Destination Management Strategy- Cambridge

5165 Words21 Pages
Introduction Since the early 1990s, the importance of planning for tourism, both strategically and through practical destination management has raised up the public policy agenda. There are a number of published sources of such advice and they proved invaluable in helping Cambridge to develop a model for preparing a tourism strategy. Cambridge provides a very relevant context for this as a major destination that has had a series of tourism strategies since 1978. Its 2001 Strategy was reviewed in 2011. The review followed four key stages: initiation, research and review, preparation of a draft Strategy, and consultation on the draft Strategy. A wide-ranging five-year Strategy and one-year Action Plan were adopted in June 2011. In terms of both process and content, the Strategy review followed closely the model described in this article and the strengths and weaknesses shown in this case study should be helpful for other destinations undertaking similar work. The experience of Cambridge shows the importance of a long-term relationship with the industry, integration between a wide range of activities, and linkages between a strategic approach and the business planning of tourism services. Background and model We live in an age of strategies and plans, of policies and proposals. Sometimes it seems as if a strategy is a necessary virility symbol for an organisation, whether quango, local authority or Department of State. Even worse, it may be a fig-leaf to cover inaction. Nevertheless, there is much truth in the adage that 'to fail to plan is to plan to fail' and, whatever field of activity we are engaged in, success is much more likely to be achieved with an agreed set of objectives at the outset. A planned, structured approach is particularly beneficial in the case of tourism, which is a highly fragmented industry. Part of the structure for the future development

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