Wine production and tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wine production and tourism - Essay Example This study makes an attempt of a context and critical review of the study â€Å"Wine Production and Tourism: Adding Service to a Perfect Partnership†. The study focused in Western Australia and used a modified SERVQUAL methodology.The findings of the study are three folds. The study first of all found out that, Operators are on balance, performing on the most important product and service attributes based on a sample of 353 visitors to two wineries. Secondly, the researchers stressed the importance of the cellar-door concept and corresponding service levels to the future success of wine-tourism operations. The study further found out that, success depends not only on the quality of the wine being offered but also on the way it is offered for sale within the cellar-door environment the by emphasizing the concept of service delivery and augmentation.From the findings, the cellar-door concept now means that the quality of service received during a visit is as likely as the wine i tself to drive future wine sales. However, the study in itself failed to explain the complexity of factors that led visitors to place such high importance on this attribute.Of Late, wine tourism has not only proven as a growing area of special-interest through out the world but has attracted the attention of researchers. According to the researchers Palmer & Neil (2004), the sector has been largely applauded for its wide range of benefits, including foreign-exchange earnings, the creation of full- and part time jobs, the generation of secondary economic activity and the ability to generate substantial long-term wealth and sustain steady tourism growth for these regions. The work of Palmer & Neil (2004), attempts to bridge the knowledge gap by adding to the existing literature. 2.0 Problem Statement and Research Questions In the study, Palmer & Neil (2004) argued that, the fact that wine tourism is confronted by a range of critical development issues that have the potential to interfere with its sustainability and long-term profitability. Visitors' perceptions of the service received at the cellar door have become a focal point. The main research question investigated in the study is stated below. The study investigated the quality of the wine being offered, the way it is offered for sale within the cellar-door environment. Thus, what are the attributes of service quality as applied to Visit wineries What are the implications for marketing for studying repeat behaviour Issues such as what motivates repeat caravanning behaviours are addressed further. 2.1 Objectives and Purpose of Study According to the researchers, the study was conducted to identify the attributes of service quality as they apply to visits to wineries through a survey of visitors to wineries in Western Australia. Another objective was "to find out the emergence and significance of wine tourism as a new growth sector of truly global proportions. At the same time, the study further finds out the scope and characteristics of repeat behaviour. 2.2 Research Structure The research is divided in to four main areas. Section one introduces the research and the subject matter, highlighting the main themes and problem statement of the work. Section two reviewed previous literature on wine tourism emphasizing the importance. Focus is on the work of Johnson (1997). Section three provides the methods used to gather