Wine tourism in the Canary Islands: An exploratory study

Abel

Description

Abstract
Wine tourism is experiencing significant development in both new and old European wine regions. In the case of the Canary Islands, wine has been produced and traded for centuries but little is known about the current state or potential for wine tourism on the islands, despite the fact that millions of tourists, including many potential wine tourists, visit the islands each year. In this exploratory study, the perspectives of winery owners and managers on wine tourism are examined via in-depth face-to-face interviews among 23 small winery operators to reveal that the scope for exploiting wine tourism on the islands has been recognized and that some wineries are either already involved in wine tourism, includ-ing as part of a wine trail, or plan to be more involved in the future. It was also discovered, that there were a number of issues that challenge the development of their wine and wine tourism industry, includ-ing competition from non-Canary Island wines and anti-drink-drive laws that are inhibit passers by to consume wine at the cellar door. Operators stressed the need to find a balance between mass tourism and the niche produce of wine. Moreover, the findings identify avenues for future research on wine tourism development in the Canary Islands.
Resumen
Mientras el turismo del vino está desarrollándose en varias regiones vinícolas europeas, la evolución del mismo, o su potencial, en las Islas Canarias son poco conocidos. Este estudio exploratorio examina estas áreas entre 23 bodegas insulares. Los resultados revelan el potencial de desarrollo del turismo del vino en las islas, con bodegas que, o bien ya forman parte de este concepto, o planean acre-centar su participación. Los bodegueros entrevistados reconocen impedimentos que están frenando el desarrollo de la industria vinícola y del turismo del vino en las islas, incluyendo la competición de vinos foráneos y leyes del control de alcoholemia que inhiben el consumo del vino en bodegas entre los visi-tantes. Asimismo, los bodegueros perciben la necesidad de encontrar un balance entre el turismo en masa y el nicho del producto vinícola. Finalmente, el estudio propone áreas de futura investigación sobre el desarrollo del turismo del vino en Canarias.

Sujets

• Wine
• Tourism
• Wine tourism
• Canary Islands
• Vino
• Turismo
• Îles Canaries

Informations

• Publié par: erevistas
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 123
• Langue: Español

Extrait

Vol. 6 Nº2 págs. 291-300. 2008
Special Issue – Número Especial

www.pasosonline.org


Wine tourism in the Canary Islands: An exploratory study
iiAbel Duarte Alonso
iiiLynnaire Sheridan
ivPascal Scherrer
Edith Cowan University (Australia)


Resumen: Mientras el turismo del vino está desarrollándose en varias regiones vinícolas europeas, la
evolución del mismo, o su potencial, en las Islas Canarias son poco conocidos. Este estudio exploratorio
examina estas áreas entre 23 bodegas insulares. Los resultados revelan el potencial de desarrollo del
turismo del vino en las islas, con bodegas que, o bien ya forman parte de este concepto, o planean
acrecentar su participación. Los bodegueros entrevistados reconocen impedimentos que están frenando el
desarrollo de la industria vinícola y del turismo del vino en las islas, incluyendo la competición de vino
foráneos y leyes del control de alcoholemia que inhiben el consumo del vino en bodegas entre los
visitantes. Asimismo, los bodegueros perciben la necesidad de encontrar un balance entre el turismo en masa
y el nicho del producto vinícola. Finalmente, el estudio propone áreas de futura investigación sobre el
desarrollo del turismo del vino en Canarias.

Palabras clave: Vino; Turismo; Turismo del vino; Islas Canarias; Operadores de bodegas.


Abstract: Wine tourism is experiencing significant development in both new and old European wine
regions. In the case of the Canary Islands, wine has been produced and traded for centuries; however,
little is known about the current state or potential for wine tourism development in this archipelago,
despite the fact that millions of tourists, including many potential wine tourists, visit the islands each
year. In this exploratory study, the perspectives of winery owners and managers on wine tourism are
examined. In-depth face-to-face interviews among 23 small winery operators reveal that the scope for
exploiting wine tourism on the islands has been recognized and that many wineries are either already
involved in wine tourism, including as part of a wine trail, or plan to be more involved in the future.
Issues that challenge the development of operations’ wine and wine tourism industry, including
competition from non-Canary Island wines and anti-drink-drive laws that inhibit passers by to consume wine at
the cellar door were noticed. Operators stressed the need to find a balance between mass tourism and the
niche produce of wine. Moreover, the findings identify avenues for future research on wine tourism
development in the Canary Islands.

Keywords: Wine; Tourism; Wine tourism; Canary Islands; Wine operators.




ii • Abel Duarte Alonso. Edith Cowan University (Australia). Faculty of Business and Law, Marketing, Tourism and
Leisure. E-mail: [e-mail]
iii • Lynnaire Sheridan. Edith Cowan University (Australia). Faculty of Business and Law, Marketing, Tourism and
Leisure. E-mail: [e-mail]
iv • Pascal Scherrer. Faculty of Business and Law, Marketing, Tourism and Leisure. Edith Cowan University
(Australia). E-mail: [e-mail]
© PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural. ISSN 1695-7121 292 Wine tourism in the Canary Islands: ...

Introduction and literature review cellaring behaviour, and wine club participa-
tion.
Wine tourism within the broader context The visitor dimension, that is, the study of
In recent decades, the concept of wine winery visitors demographic and consumption
tourism (Hall, Sharples, Cambourne, Macio- characteristics, has also been examined
nis, Mitchell & Johnson, 2000) has gained among winery visitors in Australia (Charters
adepts in many parts of the world, providing & Ali-Knight, 2002) and South Africa
(Tassian alternative attraction in rural areas, the opoulos, Nuntsu & Haydam, 2004).
home of most wineries and vineyards. Wine Groundbreaking research has also been
contourism has contributed to expanding the ducted to examine the recent development
dimensions of the wine product, that is, from and potential of new wine tourism
destinamerely being a consumption item, or a luxury tions in Chile (Sharples, 2002), Canada
(Telitem, to increasingly becoming a synonym for fer, 2001; Getz & Brown, 2006), Michigan
food, entertainment and hedonic experiences. (Wargenau & Che, 2006) and Texas (Dodd,
In this regard, Dodd and Gustafson (1997, in 1995). The potential gains that rural areas
Mitchell, Hall, & McIntosh, 2000) underline may obtain from wine tourism are also
adthe importance of the experiential view that dressed in studies from Portugal (Correia &
recognises the nature of products and services Ascencao, 2004), Israel (Jaffe & Pasternak,
with hedonic components such as wine. Also 2004), and Italy (Scottini, Menghini &
Scozzaimportant are the links between wine, socia- fava, 2005; Di Gregorio & Licari, 2006). In
lising, relaxation and hospitality (Dodd, contrast, some researchers also caution
1995), as are wine’s potential health benefits against high expectations of wine tourism’s
(Dodd & Morse, 1994; Klatsky, 1997; Max- alleged benefits, illustrating several
chalwell, 1997). lenges that might limit the potential of wine
The essence of wine tourism is visitation of tourism as a strategy for wineries. Beames’
cellar doors (Cambourne, 1998), wineries, and (2003, p. 205) comments, for instance,
emphavineyards to taste wines (O’Neill, Palmer, sise infrastructural issues, such as lack of
Charters & Fitz, 2001). Visiting wine shows development of attractions outside gateway
and festivals are also closely linked to wine cities, including rural areas where grapes are
tourism, not only in the form of tasting wines grown. Additional hurdles many wineries face
but also in motivating travellers to experience are the geographical distance to main roads
the characteristics of wine regions (Hall & and lack of winery infrastructure to host
visiMacionis, 1998; Macionis, 1996, in Hall et al., tors (Taylor & Warren, 1998). However, even
2000). However, the implications of wine if wineries manage to attract visitors, in some
tourism go beyond consumption and expe- cases only about one in three visitors will
rience. For example, the combination between make post-visit purchases from the same
wine and food can act as catalysts in creating winery (Jolley, 2002), suggesting that
visitaawareness and emphasising a region’s cul- tion alone may not suffice to ‘convert’ visitors
ture; in this process, rural regions can attract into loyal customers.
travellers and potentially benefit from their While much interest on wine tourism has
expenditures (Jago, Issaverdis & Graham resulted in a rapidly growing body of
litera(2007). ture, still today a large number of wine
tourNot surprisingly, interest to tap on the ism related areas have been researched to a
wine tourism phenomenon has grown among very limited extent, not only regarding wine
many wine producing regions; such develop- tourists (Jarvis & Lockshin, 2005), or about
ment is currently taking place in many dis- “wine tourism in general” (Beames, 2003, p.
tant geographical areas scattered throughout 210), but also from a theoretical / conceptual
the world. Interest in wine tourism from an nature. In fact, researchers are only
beginacademic perspective has also grown consi- ning to make discoveries in some of the
nuderably. Mitchell (1999; 2002) and Mitchell merous newly developing wine regions
and Hall (2001) conducted pioneering studies around the globe, each of them with its
in New Zealand exploring consumption and unique demographic, environmental,
producpost-visit behaviour among different age tion and entrepreneurial factors, thus
rendergroups of winery visitors. Mitchell, Hall and ing the study of wine tourists, wine regions,
McIntosh (2000) and Mitchell and Hall (2001) or winery entrepreneurs a very complex
unalso studied winery visitors’ ‘wine lifestyle,’ a dertaking.
dimension that comprises wine interest, wine This study complements the growing body
PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural, 6(2). 2008 ISSN 1695-7121
Número Especial. Turismo Gastronómico y Enoturismo

Abel Duarte Alonso; Lynnaire Sheridan and Pascal Scherrer 293

of research on the wine tourism concept by grained in the islands’ folklore, its landscape,
exploring wine tourism within the context of and agricultural heritage (García Fernández,
a popular tourist destination where wine, a 1999; El Día, 2001). Wine’s tradition as
actraditional product with centuries of history, companiment of meals, and as part of the
has lived in the shadow of the tourism indus- local culture, for instance, consumed in
festry: the Canary Islands in Spain. tivals across the seven inhabited Canary Isl-
ands, is also very long. Clear demonstrations
Canary Islands’ tourism, wine, and wine tour- of wine’s long history as part of Canary
Islism ands cultural and gastronomic heritage are
For decades,