“TDM Insights” is an online journal that has discussions and columns on the topic of Tourism Destination Management. The journal is founded by the Breda University of Applied Sciences, on behalf of their Master of Arts program in Tourism Destination Management (TDM). It is based on the contributions by TDM alumni, BUas lecturers and other academics and practitioners who provide academic and practical insights on various topics of interest. Download the journal here: TDM Insights

Below you can read a message from the editors.

Dear readers,

At BUas, a unique approach to destination management is taught, researched, and practiced in external projects. This approach involves engaging diverse stakeholder groups to reveal the character of a place and determine the local society’s direction, leading to superb tourism experiences that improve local quality of life for decades, not a short-term money grab. It was long a dream to create our own useful and rigorous publication outlet on this approach, partly based on the work of our best Master students, and with the present inaugural issue of Tourism Destination Management Insights, that dream is coming true.

In this issue, we situate the diversity of stakeholders within three promising destination development processes: ecotourism development in the Solomon Islands, creative tourism development in Bali; and online experiential marketing of Europe to young Canadians. Both the original thesis studies and the professional and academic responses highlight the importance of big-picture thinking, that is, reconsidering established approaches to bring in previously neglected stakeholder groups and contextual aspects. For example, even if the Solomon Islands feature sustainable tourism operations on-site, the sustainability of transport for tourists to get there must be considered. In Bali, dreams about optimal levels of tourism development diverge, necessitating a careful balancing act. When it comes to marketing Europe, the experiential approach proves that marketing and product go hand-in-hand. On a scale as large as Europe, the diversity of the product itself is actually a part of its appeal.

A few relevant columns related to contemporary trends, namely city marketing and the sharing economy, round out the present issue. Finally, we tell the story of a recent external project that illustrates the abilities of our Master graduates as well as the strength of our multi-stakeholder approach. In this project we studied the visitor experience at museums and heritage sites related to a European treasure, the painter Vincent van Gogh, to explore possibilities of cross-selling to art lovers.

We hope you enjoy reading this inaugural issue, and of course look forward to your possible feedback, column submissions, and requests for proposals in destination management.

Sincerely,
The editors
Dr. Jeroen Klijs (lead)
Dr. Celiane Camargo-Borges
Dr. Ondrej Mitas