Expanding the Destination Image: Wine Tourism in the Canary Islands

Tourism to the Canary Islands is centred around competitively priced holidays focused on the sun and beach mass tourism experience. A restructure of the islands' wine industry offers opportunities for developing new tourism alternatives based on gourmet products and traditional landscapes. This paper examines the potential of wine tourism from winery operators' perspectives. Challenges to overcome in the development of a successful sustainable local wine tourism industry include the need for expansion of the destination image to reflect the region's wine-making history and scenic qualities; a shift towards independent high-yield travellers; and reintroducing local produce in the mass tourism product. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.