The Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) announced that twelve destination marketing organizations (DMOs) have achieved accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP).

DMAP is an industry-wide program launched this past year by DMAI to establish a consistent standard for destination marketing operations. With thousands of DMOs operating around the world, DMAP distinguishes those official destination marketing organizations that are committed to industry excellence.

“Being accredited assures members of the local DMO, local government officials, visitors and business partners that their trust is well-placed in the DMO,” remarks Michael D. Gehrisch, president and CEO of DMAI. “It assures these groups that the city’s tourism business is in good hands.”

The twelve organizations that received accreditation in June include:

·         Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau (Georgia)

·         Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland (Ohio)

·         Dublin Convention & Visitors Bureau (Ohio)

·         Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (North Carolina)

·         Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau (Iowa)

·         Greater Rochester Visitors Association (New York)

·         Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (Florida)

·         Lynchburg Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau (Virginia)

·         Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau (Tennessee)

·         Norfolk Convention & Visitors Bureau (Virginia)

·         Puerto Rico Convention Bureau (Puerto Rico)

·         Walton County Tourist Development Council/Beaches of South Walton (Florida)

“With DMAP still in its infancy, we are very pleased to have a total of 27 accredited DMOs and to recognize these organizations for providing outstanding destination marketing services in accordance with international standards and benchmarks in this field,” remarks Barry Biggar, CDME, the board chair of DMAP and president and CEO of the Bryan-College Station CVB. 

To become accredited, a DMO must successfully complete a rigorous application process, requiring them to provide evidence of compliance with 54 mandatory standards and 33 voluntary standards.

DMAP accreditation standards cover a wide variety of topics including governance, finance, management, human resources, technology, visitor services, group services, sales, communications, membership, brand management, destination development, research/market intelligence, innovation and stakeholder relationships.

DMAP is an independent international accreditation body and a leader in defining quality and performance issues in destination marketing. Accreditation applications are accepted three times throughout the year and are limited to 25 applications per review cycle. The following application deadlines remain for 2007: August 31 and December 31.