Intentions to Participate in Wine Tourism in an Emerging Market: Theorization and Implications

With the rapid economic growth that has occurred in recent decades in China, engaging in wine tourism has emerged as a new phenomenon. This study aims to examine factors that may influence Chinese people’s intentions to visit local wineries. We have employed a theoretical model based on the self-determination theory to holistically explore the effects of travel motivation, attitudes toward domestic wine, subjective norm, past experiences, and perceived travel barriers. An online questionnaire was conducted in three tier-one cities, resulting in 500 respondents in the sample. The survey revealed that subjective norm influences visit intentions through the mediating role of travel motivation and so do attitudes toward domestic wine when mediated by the wine-specific travel motivation. Past experiences positively affected visit intentions. A lack of wine knowledge and low confidence in domestic wine inhibited visit intentions. We have discussed practical implications of effective measures to enhance marketing efforts by wine/tourism practitioners in China.