Xu, ShuangyuBauman, Matthew JPonting, SandraSlevitch, Dr. LisaWebster, CraigKirillova, Ksenia2024-04-262024-04-26https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14394/49482<p>Shuangyu Xu, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. Her research is primarily focused on developing and promoting sustainable tourism (with an emphasis in agritourism, nature-based tourism) for communities using a combined GIS and stakeholder-engaged approach.</p> <p>Matthew J. Bauman, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the White Lodging School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University Northwest. His research predominantly investigates craft beverage tourism consumer behavior. A primary focus of his involves developing new measurement scales.</p> <p>Sandra Ponting, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at San Diego State University. Her research interests include emotional labor, industry professionalization, organizational identity change, and professional identity construction, all in the context of hospitality and tourism workforce development.</p> <p>Lisa Slevitch, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the Oklahoma State University. </p> <p>Craig Webster, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of hospitality innovation and leadership in the Department of Applied Business Studies at the Ball State University. </p> <p>Ksenia Kirillova, Ph.D is an Associate Professor of marketing at the Institute Paul Bocuse. Ksenia serves as an associate editor for Annals of Tourism Research and a research director for International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA). </p>The global rise in craft beer produced by small and independent brewers has precipitated the development of craft beer tourism. Two concepts, neolocalism and authenticity, have emerged as critical for understanding the craft beer experience. However, established research on these topics, particularly from the consumer perspective, are still quite limited. To fulfill this gap, this study conducted 46 semi-structured in-depth interviews and observations in breweries located in the Midwest and Great Plains regions to explore the meaning of authenticity and neolocalism to craft brewery visitors. Analysis resulted in nine major themes, including 1) beer itself, 2) beer production, 3) brewery accessibility, 4) brewery design, 5) vibes of brewery, 6) brewery services, 7) brewery place identity, 8) community engagement, and 9) local ownership. These findings enhance our conceptual understanding of neolocalism and authenticity from the craft beer visitors' perspective. Potential implications and an agenda for future research are discussed.event