Identifying and prioritizing destination knowledge needs

It has been claimed that academic research papers may not reflect the knowledge needs of destination practitioners, although the importance of thorough searches and delineation of the conceptual and theoretical perspectives of research themes should not be undermined. The purpose of this study was to develop and elucidate a procedure by which the knowledge gaps between destination practitioners and knowledge producers (researchers) can be reduced, and the knowledge needs of destinations can be prioritized. This procedure employs need analysis, Kano’s model, and the importance-performance analysis method. After discussion of the procedure, a case study is presented and its implications are discussed. Four destinations have different knowledge dimensions and reveal unique knowledge needs. It is apparent that each destination has its own destination-specific knowledge needs and may need to develop their own knowledge production strategies.

► Reducing perceptual gaps of research existing between researchers and practitioners.
► Demonstrating the procedure with need analysis, Kano model and prioritization.
► Four cases were analyzed.
► Destinations have different knowledge needs.
► Destinations should have own schedule to develop and manage destination knowledge.