Strategic Planning

INTRODUCTION: What is Strategic Planning?
Firstly for to speak about Strategic Planning we have to know what is the mean?
“Planning is a multidimensional activity and seeks to be integrative. It embraces social, economic, political, psychological, anthropological and technological factors. It is concerned with the past, present and future”.
Source: Gunn C.A, 2002, Tourism Planning, New York,Routlegde.

A simple definition for strategic planning is “figuring out where your organization wants to go and how it is going to get there. The quick pace of day-to-day life in student organizations may cause students to overlook the larger goals of the organization. Short-term tasks become so demanding that there is no time for the organization to make sure it is having the impact it intended.Gathering organizational members and creating a strategic plan is one way to outline what your organization will accomplish and how exactly this will happen”.

Another definition:
“Planning for tourism has traditionally focused on land-use zoning, site development, accommodation and building regulations, the density of tourist development, the presentation of cultural, historical and naturaltourist features and the provision of infrastructure including roads and sewage. However planning for tourism has adapted and expanded to include environmental and socio-cultural concerns and the need to promote economic development at local, regional and national levels.”

“Planning for tourism tends to be an amalgam of economic, socio-political and environmental considerations reflecting thediversity of the factors which influence and are affected by tourism development.”

“The tourism planning process is not just about deciding what is to be provided in the future. Planning is a process, a process human thought and action based upon that thought- in point of fact, forethought, thought on the future- nothing more or less than this is planning, which is a very general human activity”Source: Jenkins. J, 1997, Tourism Planning and Policy, Australia, McGraw-Hill Book

“Planning is the process of preparing a set of decisions for action in the future, directed at achieving goals by preferable means”
Source: Hall.C.M, 2000, Tourism Planning, Harlow, Pearson Education Limited
Various business analysis techniques can be used in strategic planning, including SWOT analysis(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats ) and PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis) or STEER analysis involving Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors.

Planning Process:
- Vision: describes long term goals of the plan
- Mission: Describes the broad tasks the organisation has set
- Objectives: is the core element ofplanning and are distinguished by several key features. For to setting objectives there is SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Specific.
- Once objectives are set the next stage is to analyse the external environment (PPEST) and internal environment (SSWOT).
- Select Strategy: There are four different models.
- Strategy Evaluation: strategic alternatives can be evaluatedusing the three main criteria; Appropriateness/Sustainability, Acceptable/Desirable and Feasibility.



STRATEGIC PLANNING MODELS
There are 4 strategic planning models:

1-Basic Strategic Planning
This model is used in organizations that are small, busy and have not done much strategic planning.
1. Identify your purpose (mission statement).
2. Select the goals your organization must reachif it is to accomplish your mission. Goals should be general and address major issues facing your organization.
3. Identify specific approaches or strategies that must be implemented to reach each goal. Develop objectives that state each step to achieving each goal.
4. Identify specific action plans to implement each strategy. Develop action plans stating how each objective will be met.
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