A Study of the Best Practice for Developing Fishing Villages into Cultural Tourism Destination: A Case Study of Ine Fishing Village, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

- This research aimed to study the concepts and development models for fishing villages into cultural tourism destinations, using the case study of Ine fishing village, Japan. This study was conducted as qualitative research using in-depth interviews, with a sample group consisting fishermen, residents in Ine and scholars with relevant studies, total 15 samples. The research findings indicated that the fishing village applies the concept of “Kankou Machizukuri” for its development. This concept refers to urban development for tourism through public participation by focusing on resources in the area. Importantly, the Kankou Machizukuri concept has no well-defined mechanism and process; development processes depend on the objectives and context of the specific area. Regarding the development model of Ine fishing village, it was found that various stakeholders are involved in the development as follows: (1) The central government developed a conservation mechanism called DENKEN, which is a framework emphasizing collaboration among all sectors. In this mechanism, the central government provided budget and technical assistance for the preservation of old buildings. (2) The local government established the Ine Town Council and developed financial mechanisms to support small businesses. (3) The local community recognizes the cultural resources value in the area and proposed the conservation of Funaya houses through the DENKEN mechanism, as well as the establishment of a city conservation committee to drive conservation and development at the community level. (4) Civil society supports the development of the Ine fishing village under the essential support from fishermen’s cooperative.