What Defines the Perfect Wine Tourism Experience? Evidence from a Best–Worst Approach

Caterina Fucile Franceschini, Elisa Giampietri () and Eugenio Pomarici
Additional contact information
Caterina Fucile Franceschini: Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Elisa Giampietri: Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Eugenio Pomarici: Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-21

Abstract: This paper investigates wine tourists’ preferences for the attributes of the wine tourism experience (WTEXP) in Italy and Turkey, exploring cross-cultural differences and similarities in two countries with diverse wine tourism development. Data were collected through an online survey of 253 wine consumers, and the Best–Worst Scaling method was employed in both countries to assess the perceived importance of selected WTEXP attributes that influence tourists’ choices. The samples were then segmented using cluster analysis based on key attitudinal scales (e.g., wine involvement), with BWS applied to each segment to further examine visitor preferences. The results show that both Italian and Turkish wine tourists prioritized expert-led tours but differed in other preferences. Italian tourists valued the winery’s aesthetic appeal, while Turkish tourists favored pre-visit informative sessions. Additionally, Italians placed less importance on accompanying events, while Turks considered the reputation of the wine, winery, or wine region the least significant factor. These preferences also varied within the clusters identified in each sample. This research represents the first comparison of consumer preferences in wine tourism between Turkey, a developing market, and Italy, a traditional Old World wine producer, while considering the diversity within each group. The findings provide key insights for wine tourism stakeholders, such as wineries and tourism managers, offering actionable recommendations to tailor their offerings for specific tourist segments to attract a larger number of wine tourists, enhance their experience, and foster sustainable growth of wine tourism.

Keywords: preferences; best–worst approach; wine tourism experience (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/8/876/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/8/876/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:8:p:876-:d:1636608

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().