The shifting role of the destination marketing organisation (DMO) in Zambia: a stakeholder perspective.
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Date
2023
Authors
Belemu, Ephraim Kaang’andu
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
Tourism is rising as an important economic sector. In order to enhance and sustain the
competitiveness, growth and profitability of the destinations and travel brands, tourism
places and governments establish and fund Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs),
among others. However, open questions on the definition of the purpose, leadership and
legitimacy of the DMO in contemporary academic discourses, policy and practice have
persisted. In Zambia, this discourse persists despite the several policy and legislation
reforms from 2007. The aim of this study was to develop a technical account explaining
the shifting expected role of the Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) among the
various tourism industry stakeholders and to use the account to develop a framework for
a DMO business model. The study was approached from a pluralist theoretical frame of
reference of complexity theory and social critical realism theory as competing theories,
with ‘mechanisms of emergence’ as the common explanatory frame of reference. A
qualitative single case study design was followed and conducted in three sites crosssectionally in the southern tourism circuit of Zambia. The study sample was thirty (30)
informants chosen through non-random theoretical sampling method from among licensed
private sector operators based on their in-depth knowledge of the tourism industry from
business organisations with not less than ten years in Zambia and also from among the
government and its main agencies in the tourism sector. Data was collected through faceto-face semi structured in-depth interviews, archival unobstructed data and review of
documents, and was analysed using grounded theory approach. It was found that the DMO
phenomena under investigation was from both the evolutionary and non-linear novelty
dynamism of the DMO and the destination. The study established that the shifting
expected role of the DMO and the unchanging policy was from the underlying coevolution and nested-system causally behaviour of the destination and that the challenge
in policy propositions was primarily from the interactions, feedback and emergent order
within the system components and also with influences exogenous to it. Macro-level
influences (not causes) and path-dependence forces were found to be government and
public policy directions; regional structures, collaborations and shared products with
adjacent destinations within the region; international markets and travel trade directions;
culture and history of the destination; international membership organisations; and
unknown-unknows. At Micro-level, the destination actors were found to co-evolve and
regenerate differently, and that they had rivalries, their own collaborations and redefined
destination boundaries as black boxes away from official policy propositions. This was
mainly based on tourism spatial areas, shared tourism circuits, shared products with
adjacent destinations and a multiplicity of international and local operators. These microlevel activities created blind spots for policy formulation. The study developed a relatively
reliable and adequate technical account useful for practice and policy proposition of the
DMO role and business model of this contemporary subject in Zambia. Using the doctrine
of emergence as an explanatory reference, this study added a useful dimension of both the
complexity theory and social critical realism theory to the contemporary discourses on the
DMO role and how it will survive going forward, which still remains an open question in
academic discussions.
Key words: DMO shifting role; Destination Marketing Organisation; DMO business
model framework; DMO leadership role.
Description
Thesis
Keywords
Destination marketing organisation. , Destination marketing. , Tourism--Zambia. , Destination marketing Services.