Specialists’ Perspectives on Strategic Integration of Wine Tourism in Rural Romania: A Quality Management Approach Using SERVQUAL Dimensions

Lately, there has been an increasing interest in using enotourism as a mechanism for sustainable development of tourism in rural areas. The aim of this chapter is to analyze how wine tourism can contribute to rural development in Romania from the perspective of six hospitality specialists. In this context, qualitative marketing research based on semi-structured interviews was used. The objective is to evaluate the challenges and opportunities perceived by specialists, regarding the integration of wine tourism in underdeveloped rural areas. By adopting a perspective based on stakeholders’ opinion, we used a method that is infrequently applied in wine tourism literature, which includes points of view of both public institutions and direct service providers. This research has combined methods such as SERVQUAL and content analysis to identify gaps in service quality, collaboration, or innovation. The study’s findings point out the importance of stakeholder coordination, the active use of digital tools, and the effective staff training to improve enotourism experiences and promote regional growth. Based on the research results, three strategies were proposed. Recommendations for future research directions were formulated.