The Pillar of Governance in the Spanish Smart Tourism Destinations (DTI) Model

Governance is an essential element of the DTI model, which recognizes the complexity of managing an industry as sensitive as tourism to changes in the economic, institutional, social, or technological environment. In this context, governance constitutes a critical aspect of a DTI model that can only be promoted from the transversality of the actions and from an integrating and coordinated vision, generated in a framework of collaboration with the participation of public entities, the private sector, and the social agents involved. After a review of the concept of tourism governance and the role of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) in it, the chapter focuses on presenting how governance is integrated into the DTI model. This pillar represents a weight of 12.4% of the model and is articulated through 12 requirements and 26 indicators through which the performance of the destination is evaluated in four areas: Vision, strategic planning and implementation; Efficient management; Transparency and participation; and Responsibility and control. Finally, the chapter purposefully contains the main recommendations that are usually made to destinations when implementing the DTI model in terms of governance.