The Success Factors of wine tourism entrepreneurship for rural area: A thematic biographical narrative analysis in Turkey

• Published in: Journal of rural studies 2021-05, Vol.84, p.230-239
• Main Authors: Güzel, Özlem, Ehtiyar, Rüya, Ryan, Chris
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural economics; Alcohol; Biographical narrative analysis; Biographical research; Culinary tourism; Cultural tourism; Entrepreneurship; Lycia region; Narratives; Personal characteristics; Qualitative research; Rural areas; Rural communities; Rural town; Success factors; Succession; Tourism; Ventures; Wine tourism entrepreneurship; Wines
• ISSN: 0743-0167; 1873-1392
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.04.021

The study aims to determine the key issues and challenges in wine tourism entrepreneurship and to identify the behavioral, cultural and strategic success factors underlying the development of wine tourism. A biographical research has been used to encompass the total life of a wine tourism entrepreneur in rural area in Turkey named Elmalı town. Through the use of thematic biographical narrative analysis, four primary dimensions have been determined namely; personal characteristics, the strategic perspective, cultural, historic and geographical attributes of the region, and problems of business succession. Associated with these were 23 sub-dimensions. The study also found evidence of how niche tourism ventures such as wine tourism can invigorate a local agricultural economy and stresses the importance of small tourism enterprises successfully complementing each other to create a strong local destination image. •The attitudes and behaviors such as imagination, creativity, pioneering behavior, courage, risk taking are important for the wine tourism entrepreneur in rural areas.•The strategic entrepreneurial features play roles in the investor's success such as having a vision, being able to see opportunities, social sensitivity.•The wine tourism entrepreneur has to analyze and understand the dynamics and the local conditions of the rural areas.•The wine tourism entrepreneur has to be able to manage changes in order to maintain the continuity of the enterprises.