Wine travel in the United States: a profile of wine travellers and wine tours

Gastronomy has always been a central part of the tourism experience but in recent years has become one the main motivations to travel for visitors to a particular destination. Wine tourism represents today a key component of this segment. This paper examines the profile of U.S. wine tourists interested in wine-related activities as well as U.S.-based tour operators offering wine holidays in order to gain a better understating of both wine tourism demand and offerings in the U.S. market. The comparison tries to highlight critical issues that may allow tour operators to enter successfully a market where consumers may tend to shy away from organized travels.