| Summary: | Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the different traits, characteristics, and
skills future professionals need to contemplate in order to address the demands of the
competitive wine industry, more specifically, concerning the provision of wine tourism
experiences. The insights within self-determination theory are considered to develop more
robust understanding of this central theme.
Design/methodology/approach – The views of 32 winery representatives in ownership and
management roles, operating in two emerging economies were gathered through unstructured, face-to-face interviews conducted on-site.
Findings – Participants’ comments revealed five key dimensions illustrated, notably, through
attitudinal aspects (passion, empathy), knowledge-based (constant learning), strategy-based
(problem-solver), previous work experience, and adaptation-based. This last aspect
highlighted coping with the dynamic nature of the industry, while assimilating tasks or
learning by doing. These findings have important implications, in particular, for the future
delivery of wine tourism experiences.
Originality/value – By empirically examining an important knowledge gap associated with
the traits and characteristics of future wine tourism professionals, the study provides original
and valuable practical insights. From a theoretical point of view, the study proposes a model
originating from the findings and its associations with the revisited theoretical underpinnings.
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