Wine Tourism and Economic Performance. Why Ecological Agriculture Matters? An Applied Analysis

The world of wine has gained significant attention, attracting people who want to learn about vineyards, winemaking, grape varieties, and the bottling process Marco-Lajara [1].This interest has given rise to enotourism, or wine tourism Sun & Drakeman [2], Marco-Lajara [1].Wine tourism offers visitors a sensory experience, including a taste of the lifestyle, the pleasure of tasting wines, and the opportunity to attend festivals.Wine tourism encompasses tourism, leisure, and recreational activities that focus on discovering and enjoying the vineyard, wine, and its surrounding region, allowing the integration of existing and potential tourist resources and services in a wine-growing area Marco-Lajara [3] & Martínez-Falcó [4].Furthermore, wine tourism is considered a form of holistic tourism that showcases various aspects of the rural environment, such as local traditions, cuisine, and customs, so that encapsulates the social, cultural, and environmental history of a region, often referred to as wine landscape Oltean [5].Ultimately, wine tourism is experiential in nature, fostering an emotional connection between tourists and all things related to wine, and creating a bond through the emotions evoked during winery and vineyard visits, which allow visitors to tailor their experiences according to their desires.Tourists seeking this experience can visit regions with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Denomination of Origin Qualified (DOCa) classifications Marco-Lajara [6].These tourists are active participants who ask questions, show interest, and sometimes get involved in activities such as grape harvesting, which provides a unique experience Fuentes-Fernández .By enhancing the reputation of wine as a product, diversifying the tourist activities, and aligning them with seasons, it becomes a driving force for the local economy, since wine tourism simultaneously encompasses consumer behavior, a strategy for regional development and the wine market, and an opportunity for wineries to directly sell their products to consumers.Over the last decades, there has been a shift towards diversifying a destination's attractions and offering a wider range of products throughout the year, moving away from the traditional summer sun and beach tourism model.Wine tourism fits this pattern by attracting visitors who prefer shorter and more frequent trips, avoiding the concentration of tourists during specific periods and the resulting overcrowding, which can trigger antipathy or aversion towards mass tourism in an area.