Wine Tourism Behaviour in the Context of a Motivational Framework for Wine Regions and Cellar Doors

Most wine tourists and visitors to wine regions can be viewed as actual or potential consumers of a lifestyle beverage, who visit wine regions in order to have wine-related experiences. An exploratory wine tourism research study in the Coonawarra and McLaren Vale wine regions in South Australia measured the motivations for engaging in wine tourism and specific behaviours related thereto. The results of the study are exposited by means of a suggested conceptual motivational framework for wine tourism. The framework is a simple construct consisting of three main dimensions: the Visitor, Wine Region and Visit Dynamic (viewed in terms of first-time or repeat visitation). As an adjunct to these, there are multivariate evolving sub-dimensions of motivation and behaviour related to geographic location of wine region, purpose of visit, etc., which augment the main dimensions. The results revealed that in the Wine Region dimension motivation is affected in terms of geographic location in relation to the permanent home origin of the visitors. The Visit Dynamic dimension revealed that there are similarities and marked differences between the motivations of first-time and repeat visitors and subsequent behaviours in the different wine regions. The sub-dimension of visitation motivations indicated that to taste and buy wine are the most prevalent motivations, with emphasis on enjoyable tasting experiences and finding interesting and special wines. Motivations are significantly affected by knowledge of the wine region, the products and wineries through previous visits. The framework construct makes it possible to identify the relative significance of certain wine tourism behaviours. Wine regions and individual cellar doors need this information to plan for and meet the wine tourists' needs and expectations within the scope of their own resources.