Wine lovers: their interests in tourist experiences

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the intrinsic components of wine tourism products that satisfy the consumers and analyze the economic development of wine regions, away from consolidated tourist destinations. Design/methodology/approach The objective of the study is fulfilled by reviewing the literature on culture and gastronomy as tourism-driving forces of hinterland development and the needs of wine lovers in their tourism experiences and then using it to design appropriate research tools to collect empirical data through a survey within the context of a single case study. Thus, the specific case of wine origin certification, denomination of origin (DO) in the Catalan regional area of Pla de Bages (Barcelona) is the successful case analyzed, through 210 valid questionnaires. Findings Wine tourism has a long history, although it may appear to be quite recent and innovative. Today’s visitors are well travelled and seek new experiences, authentic contexts and particular or exceptional activities. The findings show that the intrinsic components of wine tourism products that satisfy these consumers are critical to develop wine regions, focusing on the design of activities with significant dose of local identity and wine and gastronomic pairing. Definitely, participation, hedonism, significance, knowledge, nostalgia, tasting, novelty and local culture are the basic ingredients of a memorable and satisfying wine tourism experience. Research limitations/implications The present study has several limitations that need to be mentioned. First, this research is a single case study; the Pla de Bages DO serves as the case, focusing on one cultural heritage experience, the large wine vats walking visits. This fact can put the study’s validity in question. Another limitation is that this study is not a longitudinal one, the latter could lead to more accurate findings. It would be interesting to ad in-depth interviews to advance the understanding about how to enhance visits according to the analyzed components. Practical implications Sustainable governance of destinations implies the cooperation of private businesses, the public government and the support of the population of the territory, to develop creative and successful tourist products. Economic, social and cultural networks are necessary to create collaboration and innovation, following its mutual interests. The new governance approach based on networks that combines creative, sensorial and locally specific experiences is essential and offers many business opportunities and entrepreneurial options in hinterland regions, located near consolidated tourist destinations. Destination management organizations and private businesses should take into account the structure of the eight aforementioned components when they design oenological tourism activities. Originality/value The originality of the paper lies in the knowledge of the crucial components of memorable wine tourism experiences to satisfy visitor expectations. They have to include participation, hedonism, significance, knowledge, local culture, novelty, tasting and nostalgia.

Effects of Social Media on Enotourism. Two Cases Study: Okanagan Valley (Canada) and Somontano (Spain)

“…In the last decades, wine tourism has acquired great relevance within the international tourism panorama, becoming a segment of special interest [1], as it involves a series of activities that include visits to wineries, festivities related to wine and specifically wine-related events [2]. Enotourists have some perfectly defined requirements [3] and they want to experience the wine world in all its dimensions [4].…”

Pairing Co-Creation with Food and Wine Experiences—A Holistic Perspective of Tourist Experiences in Dão, a Portuguese Wine Region

“…Food and wine tourism is a varied and complex experience product that embraces natural and cultural destination elements that contribute to the uniqueness of the tourism experience [22]. Aside from wine and its production process, wine tourism comprises a cultural legacy in terms of history, tradition and local identity that adds value and differentiates the tourism experience [9,23,24]. Carmichael [24] (p. 186) explains that, as a tourism product, wine tourism is "based on agricultural land use and the production of wine that appeals to the senses of taste, smell and sight".…”

“…The remaining dimensions are, according to the authors, wine storytelling, pointed out as the most significant, together with the excitement of wine tasting and wine involvement. For Crespi-Vallbona and Mascarilla-Miró [9], memorable and satisfying wine tourism experiences should comprise diverse elements, namely 'participation', 'hedonism', 'significance', 'knowledge', 'nostalgia', 'tasting', 'novelty' and 'local culture'.…”

“…Hence, in rural wine destinations, experiences such as food and wine pairing, wine tasting, grape harvesting, wine festivals and wine-related workshops are emerging, complementing traditional visits to wineries and cellar doors [7,8]. The rural wine region experience definitely comprises more than wine, requiring a set of tangible and intangible resources that, when combined, may be part of a highly immersive, creative food and wine experience [9][10][11].…”

Gastronomy and Tourism: Socioeconomic and Territorial Implications in Santiago de Compostela-Galiza (NW Spain)

“…Gastronomic tourism studies are mainly oriented towards case-studies in relationship with market segmentation, tourist behaviour, preferences and consumption, relevance of food/product image and the strategic role of gastronomy as a driver of tourist destination selection [ 8 , 9 , 10 ], or focused on research about the development of specific strategies to attract gastronomic tourists, as co-creation experiences [ 11 ], or more singular aspects, such as the role of restaurants in the development of gastronomic tourism [ 12 ], in relationship with specific food items: olives [ 13 ], home-made bread [ 14 ], cheese [ 15 , 16 ], wine [ 17 ], blue tuna [ 18 ] or ham [ 19 ]. A broad approximation could be the community-based tourism approach, but usually only in the sense of matching regarding the items offered as a part of community-based tourism [ 20 ].…”