Destination Marketing Officers (DMOs) need to broaden their horizons and take advantage of emerging digital technologies if they want to continue offering customers the best travel experience on the ground, said Bastian Hiller of Tourismuszukunft, a travel consultancy in Germany. 

The "classic" approach of DMOs â€" where marketing officers concentrate mainly on delivering quality and focus on detail on site â€" is no longer sufficient to guarantee travelers a satisfactory experience, said Hiller at the ITB Conference in Berlin. 

"That's mainly because new actors like Airbnb have entered the market, and they impact the experience all along the customer's journey," said Hiller. 

Airbnb is now rolling out a service that offers guests an individualized tour tailored to their interests or the possibility to connect with local residents of the city they're visiting, he said.

"And all of this impacts the tourist's perception of their destination â€" and that determines whether they recommend services or experiences there later on," said Hiller. 

Rather than silo themselves off in a particular area, DMOs need to think more broadly about cooperating with these other players â€" whether it's an online provider like Airbnb or a neighboring town â€" to deliver guest-friendly services, he said. 

"Many borders out there don't apply to guests" said Hiller. "Public transport can be an issue if a tourist goes to the neighboring village and needs to buy new train tickets, for example. A catastrophic experience there could negatively impact their entire customer journey."

To prevent this from happening, DMOs could reach out to local governments or tourism networks in their area or cooperate with websites like Airbnb to develop new services to offer travelers on the ground.

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