ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 starts by stating that long-term planning for tourism within a destination is crucial, and DMOs must take a leadership and coordinative role to ensure that the planning process is as successful and participatory as possible. One of the major requirements of successful planning is that all stakeholders are involved because this gives the plan a sense of shared ownership. The characteristics of tourism destination are explained and then a number of planning processes are detailed. The chapter then highlights the importance of communications about plans. Destination visioning is reviewed in detail. Various tourism planning toolkits are profiled, as are specialized forms of destination planning. The steps in effective destination planning are identified.
