Abstract
Space-time tourist behaviour is influenced by numerous factors related both to tourists and the destination. Yet, however complex it may be, understanding and to some extent managing the way tourists move in space and time is crucial to ensuring the quality of their experience, as well as the effective and sustainable management of destinations and attractions. In the rural wine tourism context, studies on space-time behaviour are rare. The present study uses empirical data collected from tourists staying in hotels of the Bairrada Wine Route territory (N = 116), combining a GPS tracking study with a questionnaire survey. Using a time-geographical analytical approach, the GPS tracking data were mapped for a more detailed analysis of the tourists’ movements in the Bairrada terroir. The findings highlight specificities of tourist consumption in the context of rural wine regions and provide valuable insights for destination planning, service design and marketing of the Bairrada Wine Route.
Highlights
Spatio-temporal tourist behaviour results from the interaction between individuals and the environment (Caldeira & Kastenholz, 2020; Lau & McKercher, 2006; Lew & McKercher, 2006; Xia, Zeephongsekul, & Arrowsmith, 2009)
Given the increasing relevance of wine tourism for local and regional economies (Alonso & Liu, 2012; Correia & Brito, 2016), heritage preservation and sustainable development (Ruiz Pulpón & Cañizares Ruiz, 2019) and enhanced tourist experiences (Carvalho, Kastenholz, & Carneiro, 2021a; Kastenholz, Marques, & Carneiro, 2020), this paper explores how tourists consume a wine destination
The study was developed within the research project TWINE – Co-creating sustainable Tourism & WINe Experiences in Rural Areas, in the territory of one of the wine routes analysed: the Bairrada Wine Route, in central Portugal
Summary
Spatio-temporal tourist behaviour results from the interaction between individuals and the environment (Caldeira & Kastenholz, 2020; Lau & McKercher, 2006; Lew & McKercher, 2006; Xia, Zeephongsekul, & Arrowsmith, 2009). Research on space-time tourist behaviour is still limited (Gu, Zhang, Huang, Zheng, & Chen, 2021; Popp & McCole, 2016), despite the advantages of better understanding tourists’ itineraries for the development of sustainable wine tourism. An increasing number of wineries and wine trails have been established in numerous destinations and countries (Chong, 2017; Festa, Shams, Metallo, & Cuomo, 2020), but studies have focused mostly on wine tourists’ purchasing behaviour, behavioural intentions, and activity engagement, lacking a full understanding of tourists’ space-time activity in this context (Gu et al, 2021). The study was developed within the research project TWINE – Co-creating sustainable Tourism & WINe Experiences in Rural Areas, in the territory of one of the wine routes analysed: the Bairrada Wine Route, in central Portugal
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