Wine destination brand equity in New- and Old-World wine countries: Exploring the moderating effect of wine involvement

This study investigates whether the relationships among dimensions of wine destination brand equity differ between New- and Old-World wine countries, and how wine involvement moderates these relationships. A cross-country, cross-cultural analysis compared Chinese wine tourists in a New-World wine country (Yantai, China) with Western wine tourists in an Old-World wine country (Crete, Greece). Using convenience sampling, 258 Chinese and 230 Western wine tourists were surveyed. Results show that brand awareness has a stronger impact on brand quality, and brand associations have a stronger impact on brand loyalty for Chinese wine tourists compared to Western tourists. The moderating role of wine involvement was observed only in the Chinese sample. As Chinese tourists’ wine involvement increases, the impact of brand quality on brand loyalty strengthens. Higher levels of involvement among Chinese tourists leads to a negative relationship between brand associations and brand loyalty, while lower involvement leads to a stronger positive relationship.