Welcome to my new 10 step series about what destination marketing organizations can do to woo food- and beverage-loving travelers. This is an excerpt from our full report which you can download here.
Step 1: Get Local Commitment
The most essential step that a potential food-loving destination must take is to secure the acceptance and commitment from the area’s stakeholders, who include:
a. Destination marketing organization itself
b. Destination marketing organization’s staff, volunteers and board of directors
c. Local business owners
d. Local government (if different from the destination marketing organization)
e. Local residents (remember to reach out to local Slow Food convivia and similar consumer groups, etc.
f. Ancillary area organizations (such as restaurant and lodging associations)
Sometimes the commitment is already there. Other times, one or two stakeholders are in favor, while the others are not. And still at other times, like a Las Vegas slot machine coming up all 7’s, all stakeholders are aligned.
If stakeholders are not aligned, you’re going to have a much harder time moving forward with your plans.
How do you get alignment? Here are a few ways:
g. Show them the money. Demonstrate to business owners and local governments how much more revenue they stand to earn with increased visitor numbers.
h. Prove that you have something worth promoting! We’ll discuss this as “Tangible Authenticity” later.
i. Hold open town hall meetings. Invite stakeholders to discuss their issues and concerns, and to answer their questions. Make sure you have plenty of supporters in the audience if things get rough.
j. Be open and honest. Be clear about what food tourism development will look like. Acknowledge potential issues such as increased road traffic or pedestrian congestion. Present plans that will solve these issues before they become problems.
What else do you think could be done to drive commitment from the local area’s stakeholders? Write your comments below OR reach out to me via Twitter or email.
