Destination management organisations as the outcome of institutional innovations in the tourism sector

The main reasons for innovations in tourism destinations are dynamic changes in visitors’ needs and the desire to gain a competitive advantage. As the result of these ongoing changes on the tourism market, the organisational structures within the destinations are evolving. Given these facts, the aim of the paper is to analyse the activities of destination management organisations in Slovakia, to identify their impact on tourism development and to determine the internal and external barriers to their further development. Quantitative research was the main tool used to determine how institutional innovations in the form of destination management organisations are contributing to a higher level of performance of the analysed areas in the tourism sector.