Integrating Sustainability into Wine Tourism: Exploring the Gap Between Certification and the Visitor Experience

Identifier:  TFM:2524

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFM2524

Authors:  Tarsel, Maggie

Abstract:
This thesis investigates the gap between sustainability certification in the wine sector and how sustainability is integrated into the winery visitor experience. Drawing on a benchmark of 65 winery partners on WineTourism.com and interviews with two sustainability framework organizations, the study finds that 81.5% of wineries either do not communicate sustainability to visitors at all or communicate it only in production terms, despite 58.5% holding a formal certification. In response, and in collaboration with WineTourism.com through my internship, I developed the Sustainable Choice designation, a tiered framework helping wineries integrate and communicate sustainability within the visitor experience.