The influence of wine involvement on wine tourism motivations and experiences

To date, there has been relatively limited research on the impact of involvement on motivations to engage in wine tourism, and specifically wine festivals, or the benefits sought from such experiences. This information is important for providers, as understanding tourists’ motivations can better ensure that products and experiences are crafted to meet their needs. This chapter begins with a brief overview of the wine tourism experience, the concept of involvement, and its role in understanding engagement with wine and wine tourism. Previous research that has explored involvement and other forms of psychographic segmentation in the context of wine tourism is reviewed to form a context for analysis of the role of wine involvement in motivations to engage in wine tourism via a wine and food festival. Results confirm previous research that there are significantly different motives for attending festivals based on levels of wine involvement. In particular, low-involvement participants are primarily interested in socializing with friends and family, relaxing, and enjoying the setting and the atmosphere. By contrast, the wine product is central for high wine involvement– trying it, buying it, talking about it with winemakers – but this does not mean the festive and social atmosphere is unimportant for this group. The chapter concludes by discussing the finding’s implications for wine tourism product development and future research