Project outlines in wine and culinary tourism

Position of the research idea

Destination management organisations (DMOs) are challenged today more than ever to identify the characteristic features of the region in which they operate and to integrate them into carefully balanced marketing activities directed both outwards and inwards. This is the only way to create an authentic service portfolio that can be differentiated from the competition and that both travellers and locals are able to recognise and evaluate. The local/regional cuisine of a destination is exceptionally relevant here, as food and drink offer a particularly accessible option for immersing oneself in the culture and gathering impressive experiences (Peters, 2017).

In this context, authenticity is a complex requirement, as it can flow seamlessly into a stereotyped offering: If the same recipes are repeatedly cooked/the same production processes used over and over again, this promotes the preservation of traditions and compliance with rules/laws on the one hand, but potentially does not reflect the cultural (everyday) practice that creates identity internally or promotes attractiveness externally on the other hand. Flavours, ingredients, procedures and their interpretation are too much in a constant state of flux (Kirchengast, 2009) to give preference to an exclusively insistent perspective.

Against the background of such thoughts, the question remains as to who should be the benchmark for the authenticity of the culinary features in a destination. Whose actions can DMOs orientate themselves on in the context of performing their tasks in destination marketing?

The ‘Culinary Excellence’ approach proposes focussing on artists in the segment. It follows the gastrosophical approach that cooking is to be understood as art in particular when the aspect of creative freedom comes into play, i.e. when the production of food and drink is innovative in some way (Lemke, 2017). Creative chefs and other imaginative culinary experts can be recognised as culinary artists or cultural creators who contribute to the destination’s recognition through their work.

Research objectives

Interaction is a prerequisite for the tourism value effect described above: Innovation drivers and place managers must know each other and interact in their strategic actions (especially with regard to communication measures and product development) (Beelitz & Schneider, 2022). Against this background, the aim of the project outlined here is to investigate whether and to what extent culinary artists or cultural creators are present in international destination marketing, whether and how their work is perceived by DMOs and what recommendations can be made for cooperation.

Methodological approach and time plan

The study aims to consider regions that are home to culinary excellence, understood as those locations of culinary artists or cultural creators that have received an award and have thus been made particularly visible. In terms of awards, both classics (Michelin) and new, lesser-known awards (World Culinary Awards) are deliberately taken into account.

Empirical insights are to be generated using a mixed methods approach: The research project provides for a content analysis of online information (DMO homepages and Instagram channels) as well as expert interviews. A representative survey will also be conducted.

As the subject area of ‘culinary tourism’ is not firmly institutionalised at Kempten University of Applied Sciences, the project does not have a defined timetable, but will rather be implemented according to actual possibilities (e.g. elective courses taking place). Results are to be published successively, e.g. the results of the content analysis at the upcoming CWTC 2024.

Literature

Methodology

This contribution sheds light on the situation of motorhome travelers from both the supply and the demand side. For an initial analysis of the supply side, a survey of wine producers in the ‘Heilbronner Land’, one of Württemberg’s travel regions and the oldest wine region in Württemberg, conducted in 2022 is used as an example. All wine producers with motorhome pitches (n=59) were surveyed, of which 30 businesses ultimately took part. The results allow initial conclusions to be drawn about the facilities, capacity utilization and potential added value for the pitch providers. In addition, topics were identified where assistance for the businesses is desired. As part of the quantitative survey, motorhome owners in the wine growing regions of Baden, Moselle, Rheinhessen and Palatinate (Pfalz) who were staying at a winery were interviewed between June and September 2022. In order to investigate the motives and expectations of motorhome owners during a stay at a winery, six wineries with affiliated motorhome sites were recruited and handed out a ‘paper-pencil questionnaire’ to their guests. A total of 384 completed questionnaires were returned, 32 of which were discarded as unusable because they were incomplete or illegible. The final sample therefore comprises 352 cases, which form the basis for the analysis.

First results

The provider survey showed that motorhome owners place particular importance on fresh water supply and an electricity connection; other amenities do not play a particularly important role. The survey of pitch users also revealed a desire for toilets and showers on the site. As already introduced in the presentation at the Culinary and Wine Tourism Conference in Heilbronn 2022, wine sales benefited from the pitch users, but the wineries did not exploit the potential due to a lack of their own marketing measures. As the desire for direct contact with the winemaker was particularly clear in the customer survey, there are starting points for the businesses here. Among other things, a more clever pricing policy could increase the chance of additional sales and improve customer loyalty.

The biggest challenge for the future is considered to be legal obstacles to the construction of pitches. In principle, pitches are structural facilities and require the approval of the responsible building authority. In German building law, a distinction is made between businesses that are located within contiguous built-up areas (the so-called ‘inner area’) or outside (‘outer area’). Building in outside areas is often more problematic and always requires approval from the respective local building authority, whereby decisions can vary from area to area. This is not the only reason why cooperation between winegrowers and local authorities needs to be improved. Among other things, it is also a matter of improving the supply and disposal structure. In addition, more joint marketing efforts should be initiated by tourism and winegrowing organisations in order to make better use of the economic potential of motorhome owners.

Literature

Towards the identification of existing synergies in between hiking tourism and local wine producers

Introduction

Co-creation in the field of culinary wine tourism has become a fascinating combination of gastronomy, wine culture and travel experiences. This innovative approach brings together, for example, winemakers, chefs and local communities to create unique experiences that engage the senses and enable a deeper understanding of the region. This collaboration not only results in exclusive tastings or culinary creations, but also insights into the history and production of wines as well as the diversity of local flavours and food. Co-creation in culinary wine tourism gives travellers the opportunity to experience authentic experiences.

Maslow’s pyramid of needs is still an important tool in economics and social sciences to illustrate human needs and motivations. Here, eating and drinking are classified as basic human needs, along with sleeping or physical integrity. However, in modern, Western societies, eating and drinking also stand for the formation of human identity. The human being is in search of creativity and depth. Consequently, a change from the pure satisfaction of physiological needs to a central aspect in the current experience society can be observed.

These developments can also be observed in the tourism sector. Travelers want to experience experiences that fulfil their search for uniqueness or meaningfulness. This change means numerous changes for tourism providers. Regarding tourist experiences, “the active inclusion of culinary elements with their regional orientation [...] can make a contribution [...] to destinations lifting themselves out of the interchangeability and confusability of the offer in the tourist market with culinary elements” (Kagermeier, 2011, p. 52). In tourism, local cuisine offers the possibility that the guest meets the culture very easily and thus collects unforgettable experiences due to the uniqueness and authenticity of the destination.

In particular, the field of co-creation in culinary tourism is still quite unexplored. Little is known about “[...] the active intervention of the experiencer to individually experience” (translated after Popp, 2012, p. 95). Questions such as ‘Where is the use of co-creation necessary?’ or ‘What importance do guests attach to co-creation?’ are open. Accordingly, the following question can be formulated for the dissertation project:

What is the role of co-creation in the culinary wine experience?

Against the backdrop of the active integration of culinary into the traditional tourism activities of a destination, a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence tourists’ perceptions of food and drink is of central importance.

Research Design

The research objective of this dissertation project is (1) to identify culinary wine experiences in tourism and (2) to show how they are changed using co-creation. To answer this question, different methods will be used, and a qualitative research design will be followed.

First, an inductive literature review will be used to create an understanding of the key approaches. A systematic literature analysis will be conducted. English language papers will be integrated to allow for identification and critical evaluation as well as collection and analysis of data. The Torraco (2005) approach for an integrative literature review will be followed. Possible keywords for the data collection can be experience, tourism, culinary, wine and co-creation. ScienceDirect, Web of Science and SAGE Publications will be consulted as possible databases.

After finalizing the research gap and research objectives, a qualitative study will be implemented in a second step. For example, the following questions will be investigated: What co-creation do travellers perceive, what is the importance of co-creation, at what point of time is co-creation relevant in a wine experience, or what emotions can be related to co-creation? That is, by means of a specific culinary experience, the wine experience should be named, and the aspects of co-creation analysed. The cognitive structures or mental models need to be understood to capture both the conscious and unconscious thoughts and feelings of the customer. The Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) according to Zaltman (1997) “[...] is a technique for eliciting interrelated notions that influence thought and behaviour” (Khoo-Lattimore & Prideaux, 2013, p. 1036). During in-depth face-to-face interviews, the deeper basics of the decision-making processes can be understood through symbolic and metaphorical expressions of the customer.

For the analysis of all data (integrative literature analysis and qualitative study) it is thought to use the qualitative data analysis software NVivo to manage and visualize the data in the context of descriptive research.

Time and work plan

The dissertation project is calculated to take five years to complete. During the orientation and planning phase, the identification of the topic was carried out and the definition of the research question. In 2019 and 2020, an intensive literature research on the question took place. On this basis, the research question and the methodological approach could be refined in 2021. In 2022, the planned literature analysis was started. Likewise, the writing of the theoretical approaches was started in 2022, which will be continued in 2023. In 2023, the collection of the data of the qualitative study as well as the analysis of these will also be started. After all aspects have been written up, the dissertation should be completed in 2024.

References

Project description

The development of wine tourism is driven by the necessity of building new sales channels. The cooperation between the tourism and winegrowing sector has led to successful interactions and win-win situations for both sides. As a result, these synergies have promoted the expansion of the wine tourism offer and raised first awareness among stakeholders. Nevertheless, wine tourism remains a niche market and is still in the growth phase. The market is not saturated and the potential for synergies and cooperation within the wine-growing regions has so far only been partially exploited. There are also increasing inconsistencies between stakeholders as well as problems in the transparency and implementation of wine tourism offers (Dreyer, 2021). The 13 wine-growing regions among Germany are very unique and individually positioned in terms of their special features, tourist infrastructure, sights and, consequently, their tourist offerings. Destinations are predominantly still in competition with each other instead of working together and benefiting from each other. With the development of wine tourism and constantly changing framework conditions, wine tourists and their needs are also evolving. Wine tourists are the focus of various studies and have been defined and categorized based on socio-demographic and psychographic parameters. The demand and expectations of wine tourists require an experiential value. They want to have an experience and call for wine tourism offers with added value and an experiential character (Rüdiger et al., 2015). This promise of an outstanding experience must therefore be taken into consideration when developing destination strategies and tourism offers.

The combination of wine tourism with other tourism market segments and the strengthening and expansion of synergy effects as well as the integration of needs and the associated experiential character is therefore of great relevance and should be the focus of this paper.

Wine combined with active tourism offers is a trend, at least throughout Germany, and in particular hiking tourism has developed into a high-volume market during recent years. As wine-growing regions are often located along rivers and have a special landscape, the potential for hiking tourism in wine regions is set (Rüdiger, 2023).

History already confirms the ongoing combination of wine and hiking through the development and establishment of the first wine routes and educational wine trails as an instrument of marketing and wine sales (Hall et al., 2000).

There are 414 known wine routes worldwide, 268 of which are in Europe. The combination of wine and hiking has therefore been relevant for a long time and is becoming increasingly important, especially in the tourism industry (Dreyer, 2021).

Looking at current studies on hiking, it becomes obvious that younger generations are also being addressed and that hiking is enjoying an increasingly younger audience (Eilzer & Harms, 2021). As a result, wine-growing regions need to focus even more on hiking when it comes to positioning and evolving new strategies.

The aim of this work is to show the potential of synergies between wine and hiking tourism and how this combination can sustainably strengthen a destination. In addition, the focus is on the tourists – their needs and the acceptance and use of cooperation and concepts between these two sectors. Considering demographic change, the differences between generations and their needs are particularly emphasized.

In the first part of this paper, the conceptual basis and definitional approaches of the two sub-sectors of wine and hiking tourism are clarified. A major focus is on the necessity of synergies and cooperation to develop success-oriented strategies. The needs of consumers and the experience in context of Pine and Gilmore’s experience economy are seen as basic prerequisites for this. The second part of this paper contains an empirical approach.

As part of a quantitative survey, 5 experts from the fields of marketing, journalism, science, associations and from practice on the organizer side were interviewed, in order to gain as much insight into the topic as possible. A standardized guideline was created for the interviews to achieve a comparable evaluation. Based on the research question: ‘Can synergies between wine and hiking tourism be sustainably successful and strengthen destinations, as well as appeal to younger generations?’, 5 categories were formed during the evaluation, which in turn served as the basis for a quantitative survey. Another component of the empirical study is the implementation of a quantitative survey. The previous literature research and the results of the expert interviews served as the basis for the development of an online questionnaire to determine the behavior and needs of potential wine and hiking tourists and to find out whether there are generational differences in terms of interest in wine and hiking concepts.

References

Introduction

Destination Management can be understood as the design and development of spatial service systems, from whose offer the guest designs his individual service chains for his stay (Beritelli & Bieger, 2023). Wine-growing regions have the advantage that they are seen as a unit (possibly as a brand) due to their delimitation, which can be worthwhile for a holiday/stay – at least for the target group of wine travelers. These are tourists who specifically travel to wine-growing regions and want to take advantage of offers from winegrowers there or simply enjoy the cultural wine landscape (Scherhag, 2022). Networks for shaping guest requirements grow over time and are constantly becoming more detailed and more precise in the traveler’s perception as experience is gathered. At the same time, the composition of the travel group plays an important role in determining the motivation for travelling and the content associated with a trip. Experience values in particular are playing an increasingly important role here. These can be tailored precisely to the respective target group as special interest products; however, this requires different service providers or groups for the specific themes, and the network must work together cooperatively. In principle, the initiative can come from the wine or tourism industry, whereby the customer approach usually takes place in the respective segments. The expansion of a wine tourism network between the players from the tourism and wine industries represents a challenge for the further development of the wine tourism offer (Kagermeier, 2010).

Marketing as a special interest product has advantages for the providers, as the target groups can be addressed directly. However, it is necessary to meet customer expectations as precisely as possible. One of the advantages of addressing special interest target groups is that they are less price-sensitive than target groups that are more orientated towards standard products. In this context, cooperation products come into play, which make it possible for individual service providers to work together with other stakeholders (UNTWO, 2021).

So far, only a fraction of the cooperation potential has been tapped. As a result, this market is becoming increasingly dynamic, which means that wineries and industry players must become ever more creative when it comes to expanding their product range.

Objective and Research Question

As the potential for co-operation has not yet been fully exploited and customer needs have not been sufficiently researched, this is where we need to start. It is necessary to investigate which co-operative products are on demand and booked by visitors to wine tourism destinations and what expectations may arise in the future. There is also the question of who should design these offers and communicate them to the guest (e. g. wine maker, tour operator, Hotels, DMO). Are they ‘excursion products’ or are they services that are in demand during a longer stay?

The first step is to categorize wine tourism products or partial services in the offer of wine-growing regions, also in relation to the target groups and the length of stay (day vs. overnight guests). The supply side is analyzed to determine which cooperation products are actively offered and who has corporate responsibility for these products. It is quite possible that it is only a product name (brand name) that is very individually equipped with different services by the participating companies (e. g. #opendoorwein in Palatinate).

Methodology

After status quo analysis, the next step is to design a corresponding research that takes a differentiated look at the demand for tourism services in wine-growing regions. To this end, an online survey will be designed, with the help of which around 1500 travelers who have visited german wine-growing regions will be surveyed – they will be asked about their activities and special interest bookings during their stay. The field research is scheduled for February/March 2024, so it cannot be a personal interview in the different wine growing regions. The core aim of the survey is to explore, understand and evaluate traveler motivations in connection with cooperation products in wine tourism in more detail. We will ask for used products on the one hand and we want to bring the proband to think about new cooperative products in wine growing regions. In order to be able to answer the questions posed by the problem, it is important to scrutinize the following circumstances more closely:

• day travelers or travelers with an overnight stay?

• are they living in the wine growing region and do visit regularly the region?

• who are in the travelers group (e. g. family, friends, colleagues …)

The first empiric results are expected in March/April 2024. The final results of the market research will be presented at the CWTC 2024 in Krems (May 22–25, 2024) and initial solutions will be discussed.

References

Introduction

The term wine tourism refers to food-inspired travel related to the visit of wine growing regions and wineries (Croce & Perri, 2017). Its main concepts circle around the terms heritage, branding and terroir. The latter derives from the French word meaning the soil and the local climate which have a major influence on the taste of the wine. Wine tourism is a sub-segment of culinary travel and as such features its own distinctive marketing channels (Hall, 2004; Croce & Perri, 2017). Cooperative destination marketing with a focus on wine can build on synergies as both products foster local development and add to the identity of a region (Dreyer et al., 2011) as well as to the emotional connection with its visitors. Scenic touristic roads through a wine growing region can advance destinational development. Furthermore, wine tourism helps to preserve cultural traditions and landscapes as well as to develop rural areas.

The valley of the Lahn River spans three German states (‘Bundesländer’) in the central western region of the country. The river flows into the Rhine just south of Koblenz. The Lahn valley has a long history of tourism, starting with noblemen from all over Europe in the 19^th century to today’s active outdoor tourism. The whole valley of the Lahn River from source to mouth is marketed as an entity under the brand ‘Das Lahntal’ (‘The Lahn Valley’) with a focus on cycling, hiking and water-based activities. The destination ‘Lahn Valley’ boasts a wide array of touristic suppliers and a dense destinational network which includes local, regional and state-wide actors. Several initiatives focus on the sustainable development of tourism along the river.

The valley of the Lahn River was also home to a significant wine growing agriculture in the past. The importance of this sector has diminished dramatically: Nowadays only eight hectares of vineyards can be found in the lower part of the river in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Four winemakers keep up the century-old tradition. Viticulture therefore represents an economic niche in the Lahn Valley. It must be assumed that the wineries are run on a sideline basis with wine tourism being either a special interest market or an add-on to other touristic offers in the destination. Marketing the wine and related activities from the Lahn valley needs to overcome one major challenge: The area is a sub-region to the much more famous neighbouring Middle-Rhine Valley between Bingen, Rüdesheim and Koblenz which is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It features, among others, important destinations for wine tourism such as Rüdesheim, Bacharach, and Assmannshausen. The smaller Lahn Valley thus faces reduced visibility and awareness by (potential) touristic customers. Today, wine tourism in the Lahn Valley must be considered a niche market for travellers with special interest. It is promoted through websites, brochures and other marketing publications as well as through touristic offers such as the ‘Lahn Wine Path’ for hikers.

Kotler et al. (2022) propose the model of the core, facilitating, supporting, and augmented tourism product. The core product is the actual reason for a customer to buy or use a certain product or service; it is the foundation of the offer. The facilitating product supports the usage or consumption of the core product. The augmented product consists of the physical environment that the core product is offered in. Furthermore, it enables the immersion of the customer in the product and thus creates a close link between the user and the producer. This concept shall be used in the present study in order to understand the state of wine tourism in the Lahn valley.

Objective, Research Question and Relevance

Wine tourism in the Lahn valley has not been a field for academic studies so far. The aim of this research project is to investigate the way in which wine tourism along the Lahn River is promoted. An additional focus will be pointed towards the competition of wine tourism and other touristic activities in the same destination on the one hand and in the neighbouring Middle Rhine Valley on the other hand. The research question thus reads:

Which marketing tools are used in order to promote wine tourism in the Lahn Valley and how is it differentiated from competing products?

The findings of this research project will be relevant for marketing and product development in the Lahn valley. It thus aims to provide advice to professionals in tourism companies and DMOs. At the same time, researchers in the fields of wine tourism and destination management will be able to build on the findings and/or compare their own research with the results of the present project. The study will also form the basis for the development of marketing strategies of other destinations with a niche market with a focus on wine tourism.

Methodology

The research project follows a qualitative methodology. Literature on wine tourism (e. g. Croce & Perri, 2017; Sigala & Robinson, 2019) as well as on tourism marketing and destination marketing will build the theoretical foundation of the research. A qualitative content analysis will be conducted in order to study marketing publications such as websites, brochures and guide books. The results will be linked to Kotler’s et al. (2022) theory of the core, facilitating, supporting, and augmented tourism product which will in turn lead to an in-depth understanding of wine tourism in the Lahn Valley.

Timeframe

The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2024. The current status is in-depth literature research. The empirical part will be carried out in January 2024.

References