Profile Analysis of Regional Variations Among Virginia Winery Visitors

Abstract

This research is concerned with examining market segments and regional variations associated with winery visitors in the state of Virginia. The tourism literature published by the state of Virginia for wineries indicates that there are five wine regions. In this research, data were collected from interviews conducted at wineries in each of the five wine regions. The first phase of analysis sought to create market segments using a factor-cluster approach. Segments were created using cluster analysis and multiple discriminant analysis. Three distinct market segments based on benefits sought by the visitor emerged from these data. Regional variations were examined in the second part of this study. The data were classified into individual regions based on the locations of the wineries examined. Distinct differences in the regional profiles were revealed. Weak significant relationships among the segments and regions were also revealed through analysis indicating a spatial component to the segments. This research proposes the use of three regions for market research purposes, while retaining the five existing regions for promoting an organized structure to visiting wineries in the state.