Wine Tour Design – Global Trends and Local Expressions

Abstract

Purpose – The main objective of this paper is to identify global trends in wine tour design, and based on these findings, analyse the structure and spatial distribution of wine tours offered by tour operators in Bulgaria. Design/methodology/approach – The study combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, drawing data from the official websites of specialised travel agencies and tour operators. Firstly, content analysis was used to outline global trends and classify wine tours. Secondly, a quantitative study of 63 wine tours in Bulgaria was made, discussing selected features such as: average prices, additional activities, the number of wineries visited etc. Findings – Wine tours are becoming increasingly diverse on a global scale: the study has identified eleven different types of wine tours, catering to different segments of the wine tourism market. Wine tours offered in Bulgaria are focused on cultural attractions and the average number of wineries visited is small. Most of the itineraries are concentrated in only two of the five wine regions in country. Originality of the research – While scientific research on wine tourism is abundant, the products of niche tour operators/travel agencies in this sphere have not been sufficiently studied as yet.