In a paraphrase of the opening line of Anna Karenina, it could be said that all well managed destinations resemble one another, each badly managed destination is badly managed in its own way.
The new Destination Managers Toolkit (DMT), built on the considerable foundations of the original Destination Management Handbook, aims to set out common guidelines to help destinations resemble one another in their good management practice.
It is not definitive. Opinions may differ on particular points, ideas can change and develop over time – government structures certainly do.
The DMT?s web-based format is designed to absorb changes in thinking and organisation, to be reviewed and revised as accepted practice develops and new best practice becomes mainstream.
It is also designed to sit alongside and complement Tourism Insights, the tourism market intelligence tool for tourism professionals. The DMT will develop as the specialist destination management arm of the pair.
As with the original version much is owed to the contributors who wrote the articles. They are listed in the Contributors section and I thank them for their valuable efforts. Thanks also to VisitBritain, the Regional Development Agencies, Tourism South East, South West Tourism, and the New Forest District Council for contributing staff resources and money towards the production of the DMT.
I hope readers find it helpful, use it to develop their knowledge and skills, and suggest changes and additions to keep it up to date and, above all, relevant to those doing the job on a day-to-day basis.
Roger Budden
Consultant Editor