Compare destination-management organisations and roles
Compare the priorities of governments, tourism bodies, local authorities, NGOs, businesses and destination-management companies.
Exam scope and assessment notes
This original lesson maps Cambridge International AS & A Level Travel & Tourism 9395 syllabus section 7.1 for exams in 2027, 2028 and 2029. Build AO1 knowledge, AO2 application, AO3 analysis and research, and AO4 evaluation. Examples and practice are original StudyForA material, not Cambridge questions, mark schemes or official grades. Use current, reliable local evidence; tourism effects and customer needs depend on context. Paper 2 requires learners to plan and manage a real event as a team, then present their project individually. This site can teach and simulate the planning process, but cannot conduct the event, verify participation or evidence, replace centre approval and supervision, award a coursework mark, or provide Cambridge moderation.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Before you start: Which body is most directly associated with local planning control?
What you will learn
- Explain strategic development, research, budgets and priorities for governments, ministries and national tourism organisations.
- Explain planning, infrastructure, promotion and visitor management roles of local authorities and regional organisations.
- Compare NGO, commercial and non-commercial, local business, tour-operator and destination-management-company contributions.
Public organisations set direction and place rules
Governments, ministries and national tourism organisations may research, fund, budget, set priorities and coordinate strategies to reduce harm and increase benefits. Local authorities and regional bodies can shape land use, planning control, local infrastructure, promotion and visitor management.
Their priorities can differ by level: national market position, regional coordination or local service and community needs. The syllabus roles overlap; describe who has the relevant authority in the example rather than assuming one body controls everything.
NGOs and providers bring different capabilities
NGOs may research, fundraise, develop projects, provide specialist expertise, support regional planning, train communities and raise awareness of environmental or sociocultural issues.
Commercial organisations include overseas agents and specialist operators who select, package and sell products, and local businesses that provide services. Destination Management Companies coordinate ground services, accommodation, catering, transport, activities, conferences or events. Non-commercial organisations may pursue community, conservation or public aims; partnerships shape delivery.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Why should a destination clarify partner roles before a project begins?
Worked example
A coastal region plans a visitor-management scheme. Explain how a local authority, NGO, hotel group and DMC could contribute, and identify one coordination question.
Show the worked solution
- The authority may manage land use, infrastructure and visitor controls.
- The NGO may provide conservation evidence or community training; hotels and the DMC may adapt services and coordinate visitor logistics.
- Clarify who funds, approves, monitors and communicates the scheme, and how community views shape decisions.
Answer The organisations bring planning authority, specialist knowledge and delivery capacity. A clear governance and communication plan is needed to connect their roles.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
A national tourism organisation funds a campaign for a protected region. Explain two local bodies or partners it should involve and why.
Give me a hint
Connect national promotion to local authority, conservation expertise and service delivery.
Compare my reasoning
- Involve local authorities because land use, local infrastructure and visitor management may sit at that level.
- Involve conservation NGOs and community representatives to contribute place-specific evidence and priorities.
- Coordinate with providers who will deliver transport, accommodation and visitor information, with roles and monitoring agreed.
National promotion should connect to local planning, conservation and community priorities and to the services visitors will use. Agreement on roles helps prevent promotion from exceeding local capacity.
Look for these in your work
- Names relevant partners
- Explains their different roles
- Connects marketing to capacity
A DMC arranges transport, accommodation, catering and an event, while local businesses supply some services. Explain one coordination benefit and one risk to assess.
Give me a hint
Consider a connected itinerary and the dependencies among suppliers.
Compare my reasoning
- One coordinator can align schedules, ground services and visitor information.
- A supplier failure or unclear responsibility can disrupt multiple components or obscure who resolves a problem.
- Agree service standards, contingencies, information updates and escalation before the event.
A DMC can improve coordination, but the network needs clear standards and responsibility for disruption. The visitor should know who can resolve each issue.
Look for these in your work
- Explains coordination value
- Identifies dependency risk
- Suggests practical controls
A community NGO and a resort developer disagree about a new trail. Propose a fair process for clarifying roles and priorities.
Give me a hint
Use evidence, legitimate decision authority and meaningful community participation.
Compare my reasoning
- Identify who holds planning authority and what approvals or environmental reviews are required.
- Bring together the NGO, residents, providers and relevant authority to compare evidence and priorities.
- Agree decision criteria, mitigation, monitoring and a way for affected people to raise concerns.
A fair process clarifies authority, considers specialist evidence and gives affected communities a meaningful role. The final decision should state trade-offs and monitoring responsibilities.
Look for these in your work
- Clarifies decision authority
- Includes evidence and affected groups
- Defines monitoring and accountability
Common mistakes
- Assuming a marketing body has planning authority
- Treating all NGOs or businesses as having identical priorities
- Listing stakeholders without explaining interdependence
What can you explain now?
Why should a destination clarify partner roles before a project begins?
Compare with the explanation
To align authority, funding, delivery, monitoring and communication
A strong response applies the concept to the evidence, explains the effect and qualifies its conclusion where conditions matter.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Match one planning function, one specialist-support function and one ground-service function to likely organisations.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.