Distilling the Resources That Support Moonshine Tourism Destination Image

Despite growing use of craft beverages as a cornerstone of travel experiences there is limited knowledge of the strategies and resources needed to create a cohesive destination image based on craft beverage tourism. In the state of North Carolina (USA), the corn-based spirit moonshine is recognized as an important element of local heritage. This study employed the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique to gather qualitative data from North Carolina tourism and moonshine stakeholders. The Destination Resources Acceleration Framework and the Model for Destination Branding guided analysis and revealed that natural, cultural, built, social, and human resources interplay with the components of the image development process (i.e., unique, cognitive, affective) to ultimately form a destination image that integrates craft beverage tourism and the heritage that underpins its creation. The findings can aid destination leaders to develop and sustain a destination’s image based on a craft beverage.