Wine tourism is emerging as an important component of rural diversification. From a wine industry perspective, wine tourism has a key role to play in terms of prompting sales through the promotion of wine and the education of consumers. From a community perspective, wine tourism can provide a range of job opportunities and can provide the impetus to improve local infrastructure and amenities.; The purpose of this study was to identify the destination attributes and experiences important to wine tourists and to suggest how rural communities can develop and position their tourism product according to what is deemed valuable. This case study investigation concentrated on visitors who stayed in small-scale accommodations in the Oliver area of British Columbia. Various research tools were used to meet the study objectives. Internet-based research, participant observation and key informant interviews were used to develop the case context. Visitor-employed photography was the primary means to elicit destination image. Photo logbooks and post-trip telephone interviews verified and enhanced the information provided by the photographs. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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