“The Glue that Holds Us Together”: Exploring the Role of Destination Management Organisation in Tourism Coopetition

DMOs have multiple roles in a tourist destination. As destination stewards, they can promote cooperative behaviour and trust among stakeholders Gretzel (Eur J Tour Res 30, 2021. https://doi.org/10.54055/ejtr.v30i.2589 ). Cooperative activities displayed by competitors are called coopetition. This chapter investigates the DMO’s role in coopetition between private tourism actors within and between three co-located destinations in a seaside destination cluster in Northern Denmark. A mixed-method social network analysis is utilised Jørgensen (Tour Anal 21:559–576, 2016), using socio-cognitive mapping Marsden (The SAGE Handbook of Social Network Analysis. SAGE Publications Ltd, London, pp. 370–388, 2014. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446294413.n2 ) and in-depth interviews. The findings show that DMO operates in a complex environment with conflicting interests between towns. Yet it a powerful actor with a central position in the network. Private actors engage in coopetitive activities within the towns, with the DMO acting as a contributor, while no cooperation is observed between the towns. The DMO inhibits coopetition, missing out on advantages of joint product development and coopetitive branding, as well as falling short of the stewardship mission.