Soyoung Ko’s research while affiliated with Toronto Metropolitan University and other places

Purpose While global wine consumption is growing, environmental sustainability in the wine industry is also receiving increased attention from retailers, governments, environmental groups, and consumers. New Zealand has experienced a winery boom over the past two decades with a 173 per cent increase in the number of wineries. Along with this growth, wineries are also facing issues such as water consumption, its impact on community, and waste management. The study therefore seeks to examine: the current sustainability initiatives undertaken by wineries; what drives the wine industry to engage in sustainable practices; and barriers to implementing sustainable practices. Design/methodology/approach Using a mixed method research approach, this study uses a triangulated approach to examine interviews and questionnaires to determine motivations and elements of influence. Findings This study found that the strong drivers for the sustainability initiatives are their concern about the state of the environment and social responsibility, followed by requirements for exporting and protection of agricultural land. Research limitations/implications A limitation of this study was a low response rate from the online questionnaire, which may influence or bias study results. However, detailed face‐to‐face interviews help to gain clarification on concepts and study results. Practical implications While global wine consumption is growing, environmental sustainability in the wine industry is also receiving increasing attention from retailers, governments, environmental groups and consumers. New Zealand has experienced a winery boom over the past two decades with a 173 per cent increase in the number of wineries. Along with this growth, wineries are also facing issues such as water consumption, its impact on community, and waste management. Originality/value Although there are many studies about the wine industry, relatively few studies have examined sustainability elements from a mixed‐method approach to determine practical elements which may influence practices undertaken. It also examines practices undertaken by wineries, barriers to implementation and incentives to further implementation.

Prince Edward County, located in Ontario, Canada, is both a rural destination and an island. The destination, known familiarly as PEC, is fast becoming the newest winery destination in Ontario and faces the challenge of developing a tourism industry that is financially, socially, and environmentally sustainable. Like many other islands or rural areas, Prince Edward County is isolated and vulnerable to pressures from development and other human activities and sustainable development in PEC requires strategic and careful tourism planning. To support the viable development of a tourist destination while improving the regional quality of life, tourism policies must be forward-looking and satisfy the needs of multiple stakeholders. This allows more efficient and acceptable policy implementation as the policies are inclusive and cohesive. This study assesses current stakeholder perceptions of current tourism development and future tourism planning in PEC. The findings revealed that although the majority of the stakeholders agree with the importance of tourism development, many feel there are issues not being addressed by the county and are unhappy with the current direction of tourism development.

Researchers used a mixed method research process to determine what influences and drives sustainability practices, and to monitor environmentally sustainable practices in the New Zealand wine industry. First, informal interviews were conducted with 15 wineries in seven of the 10 wine regions. Then quantitative online surveys (10% response rate) were distributed. The study took place from December 2010 to October 2011. Please visit our website: www.htmresearch.ca to see our latest research studies