Wineries can sell much product, win many awards, but those aren’t the main reasons why visitors keep on coming back, according to an Okanagan research project.

An Okanagan College professor (Dr. Blair Baldwin) says he’s learned what attracts people to the valley and spend their money here.

“You must devote enough resources to ensuring a seamless experience, such as having prominent directional signage, good traffic flow to your wine shop, enough tasting room servers, and ample parking or visitors won’t return or recommend to their friends”

“Wine tourists who visit the Okanagan for wine festivals stay longer, spend more and visit significantly more wineries while they’re in the valley,” says Baldwin, Okanagan College School of Business Professor and Okanagan Wine Festivals Society General Manager.

Research commissioned by the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society, the British Columbia Wine Institute and Okanagan College School of Business and completed last year.

About 900 people were interviewed at different wineries, which were done both during the festivals and at other times of the year when the festivals were not being held.

Now that the local wine industry is earning a higher global profile, other wine regions are thirsty to learn how the Okanagan achieved its current success.