Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) has expanded its bylaws to welcome official national, provincial and state tourism organizations as members.
“We are excited to extend our membership to official destination marketing organizations (DMOs) of every level, from the largest country to the smallest town,” said Michael D. Gehrisch, president and CEO, DMAI. “DMOs of every size from around the globe can benefit from DMAI membership, including access to extensive industry-specific resources and professional development and connecting with our vast network of destination marketing professionals.”
Recommended by the DMAI Membership Committee, overwhelmingly supported through a vote of DMAI’s general membership, and unanimously approved by the DMAI Board of Directors, the official expansion of the association’s membership is being applauded by several organizations.
“The Mexico Tourism Board values DMAI’s great education and certification programs, as well as its outstanding business sales opportunities such as Destinations Showcase,” said Eduardo Chaillo, executive director meetings industry, Mexico Tourism Board. “I am very pleased that DMAI is embracing National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) within its membership. DMAI is the perfect place to involve NTOs in the global discussion of cutting edge destination marketing, knowledge and evolving business opportunities.”
“DMAI offers unsurpassed developmental and educational resources for destination marketing professionals and their organizations,” said Chris Thompson, president, Visit Florida (an accredited DMO). “Their marketing and networking opportunities provide productive platforms for all DMOs to celebrate and create best practices with peers.”
DMAI represents 600 official DMOs and 3,500 professionals around the world. As a serious engine creating jobs and economic growth, DMOs drive the very lucrative travel and tourism sector that now accounts for 9.2 percent of global GDP, 4.8 percent of world exports and 9.2 percent of world investment.
In other DMAI news, The Daejeon International Marketing Enterprise (DIME) in Daejeon, South Korea, has successfully achieved accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP), becoming the first destination marketing organization in Asia to earn this honor. DMAP, an industry-wide accreditation program developed by DMAI to recognize DMOs that meet or exceed industry standards, has accredited 138 DMOs on three continents.
“The significance of DMAP’s brand continues to expand, strengthening destination marketing organizations worldwide,” said Gehrisch. “This marks a major milestone for the program now that accredited DMOs can be found in more than 70 percent of the United States (35 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) as well as in Canada, Europe, and Asia.”
“Through acquiring accreditation through the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program, DIME gains momentum to improve the city’s brand internationally and to increase its contribution to development of Daejeon,” said Chae Hoon, CEO, DIME.
To become accredited, a DMO is required to provide evidence of compliance with 58 mandatory standards and 30 voluntary standards. The standards set by DMAP cover a wide variety of topics including finance, management, human resources and technology.
