Service quality at the cellar door: implications for Western Australia’s developing wine tourism industry

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

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.

Developing a Wine Experience Scale: A New Strategy to Measure Holistic Behaviour of Wine Tourists

This study develops a scale to measure wine tourism experiences and was tested in Portugal, in two of the main wine tourism centres: Porto and Madeira. The wine experience scale combines experience traits with the traditional approach to scales related to wine tourism. The development of the scale follows the most recognised validated procedures. Data were collected from a total of 647 international wine tourists in the wine cellars of the two main fortified wine tourism regions visiting areas: Porto and Madeira. Structural equation modelling (SEM-AMOS) was used as the main analysis and validation tool. The resulting 18-item wine experience scale comprises four major dimensions: (1) Wine storytelling, (2) wine tasting excitement, (3) wine involvement, and (4) winescape. All these showed reliable and validated indicators. This new scale presents a valid new tool to better measure and evaluate experiences in a wine tourism setting. This study offers a broad range of use for academics, managers, planners, and practitioners. It shows how a new measurement tool focused on the wine tourism experience in terms of several outcomes and applications, addressing important practical managerial implications, can have an impact on academic research. Most previous tourism scales still fail to measure the specifics of wine settings. This is the first scale that comprises the dimensions of experience with wine senses, applied in a relevant wine destination where research is still limited. The results are relevant in boosting the increasingly recognized awareness of Portugal as wine tourism, as well as bringing experience scales to the body of knowledge.

The Relationship between Industrial Heritage, Wine Tourism, and Sustainability: A Case of Local Community Perspective

Our research addresses wine tourism as a means of enhancing the heritage and industrial memory of wine. Specifically, it considers winery tours as a form of industrial tourism capable of boosting the sustainable development of winemaking territories. This article explores the significance and perception of wine tourism from the perspective of the local community by examining a specific case: The Port Wine Cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia (Portugal), where tourism and the wine industry are undergoing a greening process, sharing both cultural and commercial ties. The originality of this article lies in the empirical part of the research, which, using quantitative methods based on questionnaires, provides primary data regarding the relationship between sustainability and industrial wine tourism from the perspective of local residents, key agents in the promotion and success of the destination. In general terms, the results statistics obtained through a cluster analysis show that local perception of the impact of wine tourism in Gaia is favorable, and it is considered an element with the capacity to revitalize the economy and also enhance the city’s image. It is also seen as a sustainable option, attributable mainly to economic, cultural, and governance considerations.

Exploring Winery Visitors in the Emerging Wine Regions of the North Central United States

Most of the pioneering studies related to wineries were conducted in famous wine regions, the results of which were not especially applicable to the small and emerging wineries in the United States. These wineries rely heavily on visitors’ on-site purchases; this highlights the importance of understanding winery visitors’ behaviors. This study explored the sequential relationships among winery visitors’ pre-trip characteristics (motivation, wine involvement), on-site experiences (perceived value), and post-trip evaluations (satisfaction, place attachment, winery loyalty). Intercepted winery visitors provided their e-mail addresses and were sent an online survey. Partial-least-squares structural equation modeling results showed that leisure-motivated and low wine-involved visitors perceive more diverse values in their winery experiences. Visitors’ perceived services, social benefits, and wine-quality values contributed to the positive post-trip evaluations. Winery owners stand to benefit from this research by being able to design winery experiences that are highly valued. Limitations are discussed and future research is suggested.

Australian Wine Tourism: Establishing a Career Path at the Cellar Door

Wine tourism in Australia has grown substantially in recent years and contributes to employment opportunities in regional areas. To meet the requirements of this growing sector, workers need a considerable degree of skill-specific training; development of wine tourism personnel will be required. This article examines challenging human resource issues associated with the potential labour pool in wine regions in Australia. It raises issues about professional development through the implementation of training and assessment strategies to achieve a growth in the professionalism of cellar-door employees and thus provide a professional career pathway for Australian wine tourism personnel.