Agritourism consumers’ participation in wine tasting events

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine the likelihood of a USA Mid-Atlantic region consumers’ willingness to partake in a wine tasting event, an example of an agritourism activity, based on their responses to an Internet survey conducted from June 22 to 29, 2010. Design/methodology/approach – Potential participants were screened and asked to participate if they resided in one of the states targeted (Delaware, New Jersey or Pennsylvania); were aged 21 years and older; were the primary food shopper for the household; and had previously attended an agritourism and/or direct marketing events or activities. Findings – A logit model was developed based on responses from 972 consumers who participated in the 15-minute Internet survey to predict participation in wine tasting activity. Consumers who are more likely to attend an on-farm wine tasting event include those who learn about agritourism events through newspapers, think that the variety and price of produce is better at direct markets than supermarkets, are older than 50 years, have a graduate degree and are self-employed. Research limitations/implications – Empirical results will help agritourism operators enhance marketing efforts and develop profitable on-farm agricultural activities by identifying consumer segments likely to participate in wine tourism activities. Practical implications – This paper helps identify consumer segments that are more likely to participate in a wine tasting event and provides marketers with the ability to target likely buyers based on corresponding demographic characteristics. Originality/value – This paper identifies likely wine tasting participants based on demographics, psychographics and behavioral characteristics.