From Tasting to Traveling: How Wineries' Phygital Experience Drives Tourists' Wine Tourism Intention

ABSTRACT This study examines the mechanism through which Phygital, blending physical and digital elements in a winery context, significantly affects tourists' intentions to visit. While wineries seek to create value beyond oenological consumption, the strategic application of technologies like augmented reality remains theoretically underdeveloped. Drawing on the SOR framework, this study conceptualizes the Phygital experience as a stimulus comprising three key pathways: enhanced terroir and process visualization, interactive and personalized tasting experiences, immersive and enduring brand storytelling. Based on a quantitative approach analyzed with SEM, the findings confirm that these Phygital dimensions significantly enhance tourists' perceived value and memorable tourism experience. In turn, perceived value and memorable tourism experiences are shown to be strong mediators, positively influencing tourism intentions. This study offers a validated framework for wineries to leverage Phygital technology, transforming the visitor journey and providing critical insights for strategic digital investment in the evolving wine tourism landscape.