Stakeholders’ Perceptions About a Destination Management Organization (DMO): A Case Study in Chimborazo, Ecuador

Authors

  • Luis Quevedo Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo ESPOCH, Ecuador
  • Renato Herrera Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo UNACH, Ecuador
  • Silvia Aldaz Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo UNACH, Ecuador
  • Sofia Godoy Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo ESPOCH, Ecuador
  • Karla Merino Centro de Investigación para el desarrollo Sostenible CIDES, Ecuador

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2024-0020

Keywords:

Tourism destination, Chimborazo, DMO, Destination Management Organization

Abstract

A Destination Management Organization (DMO) is an entity destined to make operative, administrative, organizational, and strategic decisions to maintain a coordinated management of the process associated with the design, marketing, and commercialization of the destination. This study aimed to identify the stakeholders’ perceptions about the Chimborazo DMO, located in the Andean region of Ecuador. Therefore, three focal groups of stakeholders were selected (local residents, tourists, and business owners) and a questionnaire was applied using a 5-point Likert scale. A Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to determine the reliability of the data obtained and a Chi-square contingency analysis was performed between the stakeholder groups to identify if the perception about the role and effectiveness of the Chimborazo DMO differs in dependence of the stakeholder group. Our results evidence that the stakeholders considered in this study have a positive opinion about the role of the DMO in the development, being the main common aspect identified: the need for an adequate promotion of the Chimborazo province. The information generated here could be useful to generate policies that benefit the Chimborazo tourism sector and serve as the basis for further work dealing with the stakeholder’s identification and the assessment of the DMO influence in the territory development. 

 

Received: 26 May 2023 / Accepted: 28 December 2023 / Published: 5 January 2024

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Published

2024-01-05

How to Cite

Stakeholders’ Perceptions About a Destination Management Organization (DMO): A Case Study in Chimborazo, Ecuador. (2024). Journal of Educational and Social Research, 14(1), 234. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2024-0020