DIMENSIONS OF CO-CREATIVE FOOD & WINE TOURISM EXPERIENCES – FINDINGS FROM A MULTIPLE-CASE STUDY

Abstract

The relationship between food & wine tourism and co-creation is gaining prominence in the academic field, due to the increasing interest shown by visitors for engaging in multisensory, rich experiences while travelling. Considering the relevance of understanding most valued experience dimensions within each tourism context to help design memorable, immersive co-creative food & wine experiences, this article aims to identify the dimensions of food & wine tourism experiences from the perspective of visitors and supply agents. For this purpose, insights from a food tour experience in Lisbon and other gastronomic experiences in Bairrada and Dão wine regions are presented based on a qualitative approach. A netnography study, integrating the analysis of 658 visitor reviews and an interview with the tour operator, combined with a case study involving semi-structured interviews with visitors (N = 38) and supply agents (N = 6) from the above-mentioned wine regions, are key elements of this multiple case study. Content analysis was performed with QSR NVivo 12 software. Findings highlighted a convergent perception of visitors and supply agents regarding the most prominent dimensions of co-creative experiences identified and revealed the potential of qualitative methodologies in the promotion of in-depth knowledge, especially within exploratory research frameworks.