Do circular economy practices moderate the wine tourism–green performance relationship? A structural analysis applied to the Spanish wine industry

Abstract

PurposeThe research focuses on analysing the effect of wine tourism (WT) on the green performance (GP) of Spanish wineries, as well as the mediating role of green intellectual capital (GIC) and the moderating effect of circular economy practices (CEPs) developed by wineries in this main relationship. In addition, age, size and protected designation of origin (PDO) membership are introduced as control variables to increase the precision of the cause–effect relationships analysed.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model is proposed through the literature review carried out and then verified through structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) based on data obtained from a survey of 202 Spanish wineries between September 2021 and January 2022.FindingsThe results of the study show that WT activity has a positive and significant effect on the GP of wineries, also demonstrating the mediating effect of GIC and the moderating role of CEPs in this relationship.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the academic literature in several ways. First, to the best of our knowledge, no previous study has addressed the impact of WT on the set of wineries' ecological intangibles. Second, to the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has analysed the mediating effect of GIC on the WT-GP relationship. Third, there is no previous attempt to deal with the moderating role of CEPs in the main relationship under analysis. Fourth, the proposed theoretical model has not been previously addressed in the academic literature.

The effect of wine tourism on the sustainable performance of Spanish wineries: a structural equation model analysis

“…Therefore, considering wine tourism as a dichotomous variable in the research allows for a specific and comparative analysis of the effect of this type of tourism on the sustainable performance of wineries, facilitating the identification of possible correlations or causalities between wine tourism and the results obtained in each dimension of the TBL. In fact, several recent studies on the subject, such as those by Martínez-Falcó et al (2023a) and Martínez-Falcó et al (2023b), measure wine tourism as a dichotomous variable when looking at cause-effect relationships through PLS-SEM. To formulate the question associated with the variable, we used the definition of Hall et al (2000), as it is one of the most widely used in the academic literature on wine tourism, as well as because it captures the different characteristics that surround the activity.…”

Guest editorial: Circular economy in the agri-food, tourism and hospitality industries in the post-pandemic era

“…The wide concept of tourism includes articles published on sector-specific areas, such as wine-tourism, industrial tourism, mountain tourism, food tourism. Specifically, Martínez-Falcó et al . (2024) have analyzed the positive effect of wine tourism on the green performance of Spanish wineries, as well as the mediating role of green intellectual capital and the moderating effect of circular economy practices developed by wineries.…”