Family-friendly wine tourism? The challenge of supplying child-inclusive wine terroir experiences

Abstract

Wine tourism, traditionally understood as an activity practised by adults, has been suggested as a tourism form also adequate and interesting for families with children. However, both literature and practice do not consider this segment to the extent it, arguably, may deserve. Many challenges are associated with the creation of wine tourism offerings for children. Even so, wine estates and destinations attract families, not only for their wine-related attributes but also for their rural and cultural appeal. In Central Portugal, the Dão and Bairrada wine routes cover tourist regions strongly linked to family tourism. Nevertheless, there is a lack of wine tourism offerings targeting this segment. Likewise, there are no know studies on wineries’ managers perceptions of this market. Thus, this study aims to identify and analyse how wine estates and wineries from these wine routes cater to families with children, to understand the managers’ perception of benefits and challenges of targeting this market, and to examine the existing child-friendly tourism supply. The results, derived from the content analysis of 29 interviews with wineries’ managers, reveal that, despite an inclusive and receptive discourse towards the presence of children, the attractions still do not offer services and experiences specifically designed for this segment. Except for a few innovative attractions, families are welcomed with improvisations to entertain the little ones while their parents carry out wine-related activities.