A possible strategy for the economic restructuring of a rural region based on wine tourism: Case study of Blue Mountains, Moravia
Abstract
The article deals with the restructuring of a region focused on intensive agriculture at a time when agriculture ceases to be a source of wealth. It explores the possibilities of using tourism in an area with a high proportion of arable land without neither significant historical heritage nor natural attractions. The study method is a complex geographical analysis that determines the conditions under which the transformation of the micro region takes place. This analysis results in an overview of the microregion’s most significant strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The applied solution is the use of a specific brand, using the significant presence of wine culture. The use of this brand for marketing is presented. The increase in competition ability is based on the introduction of the idea to promote the area under the brand Blue Mountains and the use of other ideas that significantly differentiate the studied region from its neighbours. The key prerequisites are the cooperation of the actors. The main contribution of the article lies in the study of local experiences with tourism promotion and place marketing as one of the possibilities for transformation into a post-productive economy.
References
ALMEYDA-IBÁÑEZ, M. and GEORGE, B.P. 2017. The evolution of destination branding: A review of branding literature in tourism. Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing 3. (1): 9–17.
ALMSTEDT, Å., BROUDER, P., KARLSSON, S. and LUNDMARK, L. 2014. Beyond post-productivism: From rural policy discourse to rural diversity. European Countryside 6. (4): 293–306. https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2014-0016
ANDERSSON, I. 2014. Placing place branding: An analysis of an emerging research field in human geography. Geografisk Tidsskrift / Danish Journal of Geography 114. (2): 143–155. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167223.2014.895954
ASHWORTH, G.J. and GRAHAM, B. (eds.) 2017. Senses of Place: Senses of Time. Abingdon-on-Thames, Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315243467
BĂNDOI, A., JIANU, E., ENESCU, M., AXINTE, G., TUDOR, S. and FIROIU, D. 2020. The relationship between development of tourism, quality of life and sustainable performance in EU countries. Sustainability 12. (4): 1628. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041628
BAÑOS-PINO, J.F., BOTO-GARCÍA, D., ZAPICO, E. and MAYOR, M. 2024. Optimal carrying capacity in rural tourism: Crowding, quality deterioration, and productive inefficiency. Tourism Management 105. 104968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.104968
BONAROU, C., TSARTAS, P. and SARANTAKOU, E. 2019. E-storytelling and wine tourism branding: Insights from the wine roads of Northern Greece. In Wine Tourism Destination Management and Marketing. Eds.: SIGALA, M. and ROBINSON, R.N.S., Cham, Palgrave Macmillan, 77–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00437-8_7
BROUDER, P., KARLSSON, S. and LUNDMARK, L. 2015. Hyper-production: A new metric of multifunctionality. European Countryside 7. (3): 134–143. https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2015-0009
BRUWER, J. and RUEGER-MUCK, E. 2018. Wine tourism and hedonic experience: A motivation-based experiential view. Tourism and Hospitality Research 19. (4): 488–502. https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358418781444
BUTLER, R.W. 2020. Overtourism in rural areas. In Overtourism. Eds.: SÉRAPHIN, H., GLADKIKH, T. and VO THANH, T., Cham, Palgrave Macmillan, 27–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42458-9_3
CARMICHAEL, B.A. and SENESE, D.M. 2012. Competitiveness and sustainability in wine tourism regions: The application of a stage model of destination development to two Canadian wine regions. In The Geography of Wine. Ed.: DOUGHERTY, P., Dordrecht, Springer, 159–178. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0464-0_9
CHMIELIŃSKI, P., FACCILONGO, N., FIORE, M. and LA SALA, P. 2018. Design and implementation of the local development strategy: A case study of Polish and Italian local action groups in 2007–2013. Studies in Agricultural Economics 120. (1): 25–31. https://doi.org/10.7896/j.1726
CLOKE, P. 2006. Conceptualizing rurality. In Handbook of Rural Studies. Eds.: CLOKE, P., MARSDEN, T. and MOONEY, H., London, Sage, 18–28. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781848608016.n2
COSTA DA SILVA, M.A., BRUCH, K.L., DUARTE, F.F. and BETLENCOURT, A.F. 2024. Wine tourism and sustainable territorial development in Vale dos Vinhedos: An analysis of the different perceptions and conflicts of the territory. Revista Brasilieira de Gestão e Desenvolvimiento Regional 20. (1): 586–615. https://doi.org/10.54399/rbgdr.v20i1.7143
CSURGÓ, B., KOVÁCH, I. and MEGYESI, B. 2018. After a long march: The results of two decades of rural restructuring in Hungary. Eastern European Countryside 24. 81–109. https://doi.org/10.2478/eec-2018-0005
DARWISH, A. and BURNS, P. 2019. Tourist destination reputation: an empirical definition“. Tourism Recreation Research 44. (2): 153–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2018.1558754
DASZKIEWICZ, M. and WOŁOSECKA, A. 2019. Development of a brand idea as the basis for region branding. A case study of the Jizera mountains and the foreground region. Zeszyty Naukowe. Organizacja i Zarządzanie / Politechnika Śląska 139. 107–121.
DEMIROVIĆ, D., KOŠIĆ, K., SURD, V., ŽUNIĆ, L. and SYROMIATNIKOVA, Y.A. 2017. Application of tourism destination competitiveness model on rural destinations. Journal of the Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” SASA. 67. (3): 279–295. https://doi.org/10.2298/IJGI1703279D
DIMITROVSKI, D., JOUKES, V., RACHÃO, S. and TIBÉRIO, M.L. 2019. Wine tourism apps as wine destination branding instruments: Content and functionality analysis. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology 10. (2): 136–152. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-10-2017-0115
ÐURKIN, J., PERIĆ, M. and KLJAIĆ-ŠEBREK, J. 2017. Addressing organisational challenges of cultural tourism in rural areas through community-based tourism model. ToSEE – Tourism in Southern and Eastern Europe 4. 145–157. https://doi.org/10.20867/tosee.04.29
EUSÉBIO, C., CARNEIRO, M.J., KASTENHOLZ, E., FIGUEIREDO, E. and SOARES DA SILVA, D. 2017. Who is consuming the countryside? An activity-based segmentation analysis of the domestic rural tourism market in Portugal. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 31. 197–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2016.12.006
FOUNTAIN, J., CHARTERS, S. and COGAN-MARIE, L. 2020. The real Burgundy: Negotiating wine tourism, relational place and the global countryside. Tourism Geographies 23. (5–6): 1116–1136. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1713880
FROST, W., FROST, J., STRICKLAND, P. and SMITH MAGUIRE, J. 2020. Seeking a competitive advantage in wine tourism: Heritage and storytelling at the cellar-door. International Journal of Hospitality Management 87. 102460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102460
GAJIĆ, T., PENIĆ, M., VUJKO, A. and PETROVIĆ, M.D. 2018. Development perspectives of rural tourism policy – A comparative study of rural tourism competitiveness based on perceptions of tourism workers in Slovenia and Serbia. Eastern European Countryside 24. (1): 143–154. https://doi.org/10.2478/eec-2018-0007
GARRONE, M., EMMERS, D., OLPER, A. and SWINNEN, J. 2019. Jobs and agricultural policy: Impact of the common agricultural policy on EU agricultural employment. Food Policy 87. 101744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2019.101744
GÓMEZ, M., LOPEZ, C. and MOLINA, A. 2015. A model of tourism destination brand equity: The case of wine tourism destinations in Spain. Tourism Management 51. 210–222, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2015.05.019
GÓMEZ, M., PRATT, M.A. and MOLINA, A. 2019. Wine tourism research: A systematic review of 20 vintages from 1995 to 2014. Current Issues in Tourism 22. 2211–2249. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2018.1441267
GULISOVA, B. 2021. Rural place branding processes: A meta-synthesis. Place Brand Public Diplomacy 17. 368–381. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-020-00187-y
HALL, D. 2005. Rural wine and food tourism sector. In Rural Tourism and Sustainable Business. Eds.: HALL, D., KIRKPATRICK, I., MITCHELL, M., Clevedon, Channel View Publisher, 149–164. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.27195513.14
HANNA, S., ROWLEY, J. and KEEGAN, B. 2020. Place and destination branding: A review and conceptual mapping of the domain. European Management Review 18. 105–117. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12433
HEIJMAN, W., HAGELAAR, G. and VAN DER HEIDE, M. 2019. Rural resilience as a new development concept. In EU Bioeconomy Economics and Policies. Volume II. Eds.: DRIES, L., HEIJMAN, W., JONGENEEL, R., PURNHAGEN, K. and WESSELER, J., Cham, Palgrave Macmillan, 195–211. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28642-2_11
HRUŠKA, V. and PÍŠA, J. 2019. Winning and losing rural localities of the post-socialist economic restructuring. Case study of Czechia. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 68. (4): 373–389. https://doi.org/10.15201/hungeobull.68.4.4
JARRATT, D., PHELAN, C., WAIN, J. and DALE, S. 2018. Developing a sense of place toolkit: Identifying destination uniqueness. Tourism and Hospitality Research 19. (4): 408–421. https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358418768678
JEPSON, D. and SHARPLEY, R. 2018. More than sense of place? Exploring the emotional dimension of rural tourism experiences. In Rural tourism. Eds.: LANE, B. and KASTENHOLZ, E., London, Routledge, 25–46. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315111865
JOY, A., YOON, S., GROHMANN, B. and LATOUR, K. 2021. How winery tourism experience builds brand image and brand loyalty. Wine Business Journal December, 2021. E-publication. https://doi.org/10.26813/001c.30210
KASTENHOLZ, E., PEIXEIRA MARQUES, M. and CARNEIRO, M.J. 2020. Place attachment through sensory-rich, emotion-generating place experiences in rural tourism. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management 17. 100455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2020.100455
KAVOURA, A. and BITSANI, E. 2013. E-branding of rural tourism in Carinthia, Austria. Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal 61. (3): 289–312.
KELLER, K.L. 2002. Branding and brand equity. In Handbook of marketing. Eds. WEITZ, B. and WINSLEY, R. London, Sage, 155–178. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781848608283.n8
KONEČNÝ, O. 2019. The LEADER approach across the European Union: One method of rural development, many forms of implementation. European Countryside 11. (1): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2019-0001
KONEČNÝ, O., ŠILHAN, Z., CHALOUPKOVÁ, M. and SVOBODOVÁ, H. 2020. Area-based approaches are losing the essence of local targeting: LEADER/CLLD in the Czech Republic. European Planning Studies 29. (4): 619–636. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2020.1764913
KÓRÓDI, M. and DÁVID, L.D. 2019. The uniqueness of the Hungarian rural tourism supply. Journal of Tourism and Services 10. 24–39. https://doi.org/10.29036/jots.v10i19.93
KRÁLIKOVÁ, A., KUBÁT, P. and RYGLOVÁ, K. 2021. Visitors’ happiness and loyalty in the Moravian wine region. European Countryside 13. (4): 750–767. https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2021-0040
LABIANCA, M. and NAVARRO VALVERDE, F. 2019. Depopulation and aging in rural areas in the European Union: Practices starting from the LEADER approach. Perspectives on Rural Development 3. 223–252. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1285/i26113775n3p223
LIU, S. and CHEUNG, L.T.O. 2016. Sense of place and tourism business development. Tourism Geographies 18. (2): 174–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2016.1149513
MACKAY, M. and PERKINS, H.S. 2019. Making space for community in super-productivist rural settings. Journal of Rural Studies 68. 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2019.03.012
MADEIRA, A., CORREIA, A. and FILIPE, J.A. 2019. Wine tourism: Constructs of the experience. In Trends in Tourist Behavior. Eds.: ARTAL-TUR, A., KOZAK, M. and KOZAK, N., Cham, Springer, 93–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11160-1_6
MARCOUILLER, D. 2013. The rural development attributes of tourism. In Handbook of Rural Development. Ed.: GREEN, G.P., Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 158–178. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781006719.00018
MARINO, A. and PARISO, P. 2022. The digital platform experience of a leading country in wine tourism: From COVID-19 to the new era. International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management 19. (7): 2250021. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219877022500213
MARLOWE, B. and LEE, S. 2018. Conceptualizing terroir wine tourism. Tourism Review International 22. (2): 143–151. https://doi.org/10.3727/154427218X15319286372298
MCAREAVAY, R. 2009. Rural Development Theory and Practice. New York, Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203878125
MCKERCHER, B. 2020. Cultural tourism market: A perspective paper. Tourism Review 75. (1): 126–129. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-03-2019-0096
MEDARIĆ, Z., SULYOK, J., KARDOS, S. and GABRUČ, J. 2021. Lake Balaton as an accessible tourism destination – the stakeholders’ perspectives. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 70. (3): 233–247. https://doi.org/10.15201/hungeobull.70.3.3
MENCONI, M.E., ARTEMI, S., BORGHI, P. and GROHMANN D. 2018. Role of local action groups in improving the sense of belonging of local communities with their territories. Sustainability 10. (12): 4681. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10124681
MICHAELIS AHARON, K. and ALFASI, N. 2022. The geographical aspect of place branding: Interactions between place brands in the spatial hierarchy. Applied Geography 139. 102650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2022.102650
MOLLEVÍ, G., NICOLAS-SANS, R., ÁLVAREZ, J. and VILLORO, J. 2020. PDO certification: a brand identity for wine tourism in Catalonia (Spain). Geographicalia 72. 87–109. https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_geoph/geoph.2020724595
MURDOCH, J., LOWE, P., WARD, N. and MARSDEN, T. 2003. The Differentiated Countryside. London, Routledge.
MURMURA, F., PISCÈ, G.C. and FRABONI, C. 2024. Enhancing tourism through local development strategies (LDSs): A study of FLAG Marche Sud area. In Driving Quality Management and Sustainability in VUCA Environments. Eds.: GONÇALVES DOS REIS, J.C., PINHO, T., BARBOSA, V. and BARRETO, L., Cham, Springer, 259–272. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52723-4_20
MURRAY, A. and KLINE, C. 2015. Rural tourism and the craft beer experience: Factors influencing brand loyalty in rural North Carolina, USA. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 23. (8–9): 1198–1216. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2014.987146
PIKE, A. 2009. Geographies of brands and branding. Progress in Human Geography 33. (5): 619–645. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132508101601
PROKEŠ, M. 2019. Wine trails in the Czech Republic. In Wine Tourism Destination Management and Marketing. Eds.: SIGALA, M. and ROBINSON, R., Cham, Palgrave Macmillan, 341–355. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00437-8_22
REICHERT-SCHICK, A. 2016. The village as a hotel. Tourism-oriented revitalization of rural settlements: A good practice concept for European peripheries? In European Rural Peripheries Revalued. Eds.: GRABSKI-KIERON, U., MODE, I., REICHERT-SCHICK, A. and STEINFÜHRER, A., Berlin, LIT Verlag, 198–228.
RICHARDS, G. 2018. Cultural tourism: A review of recent research and trends. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 36. 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2018.03.005
ROMAN, M., ROMAN, M., PRUS, P. and SZCZEPANEK, M. 2020. Tourism competitiveness of rural areas: Evidence from a region in Poland. Agriculture 10. (11): 569. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10110569
ROMÃO, J. 2018. Tourism, a place-based activity. In Tourism, Territory and Sustainable Development. Ed.: ROMÃO, J., Singapore, Springer, 37–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0426-2_3
SALVIA, R. and QUARANTA, G. 2017. Place-based rural development and resilience: A lesson from a small community. Sustainability 9. (6): 889. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9060889
SAN EUGENIO-VELA, J., GINESTA, X. and KAVARATZIS, M. 2020. The critical role of stakeholder engagement in a place branding strategy: A case study of the Empordà brand. European Planning Studies 28. (7): 1393–1412. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2019.1701294
SCHMIED, D. (ed.) 2005. Winning and Losing. The Changing Geography of Europe´s Rural Areas. Aldershot, Ashgate.
SCORRANO, P., FAIT, M., MAIZZA, A. and VRONTIS, D. 2019. Online branding strategy for wine tourism competitiveness. International Journal of Wine Business Research 31. (2): 130–150. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWBR-06-2017-0043
SIGALA, M. 2020. Tourism and COVID-19: Impacts and implications for advancing and resetting industry and research. Journal of Business Research 117. 312–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.06.015
ŠÍP, J., RYŠKOVÁ, J. and SMRČKA, F. 2018. Territorial connections of wine tourism to vine growing and wine produce in the winegrowing sub-regions of Slovácko and Znojemsko. Czech Hospitality & Tourism Papers 14. (3): 16–27.
ŠŤASTNÁ, M., VAISHAR, A., RYGLOVÁ, K., RAŠOVSKÁ, I. and ZÁMEČNÍK, S. 2020. Cultural tourism as a possible driver of rural development in Czechia. Wine tourism in Moravia as a case study. European Countryside 12. (3): 292–311. https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2020-0017
STONAWSKÁ, K. and VAISHAR A. 2018. Differentiation and typology of the Moravian countryside. European Countryside 10. (1): 127–140. https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2018-0008
SZÖRÉNYINÉ KUKORELLI, I. 2011. Tourism and agriculture in Hungary: Post-productivist transition or new functions in rural space? In Tourism and Agriculture. Eds.: TORRES, R.M. and HENSHALL MOMSEN, J., Abingdon, Routledge, 13–27.
TASCI, A.D.A. 2021. A critical review and reconstruction of perceptual brand equity. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 33. (1): 166–198. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2020-0186
TIRADO BALLESTEROS, J.G. and HERNÁNDEZ, M.H. 2018. Promoting tourism through the EU LEADER programme: Understanding local action group governance. European Planning Studies 27. (2): 396–414. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2018.1547368
TRINAJSTIĆ, M., BADURINA, J.D. and KOŠČAK, M. 2023. The role of local action groups in the development of rural tourism. In Edukacija Kakao Kljucni Faktor Održivog i Odgovornog Razvoja Ruralnog Podrucja. Moslavačka Slatina, Vimal Akademija, 153–165.
VAISHAR, A. and PAVLŮ, A. 2018. Outmigration intentions of secondary school students from a rural micro-region in the Czech inner periphery: A case study of the Bystřice nad Pernštejnem area in the Vysočina region. Acta Universitatis Carolinae Geographica 53. (1): 49–57. https://doi.org/10.14712/23361980.2018.5
VAISHAR, A. and ŠŤASTNÁ, M. 2020. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural tourism in Czechia. Preliminary considerations. Current Issues in Tourism 25. (2): 187–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1839027
VAISHAR, A., ŠŤASTNÁ, M., ZAPLETALOVÁ, J. and NOVÁKOVÁ, E. 2020. Is the European countryside depopulating? Case study Moravia. Journal of Rural Studies 80. 567–577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.10.044
VASTA, A., FIGUEIREDO, E., VALENTE, S., VIHINEN, H. and NIETO-ROMERO, M. 2019. Place-based policies for sustainability and rural development: The case of a Portuguese village “Spun” in traditional linen. Social Sciences 8. (10): 289. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8100289
WALKER, K. and MOSCARDO, G. 2018. Moving beyond sense of place to care of place: The role of Indigenous values and interpretation in promoting transformative change in tourists’ place images and personal values. In Sustainable Tourism and Indigenous Peoples. Eds.: CARR, A., RUHANEN, L., WHITFORD, M. and LANE, B. London, Routledge, 177–195. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315112053-11
WOODS, M. 2011. Rural. London, Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203844304
Copyright (c) 2025 Antonín Vaishar, Milada Šťastná
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
