Our Story
ABOUT DTM TOURISM
We focus on what you are best at and support your business to reach your tourism goals.
Your business success is our reward. We share our industry experience willingly to show you how to take make the most of exciting opportunities that await you in the tourism industry.
“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.”
If there’s one thing that sums up our approach to business, it’s determination; an inability to rest on our laurels and a drive to do more!
Distinctly Travel Management (DTM) was launched in 2015 with a simple vision; to assist small tourism operators to understand the complexity of the tourism industry and to facilitate meaningful partnerships to grow their marketing capability. Over many years of working with tourism operators in wholesale travel operations, we recognised that whilst national and state tourism bodies were providing resources to educate tourism operators, they were generic in nature and tourism operators found it difficult to apply learning to their individual needs. Essentially, they needed a mentor in their business to assess their operations, make insightful and practical recommendations for change whilst educating them to make sustainable decisions for the future.
In the first year of business, we delivered a cost-benefit analysis to implement a new booking system for a major Western Australian resort, undertook a strategic review for a new tourism attraction and designed a tourism model with a suite of tours for a bus charter business in Albany, Western Australia. As we approached the end of 2015, it became apparent to us that not only did tourism operators need assistance with operations, but there was a significant gap in resources available to assist businesses with tourism experience product design.
Bernard Whewell ready to present the Tourism Boost Mentor Project to the City of Albany, Western Australia
And then along came Tourism BOOST. In partnership with Tourism Council WA and supported by Tourism Western Australia, we were invited to develop a pilot capability building program with the aim to mentor over 200 tourism businesses to connect with distribution partnerships through the tourism trade. Through the Tourism Boost program between 2016-2020, we have travelled the length and breadth of the state to educate new and existing tourism businesses with operational strategies to guide their tourism futures; many of which have gone on to be state and national Tourism Award winners.
Whilst mentoring and capability building has been the cornerstone of our business, over the years, we have proudly worked with a wide range of tourism stakeholders, destination marketing organisations and local government authorities to share our insights, resulting in new strategic directions and compelling tourism visitor experiences across Australia. We developed an inaugural distribution strategy for AFL ticketing at Perth’s Optus Stadium, developed trade marketing strategies for a new tourism brand; The Amazing South Coast, and designed event experiences for Bruce Munro’s Field of Light; Avenue of Honour in Albany and Tropical Light in Darwin.
Optus Stadium AFL Tourism Ticket Strategy - Perth, Western Australia
Over the 30+ years that we have been involved in the global tourism industry, we’ve seen disruptions come and go; Gulf Wars, Pilot Disputes, SARS and the GFC to name a few. But we have never experienced disruption like the beast that is Covid-19. Like many businesses in 2020, we were confronted with a completely new operating environment. Not only were we reassessing our business direction, but we walked the journey with our clients as we refocused their tourism operations to cater for domestic tourists and Covid restrictions, together with a shift from trade partnerships to local marketing strategies. We’re delighted that our regional operators are reaping rewards from a captured market and we continue to find absolute joy in meeting amazing characters and discovering their authentic tourism stories, especially in regional towns where the heart of Australia’s tourism experience beats.
In 2021, we have completed a significant re-development of our business, launching our new brand; DTM Tourism. We have developed a bespoke tourism capability building program which primarily focusses on product and visitor experience development. Our PRIME Mentoring Program is now ready to guide tourism operators, destination marketers and Local Government Tourism Officers to initiate new strategies in growing the value of tourism in their communities.
If you are ready for your tourism business to be seen, let’s put you on the map!