Tourism strategies, in turn, are coherent sets of decisions designed to achieve specific objectives. They may address positioning, market diversification, accessibility, professional training, heritage management or distribution channels. A strategy requires choosing between alternatives and allocating resources; it is not simply a list of activities. Creating an online account is an action. Deciding which audiences to target, with what value proposition and through which channels constitutes a strategy. These two dimensions must be connected, although they differ in scope and function.

Nor can the distinction be reduced to the long term versus the short term. Tourism strategies can have long time horizons, while immediate decisions can express a strategic vision for a territory. The main difference lies in the level of integration. Strategic tourism establishes shared principles for the development being sought; tourism strategies translate those principles into choices at the sectoral, territorial or business level. Feedback flows between the two: implementation can reveal constraints and opportunities that call for a reassessment of the overall direction. Thinking strategically also means learning and making adjustments.

To understand this relationship, we must examine the tourism phenomenon itself. We will understand it as the full range of relationships, practices and transformations arising from visitors’ temporary travel outside their usual environment. It encompasses motivations, expectations, journeys, encounters, services, economic exchanges and consequences for the places visited. Its analysis considers visitors alongside residents, workers, businesses, public authorities and civil society organisations.

The tourism phenomenon begins before arrival and continues after the return home. It takes shape when someone becomes aware of a destination, imagines an experience, seeks information and decides to travel. It continues through booking, transport, the welcome on arrival, accommodation and activities. Afterwards, it endures in memories, recommendations and the relationships formed. At the same time, processes of investment, employment, procurement, maintenance and conservation unfold within the territory. This breadth explains why an isolated intervention may improve one part of the journey without addressing the problems of the whole.

Consider a destination that launches a successful campaign and attracts more visitors. If access is inadequate, services are overwhelmed or residents feel adversely affected, promotional success may coexist with a deterioration in the visitor experience.

From a strategic tourism perspective, communication must align with the destination’s capacity to accommodate visitors, the organisation of space and the anticipated benefits. The question is no longer confined to how many people arrived; it also considers how well they were served, what value they generated and what costs the community bore. This changes how success is understood.

The first fundamental process is understanding the territory. A useful assessment must identify resources, business capabilities, infrastructure, environmental conditions, living heritage and residents’ expectations. It must also recognise inequalities, conflicts and dependencies. An inventory of attractions is insufficient if we do not know who can manage them, how much their conservation costs or how willing the community is to welcome visitors. A resource becomes viable for tourism when specific conditions for access, interpretation, safety and organisation are in place.

The fourth process connects resources with viable, meaningful experiences. Designing a tourism product involves organising content, timing, services, pricing and distribution channels. Strategic tourism also considers its contribution to the territory. In a cocoa-growing region, for example, an experience can bring together cultivation, processing, gastronomy and community memory. Its value increases when it provides fair remuneration for producers, respects the agricultural calendar and encourages local purchasing. Tourism can complement production, provided it is organised in a way that does not displace the activity that underpins the place’s authenticity.

Shopping tourism offers a way to connect the visitor experience with urban development. A strategy can link markets, workshops and shops through food and shopping itineraries. A strategic approach requires assessing their contribution to local commerce, pedestrian mobility and harmonious coexistence with residents. In rural areas, connecting restaurants with producers and markets can expand local economic opportunities. These initiatives require coordination of opening hours, supplies and services while preserving residents’ everyday access. Their success should also be measured by the continued viability of local businesses and activities.

The fifth process concerns the creation and distribution of value. Visitor spending does not automatically remain within a destination or benefit its population evenly. It is therefore important to understand which businesses participate, where they source their supplies and what working conditions they offer. Strategies that support local suppliers, training and business cooperation can broaden the benefits. However, they must be grounded in a genuine capacity to meet standards for quality, volume and delivery. Economic inclusion requires practical support, access to opportunities and sustainable business relationships, alongside statements of good intent.

The sixth process is impact management. Sustainability must be embedded in decisions concerning mobility, water, energy, waste, heritage and the use of space. Pressures should be analysed by area and season, as annual averages can conceal periods of overcrowding. Nor is there a single threshold that applies to every place. Physical, ecological and social conditions require context-specific assessment and periodic review. This information can inform reservation systems, visiting hours, alternative routes or adjustments to promotional activity, with the objectives and consequences of each measure clearly explained.

Accessibility is part of this same responsibility. An experience cannot be considered well designed if it excludes people through avoidable physical, sensory, cognitive or digital barriers. A strategic approach incorporates accessibility from the outset in the planning of spaces, information and services. The corresponding strategies may include staff training, route adaptations and improvements to booking systems. Their benefits also extend to older people, families and visitors with temporary needs. A destination’s quality is reflected in the genuine opportunity to participate independently, with dignity and in safety.

Evaluation completes the strategic cycle and sets it in motion again. Beyond arrivals, occupancy rates and spending, we must examine how much income remains in the local economy, employment stability, resident satisfaction and the condition of heritage assets. Indicators require a baseline, realistic targets, clearly assigned responsibilities and review schedules. It is also important to distinguish outcomes from activities: delivering training courses does not, in itself, demonstrate an improvement in service. Evaluation requires verifying changes and analysing their relationship with the interventions undertaken. When a measure does not work, adjusting course is a management responsibility.

This capacity to adapt is essential in the face of transport disruptions, shifts in demand or environmental events. A destination can develop scenarios, reduce overreliance on particular markets or resources, and establish coordination protocols. Planning ahead must also take account of small businesses and workers, who often have fewer resources to cope with difficulties. Strategic tourism provides principles for a coherent response, while specific strategies translate them into prevention, communication and recovery measures. Its value becomes apparent both during periods of growth and when circumstances require priorities and resources to be reassessed.

To put this approach into practice, I propose a straightforward sequence: agree on the purpose, identify priority problems, select strategies and translate them into programmes that can secure funding, and, above all, “know where we have come from, where we are and where we want to go”.

Each programme must specify who makes decisions, who implements them, who participates and how progress will be assessed. The next step is to review the results publicly and adapt the actions accordingly. This sequence prevents planning from ending with the presentation of a document. Putting it into practice requires skilled teams and an ongoing relationship between political leadership and technical management. It also requires recognising that communities, businesses and institutions may move at different paces, and that coordinating them is part of the everyday work of any destination seeking to improve.

Understanding strategic tourism makes it possible to connect each tourism strategy to a broader purpose for the territory and assess its contribution to the tourism phenomenon as a whole.

I therefore propose directing our commitment towards building destinations capable of welcoming visitors, fostering harmonious coexistence, conserving their heritage and creating opportunities. This requires knowledge, agreement, implementation and continuous learning. A territory’s tourism future depends on the decisions it makes about its present.

Autor: Antonio Santos del Valle

President of TSTT, international consultant and adviser