Green Innovation in Wine Tourism

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate how wine tourism influences the adoption of environmentally friendly product and process innovations by Spanish wineries. The research includes control variables like the winery's age, its size, and its association with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) to accurately delineate cause-effect relationships. A conceptual model, grounded in existing literature, forms the basis of this study and is empirically examined through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), drawing on data from 202 Spanish wineries. The results demonstrate that wine tourism substantially and positively impacts the development of green products and process innovations. This research contributes to academic discourse in several ways. It enhances the understanding of the beneficial outcomes linked with wine tourism and adds to the existing knowledge on the nexus between wine tourism and sustainability. This includes the insight that wine tourism can bolster a winery's capacity for green innovation. Additionally, this study is seemingly the first to explore wine tourism as a catalyst for green innovation. The theoretical model introduced in this research is novel, representing a notable advancement in the academic comprehension of the relationship between wine tourism and green innovation in the context of the wine industry.