Mutual Relationship of Wine Industry vs. Wine Tourism: The Israeli Perspective

Abstract

Wine tourism is identified as a symbolic partner of the wine industry. The wine industry in Israel has been experiencing a rapid development from a small wine producer for the Jewish community to a substantial wine industry which exports a wide variety of top-quality wines, which is followed by wine tourism activities. The objective of the research is to determine the perceived strategy of wine stakeholders in relation to the wine tourism, and to indicate future implications. The research applies the tourism area life cycle (TALC) model and the SWOTCLOCK approach. Results show that the “leading strategy” of big commercial wineries is growth compared to the response strategy of small and family wineries and survival of mid wineries. Government ministries and the Vine and Wine Board (VWB) perceive leverage to be the “leading strategy”. Findings of empirical data analysis position the current leading strategy as response and prove the validation between the TALC and SWOTCLOCK models. The key conclusion and recommendation is that government ministries, VWB, and local authorities should take a leading role in leading the wine industry and tourism sector towards the rejuvenation and growth stage.