Innovation in the services sector is becoming increasingly important to understanding the innovative behavior of the US economy, as more and more sectors become increasingly populated with services. Traditional goods-manufacturing sectors remain a dominant theoretical and empirical force with respect to the measurement and management of innovation activity at different levels of the economy. This includes industry, sector, and firm levels of theory and practice. As the shifting trajectory away from traditional technology-manufacturing to services, it becomes incumbent on researchers in service dominated sectors such as tourism to better understand effective ways to measure and manage innovation in services. This dissertation comprises three essays which singly and in combination, focus on the measurement and management of innovation in services with specific and increasing attention to the role of the destination management organization. The major bodies of literature used in these essays are the innovation literature, destination marketing and management, and networks. There are multiple lenses used to analyze services within the tourism context at the industry, destination, and organization levels. In addition to multiple lenses, multiple analytic methods are employed raging from latent growth modeling techniques to convergent parallel mixed methodology. The thesis contributes to the destination management and marketing literature in three ways. First, the thesis integrates tourism production industry into the comparison of between and within group trajectories. Second, the study empirically tests the mediating effect of network orchestration, and contributes mixed methods to the tourism field. / Tourism and Sport

Due to confirming characteristics, events can be considered to be specification of projects. Large events are particularly described by their complexity and the many stakeholders involved. Because of these characteristics, the achievement as well as the evaluation of project success are extremely difficult. This is aggravated by the diverse perspectives on success by the many different stakeholders involved. A key stakeholders in large events are destination management/ marketing organization (DMO) of the host community. Rationale is the tremendous impact events have on the destination. Particularly, the enhanced tourism development, the increase of tourist arrivals as well as the improvement of the destination’s image and brand awareness can be highlighted. By marketing a destination to potential tourists, establishing a destination’s image and managing an increasing international attention, DMOs play a primary role in handling these major impacts. Nevertheless, managing the major impacts as well as leveraging them into sustainable benefits for the host destination is extremely difficult. Like any other stakeholder, DMOs have certain expectations for large evens and may determine success based on whether these expectations were met. Identifying certain success criteria allows the stakeholders involved to evaluate whether a project was successful and whether it met ones expectations. This thesis shall increase the understanding on the evaluation of project success from the DMOs’ perspective as a key stakeholder in large events. In order to identify the role of DMOs in large event as well as their perception of project success and the success criteria used for evaluation, eight semi-structured interviews were conducted. By doing so, managers of particular DMOs were interviewed, while each DMO represents another large event. It was found that DMOs of a host destination are usually neither involved in the organization of large events nor in managerial tasks. In fact, the large event is used for marketing purposes and is further included in marketing activities to promote a destination to the specified target markets. In order to draw the potential benefits from a large event, it needs to be implemented in a DMOs long-term strategy. At the same time, cooperation between a DMO and a large event is crucial. This underlines the important role DMOs have in large events. DMOs perceive large events as successful if the related marketing activities fulfill the previous set expectations for amount and content of media coverage. In addition, success is perceived by the DMOs if a sustainable destination development can be recognized. Within the distinct task areas of a DMO, different perspectives on success become apparent. Multiple different success criteria used by the DMO to evaluate success are identified, which can be allocated to three different success concepts. First, event success is marked by the impact on the tourist and impact on the DMO. Moreover, destination success can be recognized, while organizational success is specified by preparing for the future and for future large events. In addition, the success concepts can be allocated to medium- and long-term dimensions. It becomes apparent that a short-term dimension and a success concept related to project management success can be neglected, as DMOs are less involved in project management tasks related to the event. From the empirical material collected and the existing theoretical matters, a framework is developed accordingly.

The aim of the thesis is to project possibilities of expansion of winter season resort to a summer season resort. The work aims at mountain ski resort and the development of its further activities for summer season. The particular example on which is this development adopted is mountain ski resort Donovaly. For particular projects was used theoretical knowledge of marketing and its tools. Theoretical analysis follows that the best way how to develop present-day's destinations is complex management. There are created destination management organizations for this purpose. It was used resort's analysis focused on basic requirements of tourism to process the project. Further development of the resort is based on these basic requirements of tourism. The analysis includes also customers' questionnaire survey. Theoretical knowledge and analysis are translated into practical projects of development possibilities of ski resort Donovaly to become also a summer resort of tourism.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att kartlägga de nordiska nationella destinationsorganisationernas digitala nätverk och därefter analysera hur nätverket och de olika plattformarna används för att slutligen diskutera på vilket sätt det går att generalisera ett optimalt nyttjande av nätverk för destinationskommunikation. Frågor som som använts för att undersöka detta är: Hur ser de nordiska ländernas nationella destinationsorganisationers digitala nätverk ut? Hur har nätverkssamhällets trender influerat de nordiska ländernas nationella destinations- kommunikation? Nätverk och nätverkssamhälle är den teoretiska ram som undersökningen utgått från. Närmare bestämt är det Van Dijks teorier om de trender som finns i dagens nätverkssamhället som ligger till grund för undersökningen. Med turismbranschen och deras digitala nätverk som undersökningsobjekt var det även relevant att ta hänsyn till branschförutsättningar och det som förespråkas inom strategisk kommunikation för sociala medier. Metoden som använts för att genomföra studien är kvantitativ nätverks- och innehållsanalys. Studien visade att de nordiska nationella destinationsorganisationer följer nätverkssamhällets trender på många punkter samtidigt som det finns utrymme att utvecklas mer. De använder medvetet användargenererat innehåll, för dialog och har ett visuellt uttrycksätt. Nätverken skulle kunna ha en högre täthet och/eller utveckla den personliga anpassningen. Den koncentrationen av valda kanaler, innehåller de populära ”Big Three ” – Facebook, Twitter och YouTube. De nordiska länderna har goda förutsättningar för att vara i framkant med den nätbaserade kommunikationen då Internet används i hög grad i alla nordiska länder, vilket genererar en hög Internetmedvetenhet i dessa länder. Trots detta finns det inte en tydligt bild av att organisationerna använder sitt digitala nätverk optimalt utan variationerna i användandet ger utrymme för alla länder att hitta utvecklingsmöjligheter. / The purpose of this paper is to identify the Nordic national destination organizations' digital networks. After analyzing the network and the different platforms the result is used to discuss how we can generalize an optimal utilization of a destination network. Questions that were used for this this were: What does the Nordic countries' national destination organizations digital network look like? And, How has social networking trends influenced the Nordic countries' national destination communication? The theoretical framework that was used for this research was network analysis and the Network Society. Van Dijk's theory about the trends that exist in today's networked society was specifically used as base for this research. With the tourism industry and its digital network as a subject, it was also relevant to take into account the industry conditions and what is advocated within strategic communication for social media. The method used to conduct the study is quantitative network analysis and content analysis. The study showed that the Nordic national destination network society organizations follow the trends in many ways, but there is capacity to develop it even more. They consciously use user-generated content, converse and use visual content for expression. The networks could have a higher density and/or develop the idea of ”personalization” more. The concentration of selected channels, includes the popular "Big Three" - Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The Nordic countries are well placed to be at the forefront of the online communication as the Internet is widely used in all the Nordic countries, which generate a high Internet awareness in these countries. Despite this, there is not a clear picture of the organization using their digital network optimally. The variations of how the organizations use their networks shows that all of the countries can find opportunities for even more progress.

The objective of the graduate thesis is to create a proposal of a destination management organization concept in the Region of České Budějovice. Based on an analysis of the external and internal environment of a destination, the aim was to evaluate possible risks and obstacles during organization establishment and operation; to assort competences to an organization; to define its commission and activities; and to propose its method of financing based on the structure of its membership. The thesis is divided into two extensive parts. The first part is theoretical, called: A list of analyzed issues. Mainly, it deals with explanation of terminology in the sphere of tourism, determination of particular regions, explanation of terms of destination management and marketing, characteristics of destination management organization, and general description of stakeholder analysis assembly. The second part of the thesis, called: Analysis and results, consists of an analytical part, a synthesis of results and observations which provide ground for a proposal of a destination management organization concept.

This Master theses deals with the most sophisticated form of tourism management -- Destination Management -- specificly in the area of microregion Telčsko. The aim is to analyze a potential of the selected destination, determine its current tourism management and propose possible development on the basis of findings and carried out research. The first chapter introduces basic concepts related to the main issue and concretizes the evolution of Destination Management in the Czech Republic. In the next chapter there is an inroduction of the microregion Telčsko. The heart of the work is an analysis of tourism potential of the selected area, survey, SWOT analysis and suggestions of development opportunities.

This diploma thesis deals with the function of regional destination management organizations in Czechia. Destination management organizations are founded to implement destination management at various spatial levels (national, regional, local). In Czechia, the issue of destination management is a relatively new area of research. The aim of this work is to clarify the role of destination companies as one of the regional development actors with an emphasis on the development of tourism. The theoretical base is network theory and the concept of destination governance along with other base of the cooperation of actors in tourism development. For purpose to get a general insight into the situation of destination management in Czechia, the analysis of the regional destination companies is a part of the work. In addition, thesis includes the case study of the tourist area of Orlicke hory and Podorlicko, in which the destination company of the same name operates. The case study includes analysis of strategic documents and annual reports of selected actors, semi- structured interviews with representatives of selected organizations from the region and a questionnaire survey among the members of the destination management organization. All of mentioned methods helped to evaluate the functioning and the...

This thesis indicates the destination branding in the South Bohemian Region. It focuses on three existing destination management organizations in this area. These destinations include the Down of Český Krumlov, the Písek Region and the Lipno Region.

Billion-dollar disasters are projected to increase at a statistically significant rate of 5% annually. Crises affect the viability and lucrativeness of tourism business and implicate destinations in the process. Crisis preparedness is vital to improving outcomes and reducing consequential effects in the tourism industry-a key contributor to socioeconomic progress and infrastructural development worldwide. The study was an exploration of the strategies used for crisis preparedness to reduce business interruptions and improve the image of destinations affected by large-scale natural disasters and human-induced crises. A multiple case study was conducted based on the cycle of preparedness framework. Data were gathered from organization documents and semistructured interviews by telephone with 6 executives of 6 destination management organizations located in the south and west regions of the United States. Transcribed data were coded and then validated via member checking, revealing 3 themes: organizational preparedness, operational preparedness, and strategic communication. Specifically, possessing a crisis mindset, predetermining crisis risks and responses, and managing information to safeguard the reputation of tourism organizations and destinations were attributed to preparedness at the local and organization levels. Tourism and hospitality professionals may benefit from devising crisis plans, establishing rapport with crisis leaders and teams, and partnering with the media to promote positive perceptions and travel behaviors of tourists. Implications for social change include identifying strategies to limit the impact of crises on individuals and communities to improve the perceptions of safety of a tourist destination after a crisis and thus enhance its economic growth.

The key to an organization's long-term success is a sustainable competitive advantage. In a global market characterized by fierce competition, organizations differentiate themselves no longer through their competitive position or technological or human resources but through knowledge. Such a decisive economic resource needs to be managed, giving rise to the theory of Knowledge Management (KM). Because knowledge is created and shared through social interactions, knowledge transfer is the most critical part of KM. Especially in tourist destinations, the diversity of stakeholders, each with unique skills and knowledge, represents great opportunities for innovation and the sustainable development of destinations but also great challenges. Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) are responsible to maintain the attractiveness of a destination by encouraging competing and complementary organizations to collaborate to exchange knowledge. Ultimately, the tourist experience and image of a destination are created interdependently by the tourism stakeholders. By conducting a case study in the destination of Kalmar, this paper aimed to explain to what extent a DMO manages inter-organizational knowledge transfer within a tourist destination. An explanatory sequence was used to gather primary data in three steps. First, a survey was conducted with local tourism stakeholders. Then, the local DMO and the university were interviewed. The data collected from 32 local tourism stakeholders suggest that tourism stakeholders, primarily SMEs, are lacking the resources to engage in knowledge transfer and overlook the value of external sources of knowledge. The findings of the interviews point to that there is a need to support tourism stakeholders with digitalization, to encourage tourism stakeholders to join a destination network and to close the knowledge gap through research produced by universities. This study contributes to gaining a broader understanding of the opportunities and challenges of inter-organizational knowledge transfer within the destination of Kalmar.