Sources of information used by tourists travelling to visit Canadian winery tasting rooms

Abstract

This study investigated the source(s) of information people (n ¼ 976) used when deciding to embark on a wine tourism excursion by visiting winery tasting rooms in a Canadian wine region environment. The overall aim was to establish whether there are differences between local and international (overseas) visitors to winery tasting rooms in terms of the sources of information they use to plan their visit and how situational, tourism product, and sociodemographic variables relate to these. Specific differences exist in the types of information sources used by locally and overseas-based wine tourists. Locally based visitors use formal sources such as the winery’s own website, own brochure or pamphlet, a restaurant, and attending a wine festival or event significantly more than overseas visitors. Overseas-based visitors on the other hand, use word-of-mouth (WOM) less than local visitors, but billboards or road signage while driving past significantly more, the latter signifying their relative unfamiliarity with the area and individual wineries. Across the board wine tourists did not differ much in their use of these sources by gender or age generation, but the main purpose of the visit and mode of transport used to travel to the winery were pivotal in strongly differentiating the visitor groups.