Alternate Forms of Tourism Mount Saint Vincent University 5/8/2009 Infusion Tourism Table of Contents Introduction2 Purpose of paper2 Concepts/definitions2 Sustainable tourism3 Background4 Niche Product4 International Efforts4 Product Potential8 Product Proposal8 Potential Products8 Marketing9 Strategy10 Secondary Market10 Challenges11 Conclusion12 References13 Introduction
The purpose of this research paper is to develop the concept of a niche tourism product that may be suitable for marketing in Nova Scotia. The research results presented in this paper are for the course THMT 2201 Alternate Forms of Tourism, at Mount Saint Vincent University. It is a requirement for course completion. Furthermore, this paper’s purpose is to increase student knowledge of niche tourism and the feasibility of its development.
The niche product that will be discussed in this research paper is Infusion tourism, the various elements surrounding this concept internationally and locally, as well as whether it could be successful if developed in particular, in the city of Halifax and in the rural area of the Annapolis Valley. “Tourism is the world’s largest industry. The number of tourists went from 25 million in 1950 up to 702 million in 2000. The tourism growth rate is 4% a year, and could reach 1 billion in 2010 and 1. 6 billion in 2020 according to the World Tourism Organisation” (Eveil Network, 2005).
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Typical examples of tourism products with gastronomy focus range from food events, cooking class and workshops; food fairs featuring local products, visits to markets and producers, museums to souvenirs. In the later session there will be explanation on how gastronomy is understood as a tourism product, by fulfilling different motivations of tourists. Tourism and tourists motivation In a simple ...
In order to help put into perspective the concept of Infusion tourism, it is important to understand Niche tourism as well as its counter-point Mass tourism and how they impact the world. Mass tourism is large scale, traditional tourism that is often perceived as irresponsible tourism due to the reckless consumption of resources involved as well as the negative impacts it has environmentally and socio-culturally. Niche tourism on the other hand is a small specialised sector of tourism which appeals to a correspondingly tightly-defined market segment (special interest groups).
It distinguishes and differentiates tourists based on their need for meaningful travel experiences that are unlike mass tourism experiences (Niche tourism lecture notes).
It is often associated with sustainable tourism which is a term becoming increasingly important in the developing of tourism market products in the tourism industry because it is small scaled and less harmful than other forms of tourism. “For humans to live sustainably, the Earth’s resources must be used at a rate at which they can be replenished.
However, there is now clear scientific evidence that humanity is living unsustainably, and that an unprecedented collective effort is needed to return human use of natural resources to within sustainable limits” (Wikipedia: Sustainability) Tourists’ desire to travel with peace of mind that they are not destroying the possibility for future generations to enjoy the same things they are able to enjoy has significantly increased. Sustainability in itself is a fairly new yet complex term, dating back only to the late 20th century.
It is the ability to maintain balance of a certain process or state in any system (in this case tourism).
The concept of Infusion tourism relates to sustainable tourism on three different levels; economically, environmentally and socio-culturally. If this niche product were developed in Nova Scotia, it would be economically beneficial to the province due to higher product and tour sales. Through expansion, this niche product could increase employment opportunities in the agricultural sector, the food & beverage sector and in the tourism sector.
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On the environmental scale, infusion tourism would help stress the importance of rural harvesting to the wine industry of Nova Scotia as well as other local farmers. Socio-culturally, this niche product would further raise awareness of the importance of buying local and supporting local efforts. It would be the perfect opportunity for Maritimers to share their culture and tradition with tourists and to raise any stereotypes surrounding Atlantic Canada. There is also excellent potential to create drinking and driving campaigns to expose the potential risks involved with the industry.
Background The concept of Infusion tourism is one that is directly based on the macro niche of gastronomic tourism. Gastronomic tourism by definition is a niche market that involves tourists with special interest in vacation activities associated with cuisine, specifically with food and wine as part of their travelling experience (Gastronomic Tourism Lecture notes).
It has potential subgroups in agritourism and cultural tourism. Infusion tourism would be a micro niche of gastronomic tourism.
The label of “infusion tourism” was developed based on the elements composing this niche product and the vast array of blending, brewing, distilling, mixing, etc. that define the process of infusion. It is essentially a form of Niche tourism that offers tourists with special interest in brewing processes and/or wine enthusiast experiences, the opportunity to witness firsthand the infusion of a variety of flavours in urban and rural settings. Internationally, infusion tourism is becoming very popular.
Many breweries and wineries are offering tours and samplings of their products to the increasing number of tourists interested in this market segment. Monsteiner brewery in Switzerland, located high in the Swiss Alps, is a tourist’s delight. They offer no fewer than nine unique beer-sampling opportunities including a train ride and Nordic walking. In Monstein tourist groups of 10 or more, are welcomed by a brewer who introduces them to the secrets of beer-making (Davos Kloster Mountains, 2009).
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Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research – Wine Tourism in Champagne. Charters, S & Menival, D 2011, ‘Wine Tourism in Champagne’, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 102-118, viewed, 6th May 2013, <http://jht. sagepub. com/content/35/1/102. full. pdf+html>. The author of this article’s goal is to emphasis the understanding about ...
Tourists are then invited to taste the various ingredients of beer as well as beer at various stages of fermentation.
Excursions end with brewery tours and more beer-sampling. Below, an image of the village of Monstein where the brewery is located can be seen. Some breweries begin with beer and some begin with the making of other things. For the Kiuchi Brewery in Japan, this holds true. Beginning in the sake industry in the 1950’s, the Kiuchi Brewery only began brewing beer in the early 1990’s and have recently planted vines and are trying their hand at the wine industry (Kiuchi Brewery Japan, 2009).
Tourists can experience brewery and vineyard tours at Kiuchi’s location and receive the ultimate infusion tourism experience.
Vineyard tourism is a tourism market segment that is expanding at an alarming rate internationally. Denbie’s Wine Estate in Surrey England has tapped into this knowledge and has created the largest vineyard in all of England. With two restaurants, a garden centre, accommodations (bed and breakfast), and vast property, Denbie’s not only offers tours of the estate and its winery, but they also hold weddings, events and exhibitions on a regular basis (Denbie’s Wine Estate, 2009).
They are very advanced in an area where wine tourism is still a relatively niche market.
Certain vineyards like Denbie’s chooses to be very public and open to a large number of visitors, however, for the Bergkelder winery in South Africa, they find comfort in small numbers. The Bergkelder has distinguished itself as an important innovator in the wine industry, encouraging South Africa’s production of world class wines by persuading grape-growers to introduce classic noble varieties to their vineyards. They were also at the forefront in introducing the tradition of wine aging in new French oak (Bergkelder, 2009).
Although they take their wine making seriously, Bergkelder still caters to tourists and offers professionally conducted tours of their cellars for small groups. Below is a photo of the Bergkelder vineyards. Although it is important to understand how infusion tourism is making its way across the globe, it is even more valuable to understand the background in infusion tourism locally and its potential for development in Nova Scotia. In terms of breweries in Nova Scotia, the most central area to find them is the city of Halifax.
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Nova Scotia Nova Scotia, one of the three Maritime and one of the four Atlantic provinces of Canada, bordered on the north by the Bay of Fundy, the province of New Brunswick, Northumberland Strait, and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and on the east, south, and west by the Atlantic Ocean. Nova Scotia consists primarily of a mainland section, linked to New Brunswick by the Isthmus of Chignecto, and Cape ...
Halifax has always been at the centre of a proud and vibrant Maritime brewing tradition. In 1754, William Steel was the first local brewer to quench the thirsts of early settlers and troops gathered on Citadel Hill (Garrison Brewery, 2008).
The opportunity to observe and learn about the process of brewing beer awaits tourists in one of the cities microbreweries and brewpubs. Alexander Keith’s brewery (est. 1820), the Garrison brewery (1997) as well as Propeller brewery (1997) falls under the category of micro breweries and are the primary breweries in the city (Bartowel. com).
Each have unique locations within the city and all three offer tourists and locals, tours of their breweries with group sizes of usually 10 or more and prices ranging from $12 to $16 per person including beer-sampling. While these breweries offer exceptional tours and an interesting market segment to tourists and locals, it has yet to be packaged as a tour in itself combining the three micro breweries. It has the potential to be successful in Halifax because of the large amount of tourists that are often found in the city at any given moment who are interested in Nova Scotia’s culture and maritime traditions.
A subset to infusion tourism would be Urban Tourism. Recommending historical and well known traditional pubs to tourists such as The Old Triangle, the Lower Deck, the Split Crow and the Alehouse, which are all rich in Nova Scotia pride, would definitely add to the infusion tourists’ experience in the province. On the other side of infusion tourism, the wine enthusiast experience awaits special interest tourists. The Winery Association of Nova Scotia expects the number of vineyards in the province to more than double by 2015 after development in quality and an increase in interest (Nova News Net, 2008).
Furthermore, a study shows that wine sales in Nova Scotia have doubled since 1993, the largest growth in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2006).
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There is the most potential for Infusion tourism development in the Annapolis Valley, a rural area in Nova Scotia that has four vineyards; Sainte-Famille Wines, Domaine de Grand-Pre, Gaspereau Vineyards and Blomidon Estates Wines. Each has their own distinct process of harvesting, destemming, fermenting and blending that creates the uniqueness and often times, award winning taste, each wine produced at these wineries has.
The market product for wine tours in the Annapolis Valley has already been tapped by Ambassatours, a tour company located in Halifax that offers a wide range of cultural tours of Nova Scotia. Their tours are offered from June 1st to October 15th and are catered to wine enthusiasts and those wishing to learn more about it. Tours include wine tastings at three of the province’s premiere wineries (Sainte Famille, Domaine de Grand Pre and Gaspereau Valley Vineyards) as well as a two-course gourmet lunch with paired wines at Tempest Restaurant in beautiful Wolfville.
When tourists visit Gaspereau Valley Vineyards, they are also offered Fox Hill cheese (local cheese manufacturer) tasting and a sampling of award winning Nova Scotia Ice Wine (Valley Tours, 2007).
Although the tour is primarily targeted at an understanding of the wine industry of Nova Scotia, it also allows tourists to support local efforts through the cheese tastings, purchasing of locally produced wine and through their dining experience at Tempest Restaurant, who’s head chef Michael Howell is committed to using sustainably harvested or farmed seafood and supporting Annapolis Valley producers whenever possible (Tempest World Cuisine, 2006).
Infusion tourism would have some potential for Nova Scotia because the necessary niche products of breweries and wineries are plentiful and becoming increasingly popular. The merits of developing this niche product are primarily sustainable as mentioned on page 2. With economic benefit through product and tour sales, increase in employment opportunity, environmental awareness through education of importance of harvesting and supporting local producers, as well as socio-cultural potential in terms of raising any stereotypes on Atlantic Canada. Product Proposal
Products that should be included for this niche market theme are urban tours of breweries followed by recommended visits to local pubs which allow tourists and local residents to capture the culture of Nova Scotia and learn about our historical properties in the process. Educational workshops at the breweries would also be another product with potential. Since the country is currently in recession, it is a well known fact that people are not going to clubs and pubs as often as they used to. Instead they are purchasing from the local liquor stores and having in-home gatherings.
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Enrolment in brew-making classes would be a hit for those looking to save a little bit of money down the road. Rural tours of Annapolis Valley wineries and dining experiences in local restaurants, and visits to markets with local produce, allow tourists to experience small community pride and culture in Nova Scotia. Although some vineyards offer their products at local liquor stores, most are only sold at the vineyards or in farmers markets certain days of the week. Wine-making workshops would be an excellent investment for tourists and Nova Scotians who are looking to enjoy a typically rural activity in their own homes.
Another product in wine tourism that could be explored in Nova Scotia is an active component, where tourists are participants in the harvesting process or in grape stomping festivals in the autumn. A combination of both urban and rural tours provides tourists with the ultimate Nova Scotia tourism experience in this niche market of Infusion tourism. It allows them to see two very different traditions and cultures within the province only hours from one another. The contrast of rural vineyards and urban breweries makes for an overall complete understanding of just how much potential Nova Scotia has as a tourist hot spot.
Markets The nature of Infusion tourism could appeal to a wide variety of tourists and local residents in Nova Scotia. The primary market for brewery tours in the city is tourists in the demographic age range of 20 to 29 years of age, due to the large number of universities in and around the city of Halifax with a high percentage of international student enrolment. This age group represents approximately 15% of the population in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) according to a community profile done by Statistics Canada in 2006.
This market would be successful not only due to local universities but since the Halifax Stanfield International Airport is the only international airport on the east coast (besides the airport found in St. John’s Newfoundland), college and university students of other provinces, such as University of New Brunswick, University PEI, are required to come to Halifax in order to fly home, which is the same case for tourists who are not students. They would be interested in brewery tours because it appeals to most university students interests (one of which is drinking).
There are different ways to promote infusion tourism in the city to appeal to the primary market. It is important to stress the Maritime experience tourists will receive as well as to put an emphasis on how accessible in distance the breweries are and that transportation will not be an issue. A sure way to attract this markets eye is to promote tour advertisements in metro transit bus shelters, advertise inside metro transit buses, spread flyers and brochures across university and college campuses, as well as romote tours by having an ad in free daily and monthly newspapers in the HRM, that people of this age range are most likely to read (the Coast and the Metro).
It would also be ideal to promote tours by offering special packages to school societies such as the Tourism societies at Mount Saint Vincent University and Nova Scotia Community College, as well as Culinary Art programs found in colleges in the Atlantic Provinces.
Although the primary market would enjoy brewery tours in the city, after careful thought, it is rare that students would be interested in paying to take a bus tour to the Annapolis Valley even if there is wine sampling involved. Therefore, a suggested secondary market is necessary. The local population of people ages 40 to 49 years of age represents approximately 18% of the HRM’s population (Statistics Canada, 2006).
With their children almost completely or completely grown, and with most of their large expenses paid (student loans, etc), persons in this secondary market not only have more disposable incomes, but they also have more spare time for themselves to participate in various activities, be they tourism related or not. With a higher income than most students, this market has the means to pay for wine tours and also to invest in home wine-making kits and workshops to further expand their knowledge of the industry. Among other markets to target for winery and brewery tours are families with older children, as well as cruise ship passengers.
Last year (2008), the Port of Halifax saw 125 cruise ships land in the Harbour, carrying an approximate total of 230,000 passengers (Cruise Halifax, 2009).
This would be a highly viable market to target considering that cruise ship passengers often increase their expenditures in the port cities they visit by going on local tours to get a taste of the culture. Challenges Some of the challenges that infusion tourism may be faced with include customs and drinking laws of Canada and the province of Nova Scotia. The amount of alcohol that can be taken by tourists out of the country are limited to a 1. L bottle of wine and 24 x 355ml bottles or cans of beer (About. com, 2009).
In terms of drinking laws, each establishment that serves liquor must have a liquor license. Furthermore, legal drinking age in Nova Scotia is 19 years of age. This could be potentially challenging to monitor due to the number of fake identification cards younger students and non-students seem to have these days. Another potential barrier is enforcement of drinking and driving laws. As an establishment serving alcoholic beverages, it is important for breweries and wineries to provide their clients with their policies regarding drinking and driving.
They may encourage tourists to enjoy the wine or brew they’re supplying them with, but to do so in a safe responsible fashion Conclusion In conclusion, Infusion tourism would be a great opportunity to get old and new tourists to Nova Scotia. The potential of this niche market product could be developed in Nova Scotia, primarily in Halifax and the Annapolis Valley, due to the increasing interest in breweries and wineries among the primary market of students aged 20 to 29 years and secondary markets of ages 40 to 49, as well as cruise ship passengers.
Some recommendations I would make to potential future infusion tourism developers is to really try to focus tours around local cultural and community traditions that are representative of the population of Nova Scotia. References Lecture Notes: Gastronomic Tourism and Niche Tourism About. com, Canada Online, Retrieved May 5th, 2009 from http://canadaonline. about. com/od/customs/a/alcoholsettler. htm Bergkelder, Visiting, Retrieved May 5th, 2009 from http://www. bergkelder. co. za/location. tml Cruise Halifax & Port of Halifax, Our Visitors: Statistics ,Retrieved May 4th, 2009 from, http://www. cruisehalifax. ca/our-visitors/statistics. html Davos Kloster Mountains, Monstein- Europe’s Highest Brewery, Retrieved May 4th, 2009 from http://www. davosklosters. ch/Service/Summer_activities_and_adventures/Monstein_-_Europe_s_highest_brewery/dD04NjgmbD1lbmc. html Denbie’s Wine Estate, Visit Denbie’s, Retrieved May 5th, 2009 from http://www. denbiesvineyard. co. uk/about/images. tml Eveil Network (2005), Responsible tourism, Retrieved May 6th, 2009 from http://www. eveil-tourisme-responsable. org/uk/tourism-environment. php Garrison Brewing Co. (2008), A little history, Retrieved May 4th 2009, from http://www.
garrisonbrewing. com/brewery. html Kiuchi Brewery Japan, About us: History, Retrieved May 4th, 2009 from http://www. kodawari. cc/engpage/kodawari/html/index. htm Nova News Net, Deacon J. (Feb. 2008) Vineyard in Nova Scotia expected to overflow, Retrieved May 4th, 2009 from, http://novanewsnet. ukings. ca/nova_news_3588_14359. tml Propeller Brewing Company (2001-2004), Tours, Retrieved May 4th, 2009, from http://www. drinkpropeller. ca/beer/beerstore. html Statistics Canada, Community Profiles: Halifax 2006, Retrieved May 3rd, 2009 from http://www12. statcan. ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page. cfm? Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=1209034&Geo2=PR&Code2=12&Data=Count&SearchText=Halifax&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=12&B1=Population&Custom Tempest World Cuisine (2006), About Us, Retrieve on May 3rd, 2009, from http://www. empest. ca/about. asp The Bar Towel, bar towel on the road: Halifax Nova Scotia, May 4th, 2009, from http://www. bartowel. com/reports/halifax2006. php Valley Wine Tours (2007), Wine Enthusiast Tour, Retrieved May 3rd, 2009, from http://www. valleywinetours. ca/wine-enthusiast-tour. aspx Winery Association of Nova Scotia (2008), Retrieved on May 3rd, 2009, from http://www. winesofnovascotia. ca
