Increasing Sustainability through Wine Tourism in Mass Tourism Destinations. The Case of the Balearic Islands

Abstract

This study explores the potential contribution to economic and cultural sustainability of fostering wine tourism activity in a Mediterranean mature mass tourism destination like the Balearic Islands. A causal model was designed linking winery visitors’ satisfaction with both the local wines and the visit to the winery and future purchasing intentions as well as the interest in the destination cultural offer, global satisfaction with the trip, and image of the destination. Field research was carried out within the wineries where a questionnaire was administered personally to a sample of 200 winery visitors. The managers of the wineries were contacted previously to ensure their cooperation in the research. The statistical method used for the analysis of the exploratory causal model was the Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression. Results indicate that there is a great growth potential for wine tourism activity in the islands with important positive externalities on gastronomic tourism and the overall image of the Islands. Results show that wine tourism might boost the sales and exports of wine in the medium and long term. Finally, it can be concluded that there are important synergies between rural tourism, mass tourism, and wine tourism in the islands which are still not sufficiently optimized, and that greater support to wine tourism development could contribute not only to a more sustainable rural development but also to a more sustainable tourist activity overall within a more diversified economy.

An Insight into Gastronomic Tourism through the Literature Published between 2012 and 2022

“…In the paper by Serra-Cantallops, Ramón-Cardona and Vachiano [78], they focused on the way wine tourism could lead to sustainability in the mass tourism of the Balearic Islands in Spain. Other authors also stress that wine tourism has led to sustainable development of rural areas [79,80].…”

“…In the research of Coros , , Pop and Popa [81], they also give examples of regions in Romania that were sustainably developed through wine tourism. Another study which focuses, this time, on food and wine pairing to promote sustainable tourism is led by Serra-Cantallops et al [78]. The authors state that pairing food and wine helps sectoral integration, thus increasing the demand for raw products, and with that come job opportunities for locals.…”

Factors that characterize oleotourists in the province of Córdoba

“…Many studies focus on what motivates gastronomic tourists [ 14 – 17 ], as well as on gastronomy by country, e.g., France [ 18 , 19 ], Italy [ 20 ], Portugal [ 21 , 22 ], Croatia [ 23 , 24 ] and Spain [ 25 – 27 ], or by products, e.g., wine [ 27 – 32 ], cheese [ 33 – 35 ], and Iberian ham [ 26 – 36 ]; however, there are fewer analyses of tourist offers [ 37 – 39 ] or demand forecasts [ 40 – 43 ]. In the case of oil, research on olive oil stands out.…”

Happiness Management: A Culture to Explore From Brand Orientation as a Sign of Responsible and Sustainable Production

“…Moreover, companies producing and launching their products beyond borders are changing significantly due to the economy's birth and rapid development (Serra-Cantallops et al, 2021). In this new context, organisations' brands play a vital role in organisations' sustainability, thus ensuring their customers' loyalty in the medium and long term (Gatto and Re, 2021;Grijalvo Martín et al, 2021).…”

“…Future research should empirically explore this construct in other types of organisations, such as nonprofit organisations. It is bearing in mind the academic expectations that currently exist in social sciences about the innovative concept of happiness management and its link to brand orientation and marketing (Serra-Cantallops et al, 2021).…”