Destination dynamics: A management and governance perspective

Not all industries move at the same pace, no two destinations are matched or develop at the same rate, not all organizations and people act the same way. This research is proposing a new model of destinations dynamic that is a result of considering the role of the clockspeeds of industry components in the tourism experience and the relationships among these components with regard to where they fall on the spectrum of the integrality/modularity of the destination experience. In an action research of a Swiss classic mature and declining tourist destination, the governance process for the destination was redesigned, catalyzing a significant rejuvenation. The renewal process included the disintegration of the existing integral business model, creation of a broader governance model, and institution of a new set of integral relationships across a much broader set of stakeholders in the destination’s value network. Those stakeholders represented collectively the rational, cultural, and political perspectives whose collaboration brought the destination back on a sustainable path.