National Strategy Development

While tourism planning often happens at the local or regional level, a national strategy provides a vital framework to unify the industry, ensuring that stakeholders across sectors are aligned and working toward shared goals. These plans address broad, cross-cutting challenges such as infrastructure development, climate change adaptation, and regulatory reform, issues that are often difficult to tackle at the local scale.

We partner with destinations to develop national strategic plans that are tailored to each country's unique context, considering its strengths, challenges, and long-term opportunities. Our approach combines in-depth desktop research with extensive stakeholder engagement, including interviews with representatives from government, business, community groups, and residents, to ensure that every plan is inclusive, actionable, and grounded in real-world insights.

Looking to align your country’s tourism sector around a shared vision? Connect with us to develop a national strategy that drives sustainable growth.

Jamaica's Destination Assurance Framework Strategy (DAFS)

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The Jamaica Ministry of Tourism partnered with the GW International Institute of Tourism Studies to develop the National Destination Assurance Framework Strategy (DAFS), the first of its kind in the Caribbean.

Destination assurance is 'a promise to visitors that assures an authentic, safe and seamless experience, which is respectful to the community and environment.'

The Honorable Edmund Bartlett
Tourism Minister of Jamaica

An exhaustive, eight-month planning process facilitated by the GW International Institute of Tourism Studies informed the development of Jamaica’s DAFS. Three hundred stakeholders from the public, private, and civic sectors participated in the creation of the framework, which by increasing visitor satisfaction is ultimately intended to ensure the long-term success of Jamaica’s tourism industry. Read more about this strategy in our blog post.

Cayman Islands National Visitor Management Strategy & National Tourism Plan

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Following the conclusion of the Cayman Islands’ National Tourism Management Plan 2009-2013, the destination sought to develop a strategy to address more immediate issues, including infrastructure needs, climate change, industry support for destination management, regulation of tourism-related activities, and destination competitiveness.

In collaboration with the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, the International Institute of Tourism Studies developed the Cayman Islands National Visitor Management Strategy/National Tourism Plan 2019-2023.

The stated mission of the destination’s tourism sector is to ensure it “protects our environment and celebrates our cultural heritage, while supporting a vibrant tourism economy that benefits the people of the Cayman Islands.”

In support of that mission, our team led a planning process that involved extensive stakeholder consultation, a thorough evaluation of the state of the tourism sector, a vision for the future, and a roadmap for achieving the vision, along with indicators for monitoring and evaluating progress.