WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 1 Just accepted 1 2 3 4 Re-visiting the concept of winescape through netnography: “A tale of two cities” 5 6 Terziyska I.1 7 8 9 1 Southwest University Neofit Rilski, Bulgaria, Email: lynnterziyska@gmail.com 10 11 12 13 14 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Ilinka Terziyska Southwest University 15 Neofit Rilski, Bulgaria, Email: lynnterziyska@gmail.com 16 17 18 19 This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through 20 the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences 21 between this version and the Version of Record. 22 23 Please cite this article as: 24 25 Terziyska I. (2022), Re-visiting the concept of winescape through netnography: “A tale of two cities”, 26 Wine Economics and Policy, Just Accepted. 27 DOI: 10.36253/wep-12806 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 mailto:lynnterziyska@gmail.com WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 2 Abstract 36 Winescape is a central concept in wine tourism studies but is still under-researched, especially when 37 package tours are concerned. This study has a two-fold objective: 1) to identify the winescape 38 attributes of an emergent wine destination (Bulgaria) as perceived by organized wine tourists and 39 compare them to a well-established Old-World wine region (Italy), and 2) to unveil the links between 40 winescape attributes and servicescape dimensions. To this end, we employed a netnographic approach 41 through the application of content analysis of TripAdvisor reviews and a combination of closed and 42 open coding. Seven categories of winescape were identified, which almost completely coincide with 43 the results of previous research. At the same time, some differences were found, mainly in the salience 44 of the individual elements, which suggests a different composition of the winescape depending on 45 several factors, among which the characteristics of the destination and the specifics of the tour 46 operator. The study complements existing knowledge by validating a previously proposed model, and 47 at the same time showcasing the context-dependent differences in attribute salience for two different 48 types of destinations. In addition, it is the first to identify the links between the traditional supply-49 driven winescape models and the more holistic concept of experienscape. 50 Keywords: winescape; wine tours; qualitative research; netnography; Bulgaria 51 1. Introduction 52 Wine tourism is often defined as a sub-type of gastronomy tourism ‘whose purpose is visiting 53 vineyards, wineries, tasting, consuming and/or purchasing wine, often at or near the source’ [1, p. 54 44]. Consuming a product at the place it was produced enables the visitor to connect to the territory 55 and its culture. The complex blend of a destination’s landscapes, culture, food and wine products, 56 and the techniques employed for producing them shape its identity and are perceived as ‘the 57 foundation of the DNA of the tourism experience’ [2, p. 9]. It is therefore no surprise that wine 58 tourism is seen not merely as a wine-related activity, but an immersion into the winescape [3]. 59 The concept of winescape is gaining increasing attention in the field of wine tourism. There are 60 several reasons for this - on the one hand, it is broad enough to cover almost all aspects of this type 61 of tourism product, and on the other - it is often used as a basis for analyzing the image of wine 62 tourism destinations [4], wine tourism experiences [5], or customer satisfaction [6]. At the same time, 63 its conceptualization is still considered to be in its nascent stage [7]. 64 In purely technical terms, wine tourism is usually perceived as a visit to wineries and vineyards, but 65 in fact its scope is far wider. In recent years, visits to wine bars and tastings in major urban centres 66 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 3 have become increasingly popular, as well as the participation in various wine-related events - wine 67 exhibitions, wine festivals etc. Apart from that, wine tourism can be practiced both individually and 68 in the form of an organized trip. Research on winescape has been mainly focused on the micro 69 (winery) and macro (wine region) level, while studies on wine tours and wine events remain scarce 70 [8]. 71 Servicescape is perceived as the major source for constructing personally significant experiences [9]. 72 Thus, it is directly linked to customer satisfaction [10] and perceived service quality [11]. Being a 73 particular case of servicescape, winescape is sometimes defined as the environment where wine 74 tourism experiences occur [7], [8] and the numerous institutional arrangements and values in this 75 context play a significant role in deriving the benefits wine tourists pursue [5]. With this in mind, 76 knowledge of the winescape attributes and how they are perceived and appreciated by tourists is 77 essential for the successful operation of the winery and the wine destination. In this respect, the 78 following three trends have been observed in recent years – 1) a holistic approach, including analysis 79 of as many stakeholders as possible [12]; 2) an emic rather than an etic approach, where the study 80 does not employ ready-made, predefined models, but is informed by consumer-driven data [4]; 3) an 81 increasing variety of methods used to collect and process information [7], [9]. In line with the above 82 trends, this article focuses on a hitherto neglected stakeholder in wine tourism - wine tour providers. 83 Despite using a previously proposed model, the approach is predominantly emic - in addition to 84 validating the model for a different context, the study is open to updating and supplementing it based 85 on consumer perceptions. 86 The winescape reflects the objective resources and features of a given wine establishment or a wine 87 region and it can be therefore presumed that different contexts will present varying configurations at 88 least in the salience of individual attributes. There has been a call for studies on the way tourists 89 assess winescape attributes in a specific wine region, which can also be done from the perspective of 90 package tours [13]. This study provides insight on the way winescape is perceived by organized wine 91 tourists in Bulgaria – a wine region, which is worth studying because of its interesting pattern of 92 development as a wine producer and because of the fact that it is exemplary for an emergent wine 93 destination from an understudied region – South-Eastern Europe. Once among the top wine exporters 94 in the world, the country had to totally rearrange its viticultural sector and start its development from 95 a very unfavourable base [14]. Taking Bulgaria as a basis for analysis, this study aims to: 1) identify 96 the winescape attributes of an emergent wine destination as perceived by organized wine tourists and 97 compare them to a well-established Old-World wine region, and 2) provide some insight on the links 98 between winescape attributes and experienscape dimensions. To this end, the netnographic approach 99 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 4 was taken, through thematic analysis of TripAdvisor reviews. 100 2. Literature review 101 The winescape appeared as a concept in the scientific literature in the 1970s, when Peters [15] defined 102 it as a specific form of an agricultural landscape consisting of three main elements: the grapes, their 103 environment, and the vintners in the context of the cultural practices related to wine. This first 104 perspective was mostly geographical in nature and placed winescape into the broader framework of 105 cultural landscapes; later on, the concept evolved to adopt a more marketing-oriented focus. 106 In its present use, the winescape is actually more related to the broader term of servicescape, than to 107 the notion of cultural landscape [16]. The concept of servicescape was initially used in the field of 108 marketing of service organizations and denotes the built environment that affects both employees and 109 customers and whose dimensions can be controlled by the firm [17]. This model describes the 110 servicescape in three key dimensions: (1) ambient conditions; (2) spatial layout and functionality; 111 and (3) signs, symbols and artifacts, and excludes the social and natural dimensions. These were later 112 added by Rosenmaum and Massiah [18], who claimed that a servicescape was formed not only by 113 factors that can be controlled by the company, but also by immeasurable, and often managerially 114 unmanageable social, symbolic and natural stimuli. 115 In a similar vein, Arnould et al. [19] defined two main attributes pertinent to the servicescape: the 116 substantive staging and the communicative staging. The former refers to the physical staging of 117 environment, while the latter is connected with its interpretation and transmits meanings from the 118 provider to the customer. 119 The winescape models for the macro (destination) and the micro (winery) level do not exhibit any 120 significant differences. Scenery setting, the wine product, people and hospitality, ambience of the 121 region, wineries and wine estates are among the main attributes at the wine destination level [4]. The 122 micro level framework presents winescape as consisting of almost the same supply-related elements: 123 setting, atmospherics, wine quality, wine value, wine complementary product, signage, and wine 124 service staff [16]. The only difference is seen in the model of the wine tour servicescape, where tour 125 planning and logistics is one of the most salient attributes [8]. 126 So far, there has been only one study on winescape from the perspective of package tours [8]. It 127 offered a model consisting of six winescape attributes: tour guiding, core wine product, tour planning 128 and logistics, complementary activities, food and dining, and nature and scenery. These were 129 validated by a consequent study on wine tour success factors [13], which was performed for the same 130 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 5 destination, but used totally different research methods (multidimensional scaling method, cluster 131 analysis, and sentiment analysis). 132 Along with the obvious similarities, there are also some noticeable differences in the above models, 133 which mainly refer to the stated significance of individual attributes. At the destination/wine region 134 level, the nature was reported as the most prominent attribute (Bruwer, et al., 2016). In contrast, staff 135 was identified to exert much more influence at the micro (winery) level [16] and in the case of 136 organized travel, where it was operationalized as ‘tour guiding service’ [8], [13]. 137 Despite these differences, there are enough similarities to suggest a generic winescape framework 138 that encompasses the findings of various studies for the three levels – the micro, the macro and the 139 intermediary one, consisting of six attributes: destination features, wine, people, wineries, food and 140 dining, and signs and symbols [20]. Composed of clearly identifiable attributes, it is supply-related 141 in its structure and content, but when assessed, the approach is usually demand-oriented, taking the 142 customer perspective by employing either structured surveys [6] or free text analysis [21]. 143 There is one more approach in conceptualizing winescape that differs from the attribute-based models 144 presented above – the wine-experiencescape [10]. It is premised on the theory of experienscape, 145 which is defined as the stimuli in a service environment (along with a hospitality culture) that shape 146 tourist experiences and affect customer reaction towards the product [12]. There are five types of 147 stimuli: sensory, functional, social, natural, and cultural. In the case of wine tourism, experienscape 148 has been operationalized in the following way [10]: 149 • Sensory dimension: wine tasting, winemaking. 150 • Functional dimension: attributes of utilitarian value such as layout, architectural design and 151 equipment of the winery, layout, signage, quality of the accommodation, and value for money. 152 • Natural dimension: landscape, scenery, vineyards. 153 • Social dimension: interaction with fellow travellers in the winery, communication with 154 winery staff. 155 • Culture and hospitality dimension: heritage, attitude, and behavior of the employees and staff 156 toward the customers. 157 The model is entirely based on literature review and there has not been any empirical study to test 158 how the dimensions are linked to attributes identified in previous research. The present study will 159 attempt to fill this gap by constructing a model, which takes into account both the supply-related 160 attributes of traditional winescape frameworks, and the more demand-oriented dimensions of Pizam 161 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 6 and Tasci’s and Gunasekar et al’s concepts. The two research questions are: 162 RQ1. Are there any differences in winescape attributes’ perceptions for a well-established Old-World 163 wine destination (Tuscany) and an emergent destination from South-Eastern Europe (Bulgaria)? 164 RQ2: How are supply-driven winescape attributes and the experienscape dimensions linked? 165 3. Material and methods 166 3.1. Study area 167 The study is focused on a specific country – Bulgaria, which can be used as exemplary for an 168 emergent wine destination with an interesting history as far as wine production is concerned. For 169 more than 20 years (1961-1985) the country almost consistently ranked among the world top 5 wine 170 exporters [22, pp. 176, 196]. Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign in the mid-1980’s ended this 171 positive trend, resulted in the loss of a major market and gradual decline of both production and export 172 [23, p. 265]. The decade after 1989 was marked by a dramatic restructuring of the sector and signs of 173 slow recovery were only seen after 2000. In recent years, the country is slowly regaining positions 174 on the world market but by 2021 it ranks only 34th in world wine exports [24]. There is a positive 175 trend of reorientation from quantity to quality, which is especially important for wine tourism. An 176 increasing number of wineries open their doors to tourists, although unfortunately there are no official 177 data on their total number. According to a study conducted in 2020, Bulgaria is in the second stage 178 of the wine destination life cycle [25], visitor numbers are still small, but with a positive increase rate, 179 horizontal and vertical networks are insufficient, and there are initial steps in the launch of wine routes 180 and joint wine events [14]. There are only a few specialized tour operators offering mainly inbound 181 tour packages. Most of them are small, family owned businesses emphasizing on private and small 182 group tours. 183 3.2. Data collected 184 The main goal of the study is to gain a deeper understanding of the winescape, which is best achieved 185 through analyzing qualitative information. One of the relatively new methodologies in this regard is 186 netnography - an interpretive method that adapts ethnography to the study of online societies [26] 187 and is very suitable for ‘generating rich, thick description through grounded interpretations’ [27]. In 188 tourism studies, the main sources for accessing the needed type of qualitative data are platforms 189 providing user-generated content such as TripAdvisor, Instagram, AirBnB or Flickr. In this particular 190 case, the most appropriate choice was found to be TripAdvisor, because of its high degree of 191 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 7 reliability [28], [29] and broad popularity worldwide, which brings in a sufficient number of 192 consumer reviews. One of the few Bulgarian tour operators specializing exclusively in wine tourism 193 was selected as the object of the study – it was also the one with the greatest number of customer 194 reviews on TripAdvisor. The reviews referred to several tours offered by the company, ranging from 195 one-day to multi-day ones. A total of 80 reviews (79 in English and 1 in French), posted from 196 November 2015 to November 2021 were subjected to thematic analysis. The analysis is based only 197 on the body text of reviews, while the title was omitted, because it would often contain information 198 present in the body text, thus leading to distortion of results. The company and its tours have an 199 outstanding traveller rating on TripAdvisor – 77 reviewers have rated them as excellent and 3 – as 200 very good, using the TripAdvisor 5-point rating system, ranging from 1 bubble=terrible to 5 201 bubbles=excellent. The majority of reviewers were foreign tourists coming from Germany, UK, the 202 USA, Australia, etc., with only 9% of all reviewers being domestic ones (Figure 1). 203 204 205 Figure 1. Distribution of reviewers by country of origin 206 3.3. Methodology 207 The identification of winescape attributes was premised on the notion of salience – the quality of 208 some attitudes and beliefs to be more prominent, to enter a person’s mind more readily and as a 209 consequence be more frequently verbalized [30, p. 163]. Thus, following the identification of 210 categories and codes, the initial dataset (traveller reviews) were coded manually and the results were 211 quantified in terms of category and code frequency of mentions. The definition of categories and 212 codes was partially informed by previous research – the winescape model of Terziyska and 213 UK 27% USA 27% Australia 13% Bulgaria 9% Italy 7% Other 17% REVIEWERS' COUNTRY OF ORIGIN WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 8 Damyanova [8], but also keeping the in vivo element – new categories and codes were added if 214 identified, which was done through thematic analysis, one of the most popular methods for 215 ‘identifying, analysing and reporting patterns (themes) within data’ [31]. Reviews were then 216 qualitatively analysed to get additional insight on individual codes and identify possible links between 217 winescape attributes (named categories in the analysis) and the dimensions of the wine experienscape 218 model. Finally, the results were compared to a similar study, conducted earlier in a different context 219 – a well-recognized Old-World destination (Italy). Thus, the research went through seven stages, 220 starting from choosing the dataset and ending with comparison with findings from previous research 221 (Figure 2). 222 223 224 Figure 2. Research stages 225 The advent of qualitative analysis software has enabled the use of mixed methods and the processing 226 of large datasets of unstructured text through automatic coding. A lot of recent studies in wine tourism 227 using a qualitative approach have taken benefit of this opportunity [10], [13], [32]. At the same time, 228 some authors claim that this may lead to a loss of ‘valuable, often nuanced, information’ and 229 recommend a more in-depth, traditional qualitative analysis of at least some part of the data [33, p. 230 649]. To answer this concern, the present study is based predominantly on pure qualitative analysis, 231 though some quantification is also included, using QDA Miner Lite – qualitative data analysis 232 software for coding, retrieving and analyzing texts or images. 233 Choice of dataset TripAdvisor, Bulgarian TO Extraction of traveller reviews A total of 80 reviews Initial reading for categories and codes definition 7 categories and 22 codes were identified Manual coding of data Using QDA Miner Lite Quantification of categories and codes by frequency Using QDA Miner Lite In-depth analysis of coded segments Entirely qualitative approach Comparison of results with previous research Wine regions compared – Bulgaria and Italy WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 9 4. Results and discussion 234 4.1. Winescape attributes for package tours: the case of Bulgaria 235 The initial category and code definition resulted in the identification of 7 categories (winescape 236 attributes), and 22 codes pertaining to them. Of these, the most salient was the core wine product, 237 which was mentioned in 84 % of cases (traveller’s reviews), followed by the tour guide – 83 % (Table 238 1). 239 Table 1. Frequency distribution of categories and codes 240 Category % Cases Code % Cases core wine product 84% wineries 57,5% wine-based activities 25,0% wine 56,3% tour guide 83% knowledgeable 62,5% accommodating 20,0% friendly 21,3% passionate 13,8% general/unspecified 12,5% fun 5,0% English fluency 2,5% planning and logistics 45% general planning and coordination 33,8% booking 7,5% vehicle/driving 6,3% pick-up 6,3% choice of activities 2,5% destination appeal 41% nature and scenery 5,0% cultural attractions 36,3% food and dining 35% food 27,5% dining place 8,8% complementary activities 5% passive involvement 5,0% active involvement 0,0% accommodation 5% hotels 5,0% 241 Core wine product 242 The core wine product is composed of three subcategories (described as codes) – wine, wineries, and 243 wine-based activities. Of these, wineries and wines are the most salient, mentioned in 58% and 56% 244 of reviews respectively. This finding was quite expected, as wine tourism revolves around wine, and 245 the places and experiences related to it. At the same time, this is the first study reporting the core 246 product category as the most salient as far as winescape attributes are concerned. 247 248 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 10 There are three types of reviews on wineries: 249 (1) Posts that just include the word winery or wine cellar, but do not provide additional 250 information. These were only used for measuring the saliency of the attribute. 251 (2) Posts that describe wineries using only a few adjectives. The most common words used are 252 quality, stunning, beautiful inside, small, authentic, organic. 253 (3) Posts where the reviewers explain more elaborately what impressed them about their visit. 254 These are the segments that will be analyzed in depth to gain more insight and identify 255 possible links to wine-experienscape dimensions. 256 Apart from the obvious references to wineries’ design, the other two prominent features that stood 257 out during the qualitative analysis were the attitude of wine staff/winery owners and the educational 258 aspect. A number of reviewers discuss the warmth and passion of the employees who welcomed them 259 on site: ‘At both locations we were shown round by very passionate vintners’ (Fiona D, UK, July 260 2021), ‘the wineries we visited had the most informative staff’. The above reviews point to a 261 significant overlap of the role and desired features of the tour guide and the winery staff. 262 Diversity is also a feature that seems to be highly appreciated by reviewers: ‘We visited several 263 different and contrasting vineyards’ (Kevmcc655, UK, January 2017), ‘Two very different wineries, 264 a great range of very good and very interesting wines. Fully recommended!’ (twoa2017, Germany, 265 2017). 266 Wines are described as great and delicious. There is also an emphasis on the opportunity to taste 267 traditional local varieties: ‘We enjoyed our day tour from Plovdiv and had a great experience tasting 268 wines from traditional Bulgarian grapes, as well as other varietals.’ (EBHart, USA, July 2019). 269 Wine tasting and winery tours are the most common wine-based activities mentioned by reviewers. 270 I have been to a fair share of wine tours and what made this trip even more unique is at 271 the end of the trip we learnt how to blend our very own wine with the enologist which we 272 bottled and brought home with us. (Mila, Croatia, August 2016) 273 However, what seems to be most valued is the opportunity to talk to the winemakers / winery owners: 274 We visited 11 wineries and received a very warm welcome from every one of them. The 275 passionate winemakers gave informative tours and we tasted almost 60 wines, some of 276 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 11 which we could not resist taking home in our overloaded suitcases. (Westbourne W, June 277 2019), 278 Ultimately though it was Vasil and the winery owners' kindness and warmth that made 279 this a really wonderful experience, and we would recommend anyone to try such a tour! 280 (Johanmyst, The Netherlands, September 2021) 281 The core wine product has obvious links to at least three of the experienscape dimensions – the 282 functional one (references to the design and character of the wine cellars and vineyards – small, 283 different, fantastic, beautiful), the social one (communication with winemakers, focus on warmth, 284 passion and informativeness), and the sensory one (wines, tastings). The cultural dimension can also 285 be seen through the mentions of traditional local wines. 286 Tour guide 287 Despite being ranked as second in terms of salience, in reviews the tour guide is often pointed as the 288 main reason for an unforgettable and meaningful experience: 289 Vasil, who drove us around and acted as our guide and interpreter when needed, was very 290 knowledgeable about the ancient and recent history of Bulgaria. This background made 291 our experience much more meaningful. (Darby H, UK, June 2017) 292 Of all the features that were mentioned, knowledgeable stands out as the most prominent one, seen 293 in 62% of all posts. Apart from knowledge in history and culture of the destination (see above review), 294 the other most discussed aspect is expertise in wines and winemaking and the ability to communicate 295 it to an audience with varying degrees of proficiency: 296 Our tour guide Nicollet has a true passion for wines and Bulgarian culture and history. 297 Her enthusiasm was contagious as we soon felt like we were touring with old 298 friends. (Pablo J, USA, June 2017). 299 Friendly and accommodating are the two features that follow next in terms of saliency with almost 300 equal frequency of mentions: 21 and 20 percent respectively. In some of them the guide’s kindness 301 and responsiveness are directly linked to tourist satisfaction: ‘our guide Nicolay was so kind and so 302 good and helpful, that we enjoyed this tour in this beautiful country’ (yiota123, Cyprus, May 2018), 303 ‘First of all, the driver was one of the owners and it was a pleasure to spend the day with him. He 304 was friendly, knowledgeable and fun.’ (Celisa B, USA, September 2018). 305 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 12 The tour guide’s passion and enthusiasm for their job are mentioned in only 13 percent of reviews 306 but are always linked to a highly positive impression / experience: ‘The hosts were fantastic-- they 307 know a ton about wine and you can't help but get swept away by their enthusiasm.’ (Pablo J, USA, 308 June 2017), ‘He clearly had a huge passion for Bulgarian wine which shone through throughout the 309 tour’ (Pat M, August 2018). 310 Fun is another quality of the tour guide, which has been articulated in 5 % of reviews. It is strongly 311 connected with the social dimension of the experienscape and the entertainment aspect of the 312 experience model of Pine and Gilmore [34]. 313 Fluency in English was appreciated by 2 of reviewers, one of whom emphasizes how important this 314 is if you do not know the local language and the guide actually acts as a translator in contacts with 315 locals. 316 Tour guiding has a pronounced relation with the functional, social and cultural dimensions of the 317 wine-experienscape dimensions defined by Pizam and Tasci [12] and Gunesakar et al. [10]. In line 318 with previous research [35], the tour guides transcend their role as a one-way communicator, and act 319 as experience brokers who, in addition to conveying information (functional dimension), engage their 320 audience in emotional experiences through friendliness, enthusiasm and sharing, and connect tourists 321 (through interpretation) with the destination history and culture. 322 323 Planning and logistics 324 This category is unique to the wine tour servicescape and for obvious reasons is not present in the 325 micro (winery) or macro (wine region) levels. With a share of 45% of mentions, it is the third most 326 important in terms of salience. Apart from that, there are also clear verbal references to its significance 327 for the overall tourist experience. 328 The arrangements after the tour were also done very competently and appropriately, with 329 good hotels and transport arrangements, and excellent suggestions for things to do. The 330 whole experience couldn't really have been better. (Kevmcc655, UK, January 2017) 331 In addition to the flawless arrangements of the tour, attention to detail and the excellent choice of 332 non-mainstream wineries are highly valued: ‘The tour was an outstanding success largely due their 333 efficient organisation and attention to detail coupled with a flair for finding smaller more interesting 334 vineyards’ (Martin H, UK, June 2017). 335 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 13 Similar to the findings of Terziyska and Damyanova (2020), the pace of travel and the included 336 activities are also an important factor: ‘We packed a tremendous amount into the three days 337 without it feeling exhausting.’ (Lucy L, March 2020). 338 The booking process has been mentioned in a relatively small number of reviews (7,5 % of all posts). 339 Timely reply, responsiveness to individual preferences and suggestions/information on what can be 340 seen at the destination are appreciated. Convenient pick-up arrangements and safe and comfortable 341 driving are the least salient, with only 6,3% of mentions each. 342 Choice of activities is the least mentioned subcategory and comments mainly refer to diversity 343 and combining wine tastings with visits to historical sights: ‘Each wine stop along the way was 344 slightly different making the tour all the more interesting.’ (Liseylou82, Australia, March 2016). 345 The Planning and Logistics category does not have a clear link to any of the dimensions of the 346 experienscape defined by Pizam and Tasci (2019). The most logical reference is the functional 347 dimension, as it refers to practical arrangements, which facilitate the creation of a satisfying 348 experience. 349 350 Destination appeal 351 This category refers to the macro environment, or in other words – the appeal of the broader 352 destinations and the specific attractions included in the tour. There are clear cues to the importance 353 of this attribute for a more enjoyable trip and a way to get a more in-depth understanding of the 354 destination: 355 The countryside near the Greek border is really quite beautiful and the walking tour of 356 the old town of Plovdiv with its cobbled streets and Roman Theatre made a delightful 357 start to our first day. (Westbourne W, June 2019) 358 The day was also broken up with a visit to the red church, which was a great way to 359 experience a little bit of the region’s history, while sobering up so we could enjoy the 360 wines at the next stop. (Liseylou82, Australia, March 2016) 361 The three day tour is an excellent way to get a feel of Bulgaria in a very short time. (Lucy 362 L, March 2020) 363 Food and dining 364 Food and dining have been mentioned in more than one-third of reviews and are thus ranked fifth of 365 all attributes. Special attention is paid to the opportunity to taste local produce: ‘We had lunch at the 366 second vineyard which was delicious and comprised mainly locally sourced produce including goat 367 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 14 - which I can recommend!’ (Fiona D, UK, July 2021), and traditional Bulgarian cuisine: ‘We had a 368 delicious, traditional Bulgarian lunch thanks to him’. As stated in Gunasekar et al. (2021), this 369 attribute has an obvious sensory experienscape dimension, coupled with a cultural one. Although 370 there are no cues linking it to the social dimension in this dataset, a previous study [8] points to the 371 existence of such a relation too. 372 The dining place is usually described as nice and traditional / local and has a slight reference to the 373 cultural dimension expressed through descriptions of style and setting ‘The tasting was in a beautiful 374 old town restaurant’ (R8574VYpauls, January 2018). 375 376 Complementary activities 377 This category entails activities that are not related to the core product (wine) and exclude visits to 378 cultural attractions, which are under the Destination appeal category. Of the two subcategories – 379 active and passive involvement, only four mentions of passive involvement were found, referring to 380 a visit to a folk festival, craft beer brewery, spa, and a meeting with a rose oil producer. Most of these 381 could be linked to the cultural dimension of the experienscape. 382 Accommodation 383 Together with Complementary Activities, this is the least salient category (mentioned in only 5% of 384 all reviews). It is specific to the multi-day wine tours and is clearly lniked to the functional dimension 385 of the experienscape. Seen in 5% of reviews, it is verbalized exclusively through comments on the 386 quality of hotels – excellent, wonderful, good, far better than most I have experienced. 387 4.2. Two types of destination – similarities and differences in the perceived winescape 388 The present study has followed the same methodology as a previous one [8], which enables a direct 389 comparison of results. As the wine regions are very different in nature – the former one is a well-390 established Old-World wine destination and a leading wine producer (Italy), and the latter is a post-391 socialist country (Bulgaria), which is striving to regain its position on the world wine market, and can 392 be seen as an emergent wine destination, still in its early steps of development [14]. The two 393 companies under study are of the same type – family wine tour operators, offering private and small 394 group packages. 395 There is an almost complete correspondence between the winescape attributes identified in the two 396 studies, the only difference being Accommodation, which is not present in the study of Terziyska and 397 Damyanova [8], due to the fact that only one-day tours were analyzed. 398 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 15 399 Figure 3. Winescape attributes’ salience in Italy and Bulgaria: a comparison 400 5. Discussion 401 The winescape attributes identified in this study almost fully coincide with the model of Terziyska 402 and Damyanova [8], and the success factors presented by Barbierato et al. [13], the only difference 403 being the “Accommodation” attribute, which is present only in this study. “Destination appeal” to a 404 great extent corresponds to “Nature and scenery”, but has been extended to include cultural 405 attractions. 406 Тhis conformity validates the winescape model, but at the same time, there are some significant 407 differences in the salience of individual attributes (Figure 3) that can probably be explained by the 408 different nature and stage of development of the two destinations. 409 The most obvious differences (more than 20 percentage points) are seen in the following three 410 attributes - planning and logistics, attractiveness of the destination and complementary activities, with 411 the latter exhibiting a difference of more than 40 percentage points. 412 In previous studies based on sentiment analysis, the logistical aspect has been associated more with 413 negative experiences and evaluation [13]. However, in the two studies discussed here, negative 414 ratings are virtually non-existent, and since this is an attribute that applies exclusively to the specific 415 tour company, the difference is probably due to the individual specifics of the two tour operators. In 416 any case, the conclusion that can be drawn is that a higher degree of salience is caused not only by 417 the low perceived quality of this attribute, but also by positive impressions. 418 47% 45% 19% 69% 97% 90% 5% 35% 41% 45% 83% 84% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% COMPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES FOOD AND DINING DESTINATION APPEAL PLANNING AND LOGISTICS TOUR GUIDE CORE WINE PRODUCT Category/node frequency: a comparison Bulgaria Italy WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 16 In the case of the destination appeal, expressed through the natural and cultural attractions, the 419 probable explanation lies in the different phases of wine tourism development in the two destinations. 420 Bulgaria is a relatively new player on the wine tourism scene, with a wine culture still under 421 development. In this case, the increased presence of cultural tourism elements in wine tours 422 compensates for the shortcomings in the winery offerings. This observation is also confirmed by a 423 supply-based study [14], which shows a significant share of the wine&culture type of tours in 424 Bulgaria. In this type of tours, a significant part of the programme is dedicated to cultural/heritage 425 attractions, sometimes at the expense of the number of wine tastings. 426 The great discrepancy in the salience of complementary activities can be attributed to the more general 427 nature of tourism supply in Bulgaria, which is still focused on non-participatory activities and is 428 dominated by visits to natural and cultural attractions. 429 The lower salience of food and dining in Bulgaria is destination-specific – while Italy is a world 430 leader in gastronomy, in Bulgaria this is still a problem area. 431 As for the two most important attributes – tour guide and core wine product, the score is higher in 432 the Italian study, but the difference is not so significant. Though not so well-known, Bulgarian wines 433 have a noticeable rise in quality in recent years, attested by a number of international awards [36] and 434 attract with their novelty. At the same time, as evidenced by the rating in TripAdvisor, the specialized 435 wine tour operators in the country offer products of extremely high quality. 436 As far as the relation between the winescape attributes and the experienscape dimensions is 437 concerned, the most obvious finding is that one and the same attribute can have several experienscape 438 dimensions (Figure 4). Having sensory, functional, social and cultural dimensions, the core wine 439 products is most complex one, followed by tour guiding and food and dining. 440 WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 17 441 Figure 4. Associations between winescape attributes and experienscape dimensions 442 In this study, the categories of “Accommodation” and “Planning and logistics” were found to be 443 related only to the functional dimension of the experiencescape, and “Complementary activities” – to 444 the cultural dimension, but other settings or cases (destinations and individual operators) could 445 produce different results, especially as far as “Complementary activities” are concerned. 446 6. Conclusion 447 The results presented in this paper validate the winescape model of Terziyska and Damyanova [8] 448 and the success factors of Barbierato et al. [13]. The leading role of the tour guiding service, which 449 dominates as an element of the winescape and is probably the most important factor for success, is 450 fully confirmed. Of no less importance is the core wine product, consisting of wine, wineries and 451 wine-related activities. These are the two attributes with the most references to experienscape 452 dimensions. The core wine product is the most complex attribute, combining almost all dimensions: 453 sensory, functional, social and cultural. The social dimension of the tour guide is exhibited through 454 their role in involving tourists into an enriching and relaxing experience, providing both knowledge 455 and entertainment. A warm and friendly attitude and passion for their job are the most emphasized 456 facilitators to achieving a satisfying interaction and memorable experiences. Tour guides also act as 457 cultural ambassadors of the destination and ensure a deeper insight into its culture and history. 458 Although the set of attributes is nearly the same in the two studies, which validates the general 459 framework of the model, there are significant differences in the salience of individual attributes. The 460 main reasons for this are the specifics of the firm under study (the wine tour provider), the stage of 461 development and the features of the wine destination (the structure and nature of the viticultural sector 462 Core wine product • sensory, functional, social and cultural dimesnion Tour guide • functional, social and cultural dimension Planning and logistics • functional dimension Destination appeal • cultural and natural dimension Food and dining • sensory, cultural and social dimension Complementary activities • cultural dimension Accommodation • functional dimension WEP – Wine Economics and Policy Just Accepted Manuscript 18 and the tourist products offered by wine cellars) and the general trends in tourism development in the 463 broader destination. Providers in Bulgaria, which is an emergent wine destination, seem to rely more 464 heavily on attractions other than wine and this is reflected in the perceived winescape. The resources 465 of the destination also have their impact – in Italy, the food and dining aspect is much more 466 pronounced. It was interesting to find out that wine popularity did not exert significant influence – in 467 the case of Bulgaria it was compensated by novelty, quality and local character (the opportunity to 468 taste local varieties). 469 As winescape attributes are easily translated into success factors [13], the above findings can be very 470 useful for wine tourism practitioners (both wineries and tour operators) in analyzing their products 471 and adjusting them to customer needs. The model can also be used as a basis for measuring tourist 472 satisfaction for wine tours, because of the association between salient product attributes and customer 473 satisfaction and tourist experience [33], [37]. 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