Article
A Study on Tourist Attitudes Towards Wine Culture in Rajasthan's Heritage Hospitality Industry
The mighty fort-palace architecture, royal courtly culture, rich folk culture and the legendary Rajput hospitality have formed the base of one of the most powerful heritage tourism brands in the world, the one that has been built in Rajasthan. The magnificent fort-palace architecture, royal courtly culture, rich folk culture and the legendary Rajput hospitality are the foundations of one of the world's most powerful heritage tourism brands which has been built in Rajasthan, the largest and most visited state of India. The rapid expansion of the palace hotels (heritage hotels), luxury camping experiences in the deserts and boutique havelis has made the state one of today's most popular places to engage in high-class cultural and experiential tourism. A rapidly changing hospitality industry, wine, which was not a major part of the Rajasthani hospitality culture, has become an important product offering because of the needs of international tourists, high-end domestic travellers, destination wedding guests and food-and-wine tourists. This research aims to explore the perception of tourist attitudes towards wine culture in the heritage hospitality industry in Rajasthan with the following constructs: awareness, acceptance, experiential quality, cultural friction, and behavioral intentions. The study uses a mixed methods design: structured questionnaire surveys (n = 480) in five major tourist destinations (Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Ranthambore); semi-structured interviews with 42 heritage hotel professionals; and content analysis of the menus of heritage hotels and wine communications. International tourists have high wine awareness and positive attitudes, whereas domestic tourists show more diverse attitudes, depending on age, socio-economic status, travel experience and cultural attitudes. Wine list curation, staff knowledge, communication about food and wine pairing, and pricing strategy are found to be critical quality gaps in wine. The study suggests a model called 'Heritage Wine Experience Integration Model' (HWEIM) and suggests the specific steps that the heritage hospitality operators need to take to tap wine culture as an enabler to make Rajasthan's luxury tourism brand unique and also to face the complicated socio-cultural and regulatory environment of alcohol in India.