ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews how wine tourism has evolved across different French regions. It discusses the range and types of wine attractions which have been developed in France; the importance of wine routes; the establishment of wine events; and the structure of the market in terms of individual and packaged products. The development of tourist routes has become increasingly popular as a tourism promotional tool in France since the mid-1980s, with 270 being recorded across the country in 1997. A tourist route targeted at a specific and restricted topic, such as wine, and therefore some wine routes are combined with other attractions and products to form diversified tourist routes. Consumer interest in wine, particularly quality wine, has also been aroused by the so-called 'French paradox', whereby a variety of health benefits have been attributed to moderate wine consumption. Despite the significance of wine tourism little research has been conducted on wine tourist motivations and behaviour.
