**7. Discussion**

In recent decades, the rural world has been undergoing profound social and economic changes in many territories, joining a global and intensely interconnected world and demanding a better exploitation of its resources, among which wines are particularly important (Baird et al. 2018; Brunori and Rossi 2000). In this context, wine tourism and, more specifically, wine routes and itineraries, are a way that reflects the consumption patterns of tourists seeking leisure experiences that are close to and adapted to their lifestyles.

Sensitivity to environmental values, sustainability and the search for authenticity through cultural and landscape elements are an important asset for the economic development of rural wine-growing areas, as tourists are willing to pay to discover new experiences far from the overcrowding of traditional holiday destinations (Cristófol et al. 2020; Pulpón and Ruiz 2019). In fact, public and private actors in La Axarquia have undertaken sustainability policies both in coastal areas and in the rural territory.

In the case of Spain, ACEVIN plays a transcendental role in improving the wine tourism offer in places with a grea<sup>t</sup> wine tradition, promoting quality tourism. In recent times, numerous routes have been set up, such as the Ronda and Malaga route (including the territory of La Axarquia), which is just beginning its journey and represents a grea<sup>t</sup> business opportunity for each of its tours ( Vázquez Palmero et al. 2017; Ruiz-Romero de la Cruz et al. 2017).

Wine and wineries are the central axis that articulates the exploitation of this tourist segment. Therefore, these businesses should organize tastings and guided tours in which the singularities of Malaga's wines and their production methods are made known. However, a wine tour contains more elements, so special attention must be paid to accommodation, restaurants, complementary tourist activities, infrastructures (Alberdi Collantes 2018; Asero and Patti 2009; Festa et al. 2020), as well as to an adequate availability of information about the destination (websites, maps, brochures and tourist documentation) (Cassar et al. 2018).

#### **8. Conclusions and Implications**

The research has examined the resources and services available in the region of La Axarquía to create itineraries that represent an undoubted opportunity for economic diversification that can have a direct impact on the economy, fulfilling the objectives promoted by UNESCO to enhance the value of local heritage. Some of these wineries with a long tradition in the family business will play a fundamental role in the development of the wine tourism itineraries, satisfying a demand from wine tourists who are looking for a unique experience during their visit, as well as the opportunity to discover vineyards, wine landscapes, traditions and local festivities. Some of the wineries in La Axarquía have made an important updating effort, organizing visits to their vineyards, as well as wine and local gastronomy tastings, favoring the dissemination of Spanish wine culture.

The planning and organization of wine tourism and the collaboration between institutions and companies are necessary in order to correct the imbalances that are being generated by the massive offer of sun and beach in the coastal area, concentrated in certain coastal municipalities such as Rincón de la Victoria, Torre del Mar, Torrox Costa and Nerja. The diversion of the flow of visitors towards a quality and sustainable tourist activity must take into account the inherent limitations of the region in terms of environmental pressure, capacity and preservation of the natural environment, as well as a landscape that gives it a unique identity. At present, the flow of visitors makes short trips to the production areas, responding to a need to "discover" the values of the interior of the region and showing its capacity to concentrate its visits on weekends and short holiday periods.

The research findings highlight the importance of promoting quality wine production and its landscape as distinctive tourism resources, favoring the creation of a brand image and a transversal territorial discourse that local agents perceive as one of the most important factors of the necessary rural development in this environment.

Wine routes are perceived as an opportunity for sustainable economic development and as an opportunity for synergy between wine, natural landscape and cultural heritage. The strategy to be followed involves the appropriate managemen<sup>t</sup> of resources with the aim of rebalancing the tourist area of the region, a measure aimed at the specialization of tourist resources by means of their enhancement through the creation of facilities for their enjoyment, recognition and sustainable management.

One of the most critical aspects of this work is the need to involve the local community, so that they feel represented and participate in the whole process of setting up an enotourism route, something that worries most of the interviewees.

The region of La Axarquía meets all the conditions to become a successful wine destination, which is why the role of the institutions must be very active, allocating resources for training and support for emerging service companies, as well as promotion through the mechanisms available to the different bodies, providing both technical and economic resources to the companies involved.

The results of the study are specific to a particular region and therefore cannot be generalized, but the conclusions can be useful for the actors responsible for the development of an economic sector as important as tourism, as well as opening a path for research into the development of future wine routes.

The field study and, in particular, the interviews with the agents and winemakers have highlighted the interest in starting or continuing a new line of business, which goes beyond the interest in marketing a wine product. They are aware of the need to promote wine tourism in the area as a way of developing the rural territory and making their businesses profitable. Adaptations to the needs of regulated wine tourism are not homogeneous and are at different stages, depending on the interest and impulse of the owners. An awarenessraising effort on the part of the institutions that we believe would result in greater tourism benefits for the area and for their own businesses.

The case study has led to a proposal for the layout of two possible wine itineraries conceived with criteria of efficiency and sustainability, which can favor the progress of La Axarquía, achieving one of the main objectives of the development of the rural territory, as well as economic and socio-cultural effects. The wine route in La Axarquía is based on a unique and specific tourist product, for which we establish a series of suggestions:



In general, we believe that the link between wine businesses and those whose existence is based on raisins, as is the case in Malaga, should collaborate closely and could even participate jointly in the future design of tourist routes with both elements as essential resources to promote the tourist development of the rural territory in this area. It would be a unique specialization that would reinforce their identity in the marketing of new tourist products. In fact, the very structure of the Ronda and Malaga wine route is covered by the Regulatory Council of the Designation of Origin, which includes both wines and raisins. Future studies and actions on the territory should take into account the heritage elements and relate them to the sustainability of the territory as a way to generate wealth in the terroir.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, E.R.-R.d.l.C. and G.Z.-A.; methodology, E.C.-R. and G.Z.- A.; software, G.Z.-A.; validation, E.R.-R.d.l.C., E.C.-R. and G.Z.-A.; formal analysis, E.C.-R. and E.R.-R.d.l.C.; investigation, G.Z.-A. and E.C.-R.; resources, E.C.-R.; data curation, E.R.-R.d.l.C. and G.Z.-A.; writing—original draft preparation, E.R.-R.d.l.C. and G.Z.-A.; writing—review and editing, E.C.-R. and E.R.-R.d.l.C.; visualization, G.Z.-A. and E.R.-R.d.l.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Acknowledgments:** We would like to thank all respondents for their kind cooperation for our questionnaires and the members of SEJ-121 and the University of Malaga (UMA) for their support.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
