Conceptualising the health-related values within wine tourism

Abstract

Wellness value is a neglected research area within the field of wine tourism. The connection between wine and wellness in this context is just starting to appear. Using an inductive approach, we established two research questions (RQs) to guide this study. RQ1: Who is concerned with the health-related values of wine tourism? RQ2: What are the dimensions of health-related values in wine tourism? An in-depth and semi-structured interview was conducted. Informants aged 18–45 years, who have health awareness and suffer from wellness problems, are concerned with health-related values in wine tourism. Findings indicated six relevant dimensions: wine health attributes, knowledge, wine destination attributes, mental benefits, social and space needs, and wellness facilities. Further, this study proposes a conceptual framework linking wine-drinking behaviour and destination facilities and attributes with affective and cognitive beliefs that contribute to the overall value of wellness. This proposition shifts the traditional affective and cognitive approach towards values.