Partnership
Development
Webster’s definition of partnership-a relationship of cooperation between two or more perons or entities for a common goal-outlines, in simple terms, the complex coordination required to develop and implement tourism partnerships. In the 21st century, marketing partnerships, strategic partnerships and public private partnerships will become more important than ever as the world “shrinks” due to increased access to long haul travel, video conferencing, e-mail and the exponential growth of the world wide web as one of our chief tourism marketing engines.
Partnerships allow diverse entities with one or several common interests to leverage available resources. Such leveraging furthers individual and collective spheres of influence and widens each partner’s individual reach. In addition to the obvious benefit accruing to both participants, partnerships often foment the evolution of more highly focused and effective organizations.
In terms of tourism marketing, partners often comprise both public- and private-sector organizations. State and regional destination marketing organizations (DMOs) have opportunities to pool resources-funding, access to media, trade and consumer show participation, collateral-thus furthering their individual and joint efficacies. The public sector often brings considerable political and media clout to bear on challenges presented by the marketplace and economy. The private sector often brings to such partnerships its hotel management and destination marketing expertise without the constraints politics often impose.
With the demise of the USTTA several years ago, both public and private sectors of the tourism community were left adrift without a central organizing body to focus their efforts. The resulting metamorphosis has left each sector more reliant on the other and the post-USTTA era became the “golden age of the public-private partnership.” In one instance, a regional DMO was able to double or treble its annual budget through in-kind support from the private sector. In this instance, private sector support was overwhelming as state tourism offices, lodging, sights and attractions, transportation and ancillary entities effectively lined up to donate support.
The MPDC team was one of the first firms to manage such partnerships. We have masterminded and implemented both tourism marketing and public-private partnerships. MPDC believes that such partnerships, when coupled with a powerful media relations program and state-of-the art technology, present tremendous and heretofore untapped opportunities for destinations and all segments of the tourism industry food chain.
