination Management Organizations (including the management of the destination) and the intensive development of the Internet, individual Destination Management Organizations must focus their efforts on the creation and development of the so-called destination management systems (DMS) as a comprehensive management system of tourism by Destination Management Organizations.