The role of destination marketing and management organizations in promoting sake tourism: a case study of Japan

Purpose Sake tourism is becoming increasingly popular among international tourists to Japan, and on December 4, 2024, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization registered the “traditional knowledge and skills of sake making with ‘koji’ mold in Japan” as an intangible cultural heritage. However, despite this attention to sake tourism, collaboration among stakeholders remains inefficient, highlighting the need for destination marketing and management organizations (DMOs) to promote content tourism. This study aims to explore the role of DMOs in developing a destination ecosystem (DE) in which various stakeholders collaborate efficiently. Design/methodology/approach For the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 key persons in Myoko, Niigata Prefecture, a famous sake tourism destination. Findings The findings show that stakeholders strongly require the leadership of DMOs in creating destination ecosystems and DMOs’ multiple additional roles in developing sake tourism. Research limitations/implications Focusing on sake tourism, this study theoretically contributes to research on destination marketing and management by exploring the role of DMOs in culinary tourism and identifying the DMOs’ specific roles in DEs. Practical implications Regarding practical implications, this study highlights the importance of DMOs adopting both marketing and management roles in promoting culinary tourism. Originality/value Results indicate that major stakeholders expect the DMO to take roles as a marketer in addition to a coordinator between stakeholders in developing sake tourism.