Priority maps at wine tourism destinations: An empirical approach in five Spanish wine regions

•Wine tourism destination brand equity has been defined.•Strengths and weaknesses have been identified in each wine área.•Priority maps have been developed for the definition of strategies.•The formation of brand equity contributes to successful wine tourism.

This research analyzes wine tourism destination brand equity in five wine regions. A survey questionnaire was conducted with a sample of 598 visitors and the estimates of Partial Least Squares were used to develop priority maps with which to study the policies at the various wine destinations. This technique includes the impact of each component on brand equity formation and the evaluation of these dimensions. These priority maps were then used to address various questions such which determinants should have low priority and high priority. The findings show how the formation of brand equity contributes to successful wine tourism development by identifying the sector's main strengths and weaknesses, and provide useful information that can be used to create strategies based on the primary factors that influence the development of brand equity. The marketing implications for the wine destinations studied are discussed in relation particularly to destination branding and management practices.