Profiling Tourist Segmentation of Heritage Destinations in Emerging Markets: The Case of Tequila Visitors

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the main profiles of tourist segments in the agave-tequila industry in Mexico. The blue agave landscape and the ancient tequila facilities are part of the UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage. Heritage sites may operate as a brand and generate tourism externalities. Investigations combining heritage and sustainable tourism are a promising research field, still underexplored, particularly in emerging destinations. This study contributes to the debate on heritage and sustainable tourism through the identification of different tourist profiles visiting the Tequila region. The study applies a market segmentation approach grounded in the concept of ‘involvement’. Involvement is a good predictor of tourist behavior. Therefore, our investigation identifies distinctive homogenous segments with different levels of tourist involvement. The data in the empirical study was collected through a questionnaire applied to a sample of 700 domestic and international visitors to the city of Tequila. The questionnaire was directly administered to collect data during a 6-month period in order to avoid seasonal issues. Cluster analysis was performed to identify three distinct segments on the basis of the degree of tourists’ ‘involvement’. Findings suggest that the agave landscape and knowledge about tequila are the most salient attributes for high- and low-involved visitors. As those factors are closely related to cultural heritage, the study provides guidance for policy makers and marketers protecting and/or promoting the agave-tequila industry. This research project is an initial attempt to segment agave-tequila tourists and creates a pathway for further investigations into this area.

1. Introduction

Over the last few decades tequila became one of the most popular and fastest growing alcoholic beverages in the world. A recent study from the International Wines and Spirits Record (IWSR) predicted a global tequila growth in volume of about +7% for the period 2021 to 2026, while the overall distilled spirits category will grow at a rate of +2% in the same period IWSR, 2022]. In the USA, the largest export market for tequila annual volume growth reached (+16.8%) [1]. The justification behind such success relies on the connection with Mexican culture and traditions, as well as being well-managed and focused on institutional industry organizations. The Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) developed and introduced best practices across the industry and shared it with other agri-food chains. The industry benefited from substantial investment flows from domestic firms but also international spirits firms, entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, etc. Undoubtedly, tequila became a success story for emerging markets in the beverage world accounting for more than two-thirds of exports shipped to the United States [2,3].

Since 2003, due to its connection with heritage, culture, the proximity of the surrounding distilleries, and the blue agave, the town of Tequila was recognized by the government as one of the few Mexican ‘Pueblos Magicos’ (i.e., a ‘magic towns’).

The agave landscape and the ancient distilleries of tequila were recognized as a World Heritage destination in 2006. The geographical extension includes several municipalities of tangible and intangible assets with distinctive features of agave landscape, distilleries, haciendas, and village towns. The agave culture is part of the Mexican identity and it concerns not only tequila but also mezcal and other alcoholic beverages (raicilla, etc.). Mezcal and raicilla are also beverages distilled from agave and both designations of origin. The territory for the production and distillation of Mezcal is located in the southern and central Mexican states (approximately 70 percent of the mezcal production is located in Oaxaca). In contrast with tequila, which can only be produced from a single variety of agave (Blue Weber), mezcal can be produced from 30 different species of agave. Cooperation between agave and mezcal tourism heritage has led to formal political and business partnerships between both destinations.

The main purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of tourists who visit a destination recognized as a World Heritage site. Therefore, the focus of this investigation concerns not only the beverage tequila but also the agave landscape and the physical and cultural environment related to the agave cultivation and distillation. Segmentation of tourists is assessed through the identification of significant attributes as segmentation variables.

The study of tourist involvement in the agave-tequila chain did not attract researchers until now. The contribution of this investigation is twofold. First, it provides an overview of push and pull motives in the alcohol beverage tourism literature in emerging markets. Very little is known about the motivations and the segmentation of the agave-tequila tourists in Mexico. This paper addresses the gap by investigating tourist involvement through primary data. Consequently, the investigation produces practical information on each individual segment that can be used to develop marketing strategies in the context of tourism.

The first part reviews the main conceptual approaches related to segmentation studies and the concept of ‘involvement’. Following the literature review, we introduce the data and methods, followed by the presentation of the results of the empirical study. The last part of this paper discusses our findings and conclusions.

2. Literature Review

2.1. The Distinctiveness of Tourism in Emerging Market Destinations

Emerging markets are transactional arenas facing institutional voids [4]. Such institutional voids lead to higher transaction costs and operating challenges. Therefore, such markets are not efficient and firms need to adapt their business models to fill such institutional voids [5]. The current literature on tourism in emerging markets is dominated by a narrative of the influence of Western tourists on the dynamics of the local tourism industry. The persistence of neglected domestic tourism continues to render the local tourism industries vulnerable [6]. Further, the lack of regulation causes many social and economic impacts in local communities [7]. In emerging markets, the influence of international political ties [8] and geopolitical risks influence tourism stocks [9].

World heritage sites in emerging markets expanded in recent years (see, for example, [10]. Beyond the agave landscape and the ancient facilities of the tequila distilleries, 35 other sites in Mexico have been recognized as World Heritage by UNESCO.

2.2. Segmentation Matters in Tourism Studies

In marketing studies, the purpose of market segmentation consists in identifying homogenous groups of individuals with similar characteristics. In this way, it is possible to generate tailor-made products and services adapted to target segments. Segmentation as a methodology to help define marketing strategies led to a large set of publications since the founding article of W. R. Smith (1956). Accordingly, segmentation was initially defined as “the process of differentiating a large market into some groups wherein, within groups, similar type of customer behavior can be predicted” [11]. Therefore, the use of selected resources on homogenous segments would lead to a more efficient allocation of resources [12]. Venter et al. (2015) [13] suggest that the origins of segmentation are in neoclassical economic pricing theory as the maximization of price levels discriminates between segments.

The marketing literature introduced different approaches related to the choice of the attributes used for the purposes of segmentation as well as a wide range of statistical techniques [14]. The combination of both issues—attributes and statistical techniques—produced several outcomes for the segmentation. Segmentation variables are the key constructs allowing for comparisons through the measurement of similarities and differences of the tourists towards those attributes.

In tourism literature there is a consensus suggesting that segmentation lowers the costs and increases the effective penetration of appropriate marketing strategies [15,16,17,18]. However, despite being often used, segmentation was criticized particularly with matters of the stability of the set of individuals’ preferences [19,20].

Studies in segmentation agree that there is no stereotypical tourist and the heterogeneity of tourist needs is reflected in a combination of factors and academic disciplines. Segmentation creates a better understanding of both the needs and characteristics of tourists. Kotler (1997) [21], Kotler and Dubos (1986) [22], and Chisnall (1985) [23] point out that segments should be discrete and measurable. Through segmentation, organizations are better able to understand and target a number of smaller homogenous groups [24]. Selecting suitable target markets allows for more strategic business planning and assists in effective allocation of limited resources [24,25,26].

Market segmentation is a cornerstone of an effective marketing strategy. It is widely used to reveal tourists’ various needs, desires, attitudes, or behaviors to purchase a particular product or service. For example, has a distinct segment of tourists who travel primarily for agave-tequila been convincingly identified? Are the segments homogeneous? Therefore, it is reasonable to ask if all agave-tequila tourists seek the same experiences.

Market segmentation is a process that identifies or constructs similarities and differences among tourists with respect to a predefined criterion [27].

In our study, the purpose of segmentation is to identify homogenous groups of agave-tequila tourists. As interest in food and beverage tourism accelerated in the last few years, many publications mapped the field of food and beverage tourism (see for example, [28,29]).

In tourism studies, market segmentation has been developed as a tool of marketing analysis. It can be applied to any organization (tour operators, travel agencies, brokers, etc.) or destination. There have been many contributions on the segmentation of tourism demand. Some of the pioneering studies include Cohen (1972) [30], Plog (1974) [31], Woodside and Pitts (1976) [32], Pearce (1982) [33], and Dalen (1989) [34].

2.3. Methodological Approaches

A wide variety of methodological approaches can be developed to identify market segments. Typically, primary research is used to collect information on a limited number of attributes relevant for the intended purposes. The use of economic and socio-demographic attributes (age, residence, marital status, gender, etc.) [35,36] has often been criticized because they are commonly judged as insufficient to predict tourist behavior. Most studies on segmentation in tourism use economic (income, etc.), socio-demographic, geographic, and behavioral (for example, repeat tourists vs. first-time visitors) or psychographic (interests, opinions, lifestyles, etc.) approaches (for example, tourists interested in meeting the autochthonous population versus tourists attending a tequila festival) [37,38]. Palmer and Miller (2004) explain that in emerging markets intuition is often applied as a method for segmentation.

According to the types of segmentation, the literature identifies a priori and a posteriori segmentations. The first type relies on common-sense and the second type is grounded on datasets (see [39,40,41,42,43]). For example, Dolnicar and Leisch (2015) [40] applied two types of segmentation: destination management (a priori, based on geography) and behavioral (a posteriori, based on a review of the literature). Dolnicar (2004) [39] argues that a priori segmentation is widely used and therefore it does not bring any competitive advantage.

The motivations of the individuals to visit a destination are influenced by ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors [44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51]. Tourists visiting the region of agave-tequila are motivated by internal factors (‘pull’) such as tastings and tequila purchases but also external factors (‘push’) such as trips, socialization, relaxation, and culture. Therefore, the tourists visiting the region of agave-tequila seek experiences related to various life domains (holidays, cultural life, relaxation, …) [52]; trips are not only directly connected with the beverage. The overall landscape and its features influence individuals to visit the region where the agave is planted and the tequila is produced [53,54,55].

2.4. The Concept of ‘Involvement’ as a Basis for Segmentation and a Significant Predictor of Tourist Behavior

In segmentation studies, the concept of ‘involvement’ was progressively diffused in the literature particularly in social psychology [56] and marketing [57,58]. The definition proposed by Zaichowsky (1985) has been largely used in the marketing literature: the implication corresponds to a “a person’s perceived relevance of the object based on inherent needs, values, and interests”. Likewise, involvement designates “a mix of cognitive and behavioral processes that define the purchasing intention” [57]. This definition recognizes tourists’ response involvement which can be modeled as a function of enduring involvement or a need derived from tourists’ values.

In line with previous studies, the degree of involvement and the affinity towards a product or service are good predictors of the behavior towards agave-tequila [58,59].

The degree of tourists’ involvement generates externalities: a better acceptance of the product or destination, aversion to the perceived risk during purchases, and search for novelty. Therefore, involvement is a significant predictor of tourist behavior [60].

The conceptualization and the operationalization of the involvement concept raise some challenges [61,62,63,64], the choice of items, the measurement scales, and content/construct validity.

As an example, the individuals highly involved would use the activities connected with tourism to train themselves, to improve their knowledge, and for self-satisfaction [49,52,65,66,67]. The metrics revealing such behavior are the importance perceived of the activities related to tequila (distillation, visits to distilleries) and the consumption frequency (Cohen et al., 2014) [68].

Following the above considerations, it is legitimate to ask to what extent the degree of involvement is adapted to the study of the tequila segments in the agave-tequila region.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Questionnaire and Sampling Procedure

The questionnaire includes a sample of 700 individuals. The sample size is comparable to other segmentation studies in tourism studies (see, for example, [69,70]).

This study is based on the application of a questionnaire to a sample of visitors to the city of Tequila (Jalisco, Mexico). Participants include Mexican and international visitors to the town of Tequila.

Data was collected through a qualitative survey. For the purposes of our investigation, we designed a questionnaire.

A three-page research questionnaire was designed to suit the research aims of the study. The questionnaire was divided into two well-delineated sections. The first one was devoted to identifying the tourist profile (age, gender, studies, residence, number of travelling hours, income, and professional occupation). The second part of the questionnaire focused on the preferences and interests in different elements of tequila [71], the perceived benefits [67,72,73,74,75,76] of visiting tequila distilleries, the importance of the tequila distilleries and the regional attributes, the conditions of the tequila region, and future intentions concerning visits to the tequila region. In this section of the questionnaire the statements were associated with a seven-point Likert scale (from 1 = strongly disagree, to 7 = strongly agree).

This study applies the concept of ‘involvement’ [64] to identify different tourist segments. Tourist involvement in a particular product category can provide rich insights for marketing strategies [15,16,65,77,78]. Following Frochot and Morrison (2000) [73], we assessed tourist involvement through a list of 14 items measured on a 7-point Likert-scale.

This list of 14 items was based on the perspective that they best represent product involvement with agave and tequila. The list of items included in the survey is summarized hereafter: (1) I have a favorite tequila brand; (2) I compare the characteristics of the different tequila brands; (3) I consider there are major differences among tequila brands; (4) To me, drinking tequila is a pleasant experience; (5) Tequila is a pleasant beverage for socialization; (6) The choice of which tequila to buy is an important decision; (7) I have an interest in the alcohol beverage world; (8) I consider tequila to be a central part of my lifestyle; (9) It is pleasant to have a conversation about tequila; (10) Tequila tourism has been one of my primary goals over the last years; (11) I am highly interested in tequila; (12) Tequila tourism has been one of my secondary goals over the last few years; (13) I would like to know more about tequila; (14) I would like to know more about the agave landscape.

Respondents then rated their level of agreement or disagreement with each statement.

3.2. Data Collection and Administration

Prior to the administration of the questionnaire, we obtained the approval from the local authorities in the town of Tequila. We initially elaborated on a preliminary questionnaire. Following several adjustments, a pre-test was organized. The initial sample included tourists of similar characteristics to the final sample. After this process, a definitive format was approved for implementation. The questionnaire used in this research was grounded in previous literature [42,79,80]. The final version of the questionnaire was written in Spanish.

During our field investigation, we collected data from 700 visitors in the Tequila village during the months of June to December 2017. Data was collected mainly during weekends. The questionnaire was administrated face-to-face by four trained people and submitted to Mexican (domestic) and foreign tourists.

4. Results

4.1. Descriptive Results

There are numerous methods of tourist segmentation. The main methods oppose ‘common-sense’ to ‘data-driven’ segmentation [39]. Data-driven methods produce more effective results than common-sense methods and in the last few years are becoming dominant in management tourism.

Table 1. Descriptive statistics on the variables (mean, standard deviation) (Likert scales: 1 to 7).

Variable(s)	Obs	Mean	Std. Dev.	Min	Max
I am highly interested in tequila	700	4.69	1.86	1	7
It is pleasant to have a conversation about tequila	700	4.78	1.80	1	7
I would like to know more about tequila	700	5.34	1.73	1	7
I would like to know more about the agave landscape	700	5.43	1.76	1	7
The choice of which tequila I buy is an important decision	700	4.93	2.10	1	7
I consider tequila to be a central part of my lifestyle	700	3.53	2.14	1	7
To me, drinking tequila is a pleasant experience	700	4.35	2.11	1	7
Socialization	700	4.52	2.03	1	7
I compare the characteristics of the different tequila brands	700	4.46	2.15	1	7
I consider there are major differences among the tequila brands	700	4.94	2.08	1	7
I have a favorite tequila brand	700	4.37	2.34	1	7
I have an interest in the alcoholic beverage world	700	4.11	2.24	1	7
Tequila tourism has been one of my primary goals over the last few years	700	3.94	2.12	1	7
Tequila tourism has been one of my secondary goals over the last few years	700	3.6	2.06	1	7

provides summary statistics of all the variables defined above, based on our sample.

According to this method of segmentation, results suggest there are two main segments (high and low involvement) of tourist involvement in tequila (see Table 1 and

Table 2. Descriptive data on tequila tourists’ involvement.

Characteristics	Low Involvement	High Involvement
Income (monthly)	Medium (MXN 12,001 to 16,800): 21% Low-medium (MXN 7201 to 12,000): 19% Low (less than MXN 7200): 17%	Medium: 16% Low-medium: 18% Low: 16%
Education	Licenciatura: 42% vs. High school: 21%	Licenciatura: 39% vs. High school: 21%
Age	18–29 years old: 44.8% 30–39 years old: 20.7%	18–29 years old: 53.3% 30–39 years old: 21.4%
Gender	Men: 37% vs. Women: 63%	Men: 50% vs. Women: 50%
Civil status	Married: 29% vs. Single: 68%	Married: 25% vs. Single: 70%
Travel partners	Family: 52% Friends: 20.7%	Family: 46% Friends: 35%
Foreign visitors	5.5%	7.3%
Job or occupation	Student: 42% Private company: 20.7%	Student: 40% Private company: 28%
Residence	Other Mexican states: 59.3% Zone Metropolitan Guadalajara: 19%	Other Mexican states: 45.9% Zone Metropolitan Guadalajara: 27.7%. Other municipality in Jalisco: 11.1%

Note: only the most significant information (percentages) is reported in the table.

). The first segment includes highly involved tourists who like to discuss tequila, that use tequila for socialization, and like to improve their knowledge about the product and, on the other hand, are interested in the uniqueness of tequila brands. This first segment has a low level of involvement with the agave landscape. A second segment of tourists are highly involved: this group likes to discuss and know more about tequila and the agave landscape. At the opposite end, those tourists show less interest in a preferred tequila brand. A third segment of tourists who have been highly involved in tequila tourism in recent years do not compare tequila brands and do not find significant differences between tequila brands.

Table 2 introduces the main socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents in the sample classified according to their degree of involvement (i.e., ‘low-involved’ vs. ‘high-involved’ individuals). Differences between tourists’ involvement seem to rely on differences between local residents and residents in other Mexican states. Local/regional residents show significantly higher involvement levels.

Furthermore, differences exist between local/regional respondents and respondents from other locations related to the perceived regional attributes. Local/regional respondents (higher involvement) have a greater interest in the history of tequila distilleries (highest ranked attribute), trained workers, and the services provided as well the diversity of tequilas.

Lower-involved respondents equally recognize the quality of trained workers (highest ranked attribute), the history of tequila distilleries, the good quality of services provided, and also price competitiveness (see Table 2).

4.2. Main Results of K-Means Clustering

Table 3. Descriptive data on tourists’ involvement.

Involvement Level/Clusters	LOW	HIGH	Differences (Ranked)
I have a favorite tequila brand	1.55	5.01	3.46
I compare the characteristics of the different tequila brands	1.70	4.90	3.20
I consider there are major differences among the tequila brands	2.33	5.45	3.12
To me, drinking tequila is a pleasant experience	1.96	5.03	3.08
Tequila is a pleasant beverage for socialization	2.21	5.17	2.96
The choice of which tequila I buy is an important decision	2.50	5.33	2.83
I have an interest in the alcoholic beverage world	1.87	4.56	2.69
I consider tequila to be a central part of my lifestyle	1.51	4.00	2.49
It is pleasant to have a conversation about tequila	2.98	5.35	2.37
Tequila tourism has been one of my primary goals over the last few years	2.12	4.41	2.30
I am highly interested in tequila	3.08	5.11	2.04
Tequila tourism has been one my secondary goals over the last few years	1.92	3.96	2.03
I would like to know more about tequila	3.79	5.73	1.94
I would like to know more about the agave landscape	4.12	5.70	1.58

presents the results of the characteristics of the individuals according to the degree of involvement.

The k-means identified two main profiles: low- and high-involved tourists.

Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the final involvement scale reached a value of 0.92, which indicates a meritorious internal consistency among the elements of the scale. In addition, we also verified the sampling adequacy (KMO = 0.9245).

K-means clustering was used in order to separate the classification of the tourists according to their degree of involvement (see

Table 4. Cluster characterization regarding involvement (k-means).

Involvement Clusters vs. Variables	Cluster 1		Cluster 2		Cluster 3		Total
	Mean	N	Mean	N	Mean	N	Mean	N
I am highly interested in tequila	3.10	181	4.56	254	5.91	265	4.69	700
It is pleasant to have a conversation about tequila	3.06	181	4.72	254	6.01	265	4.78	700
I would like to know more about tequila	3.81	181	5.37	254	6.38	265	5.35	700
I would like to know more about the agave landscape	4.24	181	5.55	254	6.14	265	5.44	700
The choice of which tequila I buy is an important decision	2.64	181	5.17	254	6.29	265	4.94	700
I consider tequila to be a central part of my lifestyle	1.64	181	2.92	254	5.42	265	3.53	700
Pleasant experience	2.08	181	4.18	254	6.08	265	4.36	700
Socialization	2.39	181	4.43	254	6.08	265	4.53	700
I compare the characteristics of the different tequila brands	1.97	181	4.61	254	6.04	265	4.47	700
I consider there are major differences among the tequila brands	2.51	181	5.35	254	6.20	265	4.94	700
I have a favorite tequila brand	1.92	181	4.45	254	5.97	265	4.37	700
I have an interest in the alcoholic beverage world	2.08	181	3.67	254	5.93	265	4.11	700
Tequila tourism has been one of my primary goals over the last few years	2.34	181	3.40	254	5.56	265	3.94	700
Tequila tourism has been one of my secondary goals over the last few years	2.15	181	3.29	254	4.89	265	3.60	700

). The cluster analysis was achieved by using the agglomerative Ward’s method with Euclidean distance. After establishing the number of clusters, the k-means cluster method was used.

Spearman’s Correlation Analysis

The correlation analysis was used to analyze and establish the correlation between the different involvement variables (see

Table 5. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients.

Variables	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)	(11)	(12)	(13)	(14)
(1) Highly interested	1.000
(2) Talk about tequila	0.675	1.000
(3) To know more	0.596	0.713	1.000
(4) Agave landscape	0.395	0.502	0.638	1.000
(5) To buy tequila	0.407	0.488	0.480	0.469	1.000
(6) Lifestyle	0.480	0.488	0.434	0.259	0.441	1.000
(7) Pleasant experience	0.512	0.521	0.443	0.298	0.541	0.610	1.000
(8) Socialization	0.486	0.474	0.404	0.318	0.507	0.572	0.706	1.000
(9) Comparing brands	0.436	0.492	0.403	0.321	0.577	0.539	0.589	0.598	1.000
(10) Differences	0.372	0.479	0.390	0.337	0.553	0.428	0.520	0.499	0.686	1.000
(11) Preferred brand	0.327	0.392	0.363	0.236	0.506	0.459	0.509	0.479	0.591	0.599	1.000
(12) Alcoholic beverages	0.455	0.394	0.373	0.253	0.410	0.518	0.544	0.552	0.478	0.389	0.483	1.000
(13) Primary goal	0.371	0.405	0.420	0.326	0.404	0.489	0.392	0.436	0.387	0.324	0.407	0.523	1.000
(14) Secondary goal	0.366	0.347	0.346	0.240	0.347	0.415	0.362	0.348	0.350	0.324	0.309	0.431	0.588	1.000

Spearman rho = 0.588 (n = 700; alpha: 0.05, p-value: 0.00 for all variables).

).

Spearman’s correlation coefficients indicated a positive association between all the variables included in the analysis, namely, people finding it pleasant to talk about tequila and knowledge acquisition (r = 0.713), tequila is a pleasant drink for socialization and providing a pleasant experience (0.706), tourists highly interested in tequila and wishing to know more about tequila (r = 0.675), People wishing to know more about tequila and wishing to know more about the agave landscape (r = 0.638), tourists for whom drinking tequila is a pleasant experience and considering tequila as a central part of their own lifestyle (r = 0.610), tourists considering there are major differences between the brands and comparing usually tequila brands (r = 0.686). All the variables are significant related (alpha: 0.05).

5. Discussion

The present investigation addressed a relevant (and new) and important matter concerning tourists’ involvement in an emerging market destination. Segmentation of the tequila region contributed to identify the salience of the key variables that differentiate the degree of involvement.

A clear distinction between high- and low-involved tourists was demonstrated (Table 2 and Table 3). The distinction between low- and high-involved tourists is necessary. Higher involved tequila tourists have a more congruent relationship with the tequila beverage whilst lower involved tequila tourists are more interested in the external attributes of the agave-tequila region (landscape, knowledge related to the process or the history, etc.). Significant lower differences in attributes for both degrees of involvement concern the interest on the agave landscape (see Table 3). From the tequila tourism perspective, such a finding suggests that marketing the destination through the enhancement of the attributes of the tequila region could be a lever to attract both high- and low-involved tourists. Another possible interpretation may consist in the fact that the promotion of destinations in emerging markets through regional resources [54] may contribute to the attractiveness of such destinations.

Clusters 2 and 3 are better represented in the sample than Cluster 1. The average scores point out the most (and least) important features related to tequila production, consumption, and learning features.

Cluster 1 includes 181 individuals (n= 181) and includes individuals highly interested in knowing more about the agave landscape (mean = 4.24) and wish to know more about tequila. The agave landscape being part of UNESCO’s World Heritage is an important point to attract tourists. Individuals that are members of this group are also highly interested in tequila and like to discuss tequila. Interestingly, respondents in this cluster have lower average scores for ‘lifestyle’ when comparing different tequila brands and favorite tequila brands. For this particular group, the marketing of tequila brands if of limited interest.

Tourists in Cluster 1 feel more connected with ‘push’ factors related to knowledge about the agave landscape. Therefore, in line with previous studies on beverage tourism, we can say that the ‘tequila escape’ creates ‘salinity’.

Cluster 2 includes 254 individuals (n = 254) and includes individuals with a strong interest in the agave landscape (mean = 5.55), which sees strong differences among the tequila brands (mean = 5.35). Such individuals consider buying tequila to be an important decision and therefore they would like to improve their knowledge to inform such decisions. Such findings are in line with the marketing literature: involvement generates externalities, and a better acceptation of the product.

Cluster 3 includes 265 individuals (n = 265) and includes individuals that want to know more about tequila (mean = 6.38) and the agave landscape (mean = 6.14). For this group, choosing which tequila to buy is an important decision (mean = 6.29) and individuals enjoy conversations about the tequila industry (mean = 6.01). Individuals in the group also find it important to know more about the agave landscape (mean = 6.14). This cluster has by far the highest scores which denote a high involvement degree around the tequila beverage and the agave landscape.

Generally speaking, the above findings suggest the ‘tourism’ dimension achieved the highest dimension mean values (knowledge, socialization, and realization). Highly involved individuals are motivated by external factors (‘push motivational factors’).

From a tourist perspective, knowledge about the product (tequila) and the agave landscape showed the highest differences in preferences among tourists (mean deviation). Such findings suggest that the highly involved tourists could also make a contribution to environmental, economic, or social development in heritage regions in emerging markets (see, for example, [81,82]).

Tourism in World Heritage Destinations: Overcoming the Double Edge Sword

The study of tourism in World Heritage destinations is a promising field of investigation [83,84], particularly in emerging and developing countries. Tourism in World Heritage Sites benefit from large international exposure and may operate as a brand, thus generating positive impacts on tourism demand. World Heritage destinations can be used as a promotional tool (see, for example, [83,85]). However, the literature shows no consensus about the tourism-enhancing effects of World Heritage destinations as those effects vary across regions [84,85,86].

In the case of the agave fields and the old distilleries, two main issues arise. On the one hand, the extension of the blue agave surfaces inside the protected designation of origin may lead to conflicts related to the planning of territory uses and the consideration of the diversity of geographies and environmental landscapes. On the other hand, the public instruments made available for protection and participation through federal government programs, as well as the inclusion of the tequila route, prevented the emerging of new opportunities for economic development among the local communities. In this perspective, public-private partnerships should develop in order to overcome such barriers and generate new positive externalities [87].

Our findings suggest the agave landscape and knowledge about tequila are the most salient attributes for both high- and low-involved visitors. As those factors are closely related to intangible cultural heritage, our study provides guidance for policy-makers and marketers targeting the protection and/or promotion of the agave-tequila industry.

Findings of our empirical study suggest that in order to be an attractive destination, heritage history, well trained workers, services to customers, and the diversity of tequila brands are very important factors for high-involved visitors. Socialization and tequila experiences are also highly relevant factors for visitors.

Public-private partnerships could take advantage of the most salient attributes for visitors and combine them with the priorities for local communities/stakeholders to manage in-bound tourism flows and enhance the positive externalities generated by this World Heritage Site.

6. Conclusions

The agave-tequila tourism market has been growing and is forecast to continue to grow at a steady speed. Development and competition in the industry requires a better understanding of tourists’ behavior to visit the agave-tequila region.

The present work contributes to the development of marketing management in alcoholic beverages in emerging markets and the relationship between World Heritage and tourism development. It applies a segmentation approach. Segmentation contributes to the identification of new products/services and the repositioning of existing products and services.

This article provided a perspective on marketing to investigate the various segments/clusters of tequila tourists in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. Firstly, one of the most significant findings in our empirical study was the extraction of structural elements related to the visits. Secondary findings in this study also revealed the patterns of ageing, income, and traveling in respondent’s motivations to visit the agave landscape and tequila facilities.

Some marketing implications can be drawn according to cultural heritage destinations and the product model of agave-tequila tourism. First of all, it is clearly implied that agave-tequila tourism cannot survive against the competition without taking into consideration tourists’ involvement decisions.

Findings in this study provided support for the hypothesis that the variation in agave-tequila tourists’ involvement may occur in a particular pattern due to their increasing age and differences in income.

We also contribute to the tourism literature by providing a better understanding of tourist behavior in heritage tourism in emerging markets. Emerging markets destinations have specific resources and challenges [7] and therefore thoughtful researched approaches are needed. Another less investigated stream of research is related to tourism destinations in Latin America [6].

This empirical investigation has some limitations. First, the ad-hoc nature of the segmentation developed in this study. This is a common characteristic of most research in the last few decades on the market segmentation of food and wine tourism.

Secondly, ‘involvement’ is a complex construct. Efforts at further research may be made to more reliably and validly measure constructs of tourists’ motivations to visit the agave-tequila region. Third, the use of Likert scales may posit some concerns regarding the data nature and the information loss of distortion. Other methodologies such as the fuzzy set theory contribute to circumvent some of the Likert scales’ drawbacks [88,89]. Third, the characterization and stability of clusters may vary across time.

Another limitation on the methods concern questionnaires administrated face-to-face, which may entail some bias compared to other methods of questionnaire administration (see, for example, [90,91]). Included among the points highlighted is social desirability bias due to the presence of the interviewers.

Further, the fieldwork faced some limitations as our questionnaire was administered in Spanish, thus a limited number of tourists could not be interviewed (mainly Asian tourists). Future research should address this particular difficulty in order to improve the representativeness of foreign tourists in the sample as well as cross-cultural differences in the local tourism environment.

Research on tourism heritage and tourism in emerging markets is in its infancy. Future research should also examine the potential impacts of the homogenous groups of tourists identified in the destinations they visit. For example, studies can consider the association between the degree of involvement and the principals of sustainable tourism [92].

This work has the advantage of using a relative significant scale survey over an extended period of time. However, it has the limitation of being conducted only during one single year. Further, the town of Tequila is one of the main destinations for visits but other strategic locations (distilleries, agave fields, etc.) for visits are available.

This research also has some practical and managerial implications. The segments delineated allow a better understanding of the profile of tourists visiting the agave-tequila region according to their level of involvement. An important practical contribution of the current investigation found that not all tourists have the same degree of involvement. This finding has important implications for heritage destinations as both low- and high-involved tourists share a similar interest to the physical environment, in particular the traditional agave landscape.

Our findings can help local governments and companies associated with the agave-tequila chain adapt the marketing strategies for the destination. The differentiation of high- and low-involved segments also contributes to the identification of the most salient factors that could guide public-private partnerships to protect and promote the World Heritage destination.

While the different organizations and institutions of the agave-tequila industry are promoting their own products it is recommended that the agave-tequila industry should consider working cooperatively to communicate with the general public about the benefits of visiting the agave-tequila region and to differentiate messages according to the target markets.