Destination marketers can learn something from the wine industry.
Have you ever been on a wine tour? Or talked to a sommelier in a good restaurant? What they do is tell you stories. The stories about individual wines. The winery. It’s history. It’s location. The grapes. The soil. The vintage. Pairings.
Without the story, you look at the types of wine you like and the price. But with the story you will happily buy a more expensive bottle because the story appeals to you. It makes each bottle of wine unique where most people, including experts, can’t tell the difference between wines in a taste test. It’s the stories that turn a commodity into a unique product you’re willing to pay for.
The wine industry has a word for it. Terroir.
