A research paper co-authored by Daniela Attard, an M.Sc. International Marketing graduate from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, and three lecturers from the same university, recently received an award as the best paper in the tourism, sports and arts marketing track.

The paper, entitled 'National Destination Marketing Organisations and Web 2.0' was presented at the Australia and New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC) 2009 conference and focused on the extent to which Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) are using and adopting innovative online marketing techniques (Web 2.0).

The research concluded that leading national DMOs in Europe have been slow to respond to the global marketing opportunities and threats presented by Web 2.0.

While some progress is being made in 'experimenting' with various Web 2.0 applications, few DMOs have yet developed a clear vision or strategy to maximise the real potential of Web 2.0 to build strong customer and network relationships to engage online communities.

The lack of a coordinated and integrated strategic response is particularly worrying given the profound impact that this new technology is having on consumer behaviour and decision-making in global tourism.

The paper highlights that there can be little doubt that the world is witnessing a fundamental and revolutionary change in travellers' use of the internet, their online expectations and experiences, and hence organisations operating in this sector must adapt to the new trends.

As the research was one of the first in this area of tourism studies, the researchers had to develop a systematic research approach to enable them to develop a model on which to base their conclusions.

The paper is available online at www.duplication.net.au/ANZMAC09/papers/ANZMAC2009-649.pdf.