Wine Tourism Development in Northern Greece: Evidence From Ktima Gerovassiliou

In an effort to expand the wine tourism industry in Greece, wine producers have formed regional associations, such as the “Wine Producers Association of the Northern Greece Vineyard,” established in 1993. Efforts of this, and similar organizations, involve networking with small-scale wineries, travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, and other local merchants to promote regional wineries, as well as establishing wine tourist routes. Significant work has been conducted investigating consumer motivations and market segmentation in wine tourism, locally and internationally. Informed by this work, wineries can modify the programs offered in order to attract certain market segments. However, examinations of the relationships between the three primary stakeholders in wine tourism—consumers, wine producers, and the tourism agents who promote the programs offered by the wineries—remain limited. This paper explores the interconnections between winemakers, individuals and organizations involved in wine tourism, and consumers to better understand how to improve agritourism in small-scale wineries. In particular, we evaluate the alignment of the winery’s tourism programs, the infrastructure and efforts of established local tourist agency networks, and the motivations of potential domestic consumers.