Abstract:

Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) play a pivotal role in promoting destinations, driving economic growth, and enhancing visitor experiences. However, in an era characterized by rapid changes in consumer behavior, technological advancements, and sustainability concerns, DMOs face the challenge of continuously upskilling their workforce and stakeholders to stay relevant and competitive. I-DEMO – Improving DEstination Management Offer through game-based strategies is a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, KA220 – Cooperation Partnerships in Vocational Education and Training (VET), supports professionals in the European tourism sector by helping them acquire and develop essential skills in game-based tourism, promoting digital innovation and improving the performance of tourism organizations. The main objectives of the I-DEMO project are to enhance the skills of Destination Management Organization (DMO) professionals and VET students in the field of creative game-based tourism, fostering innovation and engagement within the tourism sector. To achieve this, the project aims to develop an innovative online training course on “Game-based Tourism,” which integrates digital, entrepreneurial, and soft skills essential for modern tourism professionals. The partnership unites representatives from academia, the tourism sector, and the gaming industry to undertake a systematic analysis of the skills profile of Destination Management Organization (DMO) professionals.

This paper examines the skills and competence gaps of tourism professionals with respect to the integration of creative and game-based approaches within tourism development. The DAISSy research group of Hellenic Open University processed 101 responses collected from extensive semi-structured interviews and focus groups coming from stakeholders in seven European countries—Italy, Cyprus, Croatia, Malta, Portugal, Poland and Georgia. The stakeholders were selected in collaboration with local partners to ensure representative sectoral insights.

Digital transformation and sustainability are central to the future of tourism, requiring ethical awareness, cultural sensitivity and continuous skill development. Evolving traveler expectations emphasize personalized, immersive, and regenerative experiences supported by authentic storytelling, empathy, and research-driven experience design. The findings from the research offer a roadmap toward a human-centered, ethically grounded, and technologically empowered tourism future. Through this multi-country research, the paper aims to map existing competencies, identify deficiencies and define the fundamental skill sets required to design and implement game-based tourism experiences. The analysis will support the development of a comprehensive skills profile, outlining and describing ten fundamental skills and competencies required for the creation and implementation of game-based tourism offers for the Destination Management Operator professionals.

Keywords:

Destination management, digital skills, soft skills, game- based tourism, DMO professionals, online education.