New approach to segmenting tourists in a German wine region

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use a new segmentation approach based on objective variables to calculate direct tourism-related sales volume and revenue by selling wine at a winery in the Rheingau region of Germany.Design/methodology/approachIn the framework of a 2015 face-to-face survey in the Rheingau, 1,555 tourists were interviewed. For segmentation, two-step clustering was applied to classify survey participants into homogeneous groups. To calculate tourism-related wine sales volume and revenue, a special model based on official statistics and the survey’s results was used.FindingsFour wine-tourist segments were identified by using cluster analysis with objective variables, such as nationality, visiting frequency and volume of wine purchased in the region: wine and Rheingau lovers who have a high interest in wine, wine-oriented tourists who do not come to the region very often, first-time tourists who came to the region mainly because of the nature and history and international tourists. With the help of calculations on tourism-related wine sales volume and revenue, it can be stated that approximately 18 per cent of total wine production will be purchased directly in the region by tourists, valued at €36m.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to existing wine-tourism research because a multi-dimensional segmentation model was applied using objective variables, such as nationality, visiting frequency and volume of wine purchased in the region. Using the calculation of tourism-related sales volume and revenue, winemakers in the Rheingau can gain a clear picture of tourism’s importance.