Spatial structure and influencing factors of an emerging wine tourism network: a case study of the Ningxia wine region
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
ISSN: 0959-6119
Article publication date: 8 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Networks linking tourist attractions or organizations are a major focus of tourism research. Despite extensive research on tourism networks, academic research on the spatial structure and formation of wine tourism networks is limited. This study aims to investigate the spatial structure and factors influencing the development of a network among Ningxia wineries, an emerging wine tourism destination in China.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses social network analysis to uncover “what” the spatial structure of wine tourism networks looks like. Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted among key stakeholders to explain the “why” of such structural characteristics.
Findings
The results show that in an emerging wine tourism destination, popular tourist attractions enjoy high centrality and hold key positions in the wine tourism network. Small wineries exhibit high closeness centrality, and only one winery serves as a network broker. According to the stakeholders, the importance of network actors will increase as their economic and political importance increase, while small wineries that lack differentiation in the network may perish.
Practical implications
Local governments can implement the suggested measures for improving network connections, and wineries are advised to find suitable positions to improve the experiences of tourists.
Originality/value
This study pioneers the identification of the distinct structure and factors influencing the network of an emerging wine tourism destination, thus enriching the understanding of the interplay and roles of different actors.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This work was funded by the NSF of China under Grant Nos. 42271257 and 41701160, as well as the NSSF of China under Grant No. 20BJY202. M.S. Wong thanks the funding support from the General Research Fund (Grant No. 15603920 and 15609421), and the Collaborative Research Fund (Grant No. C5062-21GF) from the Research Grants Council, Hong Kong, China; and the funding support from the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China (1-BBG2).
Citation
Gu, Q., Ye, B.H., Huang, S.(S)., Wong, M.S. and Wang, L. (2024), "Spatial structure and influencing factors of an emerging wine tourism network: a case study of the Ningxia wine region", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2023-0986
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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