No abstract

The craft beer movement and craft beer tourism are a new global phenomenon that has reached various parts of the world. However, the literature on craft beer tourism mostly focuses on traditional origins of craft beer in Western countries—the US, Australia, and European countries. This research note illustrates how a study of the Thai craft beer movement and craft beer tourism could contribute to the existing body of knowledge. The consumption of non-Western people in non-Western places has been underrepresented in the literature of food and beverage tourism. The craft beer movement has spread to Thailand via urban middle-class Thais who brought the passion for and knowledge of home brewing from the West to Thailand. Brewing lessons, brewery visits, and craft beer events/ festivals have functioned as community building activities for Thai craft beer enthusiasts as well as the main craft beer distribution channel. Craft beer consumption continues to grow despite the Thai alcoholic production law that prohibits home brewing. For future studies, different craft beer tourism activities in Thailand should be analyzed for 1) the adoption of the experience economy framework, 2) the formation of the consumption community, 3) the roles of various stakeholders who differentially contribute to and benefit from craft beer tourism activities, and 4) the role of foreign tourists in the development of craft beer tourism in Thailand.

With Thailand as a context, this study explores the applications of Pine and Gilmore’s experience economy framework in two forms of craft beer tourism, namely brewpubs and festivals. A three-pronged qualitative research design is used wherein data was collected through observations, interviews (n = 26), and netnography (n = 203). The findings revealed that both forms of craft beer tourism implement four dimensions of the experience economy in different measures. Esthetic and escapist dimensions benefit from natural, scenic settings and a man-made environment. In addition, they advance the framework by proposing the dimension of entrepreneurship, which orchestrates the entertainment and education elements that enhance tourists’ experiences. The application of the experience economy framework is a useful strategic approach for craft beer tourism which can be applied in niche or special interest tourism, while also providing a significant influence on destination marketing and sustainable development.