Tourism innovation in the Western Cape, South Africa: evidence from wine tourism

Few wine tourism studies focus on innovation in this tourism niche market. However, implicit references to newness in wine tourism and the need for innovation in the light of competition to sustain the viability of firms and regions can be discerned in the literature. In addition, sustainability in relation to wine tourism is increasingly receiving research attention. This research aligns with the literature on sustainability in the wine industry and also wine tourism. It is not only the economic sustainability of firms which is of concern but also environmentally and socially responsible practices which for wineries include innovative ways to enhance biodiversity protection and social inclusion. This chapter outlines the innovations introduced by a sub-sample of firms involved in wine tourism which part of a broader study of tourism innovation in the Western Cape, South Africa. This research identifies a suite of wine tourism innovations, and although these are largely incremental in character, they are significant for firm, and collectively, for destination competitiveness and importantly for enhancing sustainability in the sector.