Wine Terroir Commitment in the Development of a Wine Destination

Abstract

New conceptualizations propose the concept of terroir as referring to a place of distinctiveness that is able to create marketing value. However, the knowledge regarding the role of terroir in tourism marketing is still scarce. Specifically, the concept of resident commitment has received little attention in research on tourism marketing, and therefore there is a gap in knowledge on the components of resident commitment and the role it can play in the construction or renewal of a tourist destination. To fill this gap, the purpose of this study is to analyze the role of residents’ commitment in consideration of terroir as referring to both a winegrowing region and a place of residence. The study aims to determine how residents’ commitment interacts with the brand dimensions identified in the marketing literature and consumer behavior research. In our theoretical framework we presented the wine terroir commitment (WTC) as a multidimensional grassroots construct and we empirically verified it by conducting a survey in a wine region, the Eisacktal Valley in South Tyrol (Italy). The findings show that Terroir Identification and Terroir Loyalty are two important antecedents of WTC as they mediate the exogenous latent variables of Terroir Prestige, and Wine Involvement as well as Resident Commitment and Terroir Experience, respectively. In the conclusions, we derive some recommendations for scholars and practitioners.