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An Industry Stakeholder SWOT Analysis of Wine Tourism in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

2001; Emerald Publishing Limited; Volume: 13; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1108/eb008728

1758-6747

Matthew M. Wilkins, C. Michael Hall,

Cooperative Studies and Economics

Until the last decade British Columbia was not well known as an area that produced premium wines. In 1994 Mission Hill Wineries, located in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, won the prestigious Avery Trophy for the best Chardonnay, beating out entrants from all the major wine growing regions in the world. Since that time many other accolades and awards have followed. These achievements reflect an increase in the quality of wine produced and level of viticultural expertise since the ‘rebirth’ (Aspler, 1999) of the British Columbia wine industry brought about by massive replanting programmes in response to the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which liberalised export markets and made the production and sale of wine significantly more competitive in both the United States and Canada (Hackett, 1998). To the growing awareness of domestic and international markets, the British Columbia wine industry has been able to reinvent itself as an international premium vinifera wine producer (Aspler, 1999).