Crafting Local Sustainability: Strategies for Attracting Tourists to Breweries and Related Activities of Beer Tourism

Abstract

Beer tourism has become a crucial element of gastrotourism, presenting substantial opportunities for sustainable tourism development. This sector not only bolsters local economies by spending on local businesses but also promotes environmental sustainability by focusing on local brewing traditions and reducing the import of goods. The study aims to explain how different groups (based on gender, age, education, and place of residence) perceive, understand, and engage in beer tourism and thus help to adapt beer tourism offers to these groups' specific interests and improve the sustainability of related activities. The evaluation was carried out based on a questionnaire survey. Based on the variables, we tested through the Chi-square and Fisher-Freeman-Halton tests. Based on the contingency table, Monte Carlo simulation was used for the Fisher-Freeman-Halton test. The questionnaire survey results showed that most Slovak tourists prefer excursions to breweries rather than beer festivals (42.98% of men and 45.45% of women). Visitors get the most information about beer tourism activities through social networks. However, the number of respondents can be seen as a limiting factor of the research, which does not allow for generalizing the conclusions about beer tourism in Slovakia. In this case, it was a pre-test, and the questionnaire was subsequently modified and expanded to include other activities in the field of beer tourism. In the future, the data will be supplemented by personal interviews with brewery owners about their perception of beer tourism.