Insights from Pennsylvania: Marketing agritourism for the American cider culture

Abstract

Destinations and activities for travelers are greatly influenced by official tourism agencies that promote their local resources. Marketing for well-known places like breweries or vineyards can be straight forward, but destinations without clear descriptions can be more challenging. This paper examined how cider is defined, promoted, and marketed by official tourism websites to evaluate its potential for supporting the agritourism industry given the resurgence in craft beverages and increased public interest to purchase local products. Discrepancies between federal and state regulations of cider contribute to the public’s lack of awareness of what cider is, who can make it, and how it can be sold. A Quantitative Content Analysis (QCA) was used to evaluate how cider was marketed as a travel opportunity, particularly with its connections for agritourism. The methodology includes a set of questions that systematically evaluate text, graphics, and videos displayed on official tourism websites. While this study focused on Pennsylvania, it also compared and contrasted marketing strategies of other top cider-producing states. Results indicate that food and drink tourism is important and most states promote locally made beverages. Although cider was included in many of these promotions, it was inconsistently placed amongst other products. Cooperation and communication between local, state, and federal agencies in addition to local businesses could potentially improve cider sales and bring economic opportunities to rural communities wanting to increase agritourism.