Investigating differences between domestic and international winery visitors in New Zealand

Purpose - Since the early 1990s, New Zealand's wine industry has experienced significant growth, including the much larger volume of grapes being produced, more wineries being open to the public and more wines being exported. However, this growth has not been accompanied by published academic research on topics related to the wine industry, such as wine tourism. This paper aims to report the findings of a study conducted in New Zealand wineries that investigated differences between domestic and international winery visitors on characteristics related to their winery experience. Design/methodology/approach - The study focuses on the ways in which different winery visitor groups may differ, or whether relationships exist between these. Findings - The results indicate that there may well be differences between these two groups in several dimensions, including their winery expenditures. Originality/value - While some sampling aspects reduce the generalisability of the results, the findings may have useful implications for the wine and wine tourism industries, and might be beneficial for wineries in their efforts to provide a more valuable experience for wine tourists.