DESTINATION MANAGER — JAPAN

About Pagoda Pro

Pagoda Pro is a curated experiential travel marketplace connecting international travel advisors with certified local guides across key destinations worldwide. We are not a traditional OTA. Our platform enables direct communication between advisor and guide, supervised by a native Destination Manager who ensures every booking is set up for success before the client travels.
Japan is one of our flagship destinations. The person we hire will be the face of Pagoda Pro in Japan — the expert every advisor trusts, the contact every guide respects, and the reason every client has an exceptional experience.

The Role
This is not a customer service position. We are looking for someone who knows Japan's travel and tourism landscape deeply, has existing relationships with tour operators and guides across the country, and can work independently to build and grow Pagoda Pro's presence in Japan from the ground up.You will be the sole Destination Manager for Japan at launch. Everything that happens in this destination — the quality of the guide library, the success of every booking, the reputation of the platform — reflects your knowledge and your relationships.

What You Will Do
‍
Guide Recruitment and Certification 
Identify, approach, and onboard exceptional local guides and tour operators across Japan's key destinations — Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and beyond. Every guide you bring onto the platform must meet Pagoda Pro's certification standards. You assess them, you vouch for them, and you are responsible for the quality of what they deliver.

Booking Supervision 
Monitor live communication between international travel advisors and guides on the platform. Step in when a misunderstanding is forming. Advise the advisor on guide selection, cultural nuance, and destination specifics. Advise the guide on client expectations, special requirements, and preparation. Your presence inside the platform is what separates a Pagoda Pro booking from every other booking an advisor can make.

Advisor and Guide Support 
Both advisors and guides can call on you directly at any point. You are their resource — answering questions, solving problems, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks between a booking being made and a client arriving in Japan.

Guide Replacement If an advisor requests a different guide — for any reason — you source an alternative from the certified library immediately. The booking does not collapse. The client never knows.

Itinerary Building Build fully crafted, client-ready itineraries for advisors who commission the VIP Itinerary Service, working alongside our AI engine. You guide the AI, apply your destination knowledge, select the right guides for the right clients, and produce something the advisor can present with confidence.

What We Are Looking For

Non-negotiableNative
Japanese speaker with full professional fluency in EnglishDeep knowledge of Japan as a travel destination — not just the major cities, but the experiences, the operators, the seasonal considerations, and the cultural context that international advisors and their clients need to understandExisting relationships with tour operators and guides across Japan, or a clear and credible path to building them quicklyExperience working in or alongside the travel and tourism industry in Japan

Strongly preferred
Experience working with international travel advisors or host agenciesFamiliarity with experiential and independent travel — this is not a group tour platformComfort working alongside AI tools — you are not replaced by the technology, but you need to work with it confidentlyStrong written communication skills in English — your platform communications with international advisors must be clear, professional, and reassuring

The right person You are known in Japan's travel industry. Operators take your calls. Guides respect your judgement. You can walk into a conversation with a tour operator and explain why listing with Pagoda Pro is worth their time — and they will believe you because of who you are, not just what you say.

Working Arrangements
Fully remote — you work from Japan, on Japan timeFull timeBase salary - based on experience Direct reporting line to Pagoda Pro CEO

What This Role Becomes
Japan is the first destination. If the model works here — and the economics say it will — Pagoda Pro expands across Asia and beyond. The person who builds Japan builds the template every subsequent Destination Manager follows. That is a significant professional opportunity for someone who wants to shape how experiential travel is sold to the international market.
‍
To apply, contact us at hello@pagoda.travel. Applications without demonstrable Japan tourism industry experience will not be considered.