Food and wine tourism is now a fast-growing field that requires new professional profiles able to combine hospitality, marketing, experience design and territorial enhancement skills. With the first White Paper on “Food & Wine Tourism Professions”, we aim to provide a clear and integrated view of the responsibilities and competencies required by these emerging professional roles, supporting the sector’s growth and qualification. These roles range from professionals working inside agricultural and wine businesses that host visitors, such as the hospitality manager and the company visit coordinator, to those who design and manage the wider experience, such as the product manager and the food & wine tourism consultant.
Here are the most common profiles:
The Hospitality Manager is an in-house professional within agri-food and wine businesses who coordinates and manages the tourism offer. This role plans and organises tourism services and ensures that what is offered meets appropriate quality standards and responds to visitors’ expectations.
It also supports process digitalisation, promotes sustainable models and coordinates the staff dedicated to hospitality.
Analyses visitor needs and the tourism context, including the market, local offer and competitors. Defines the overall offer and the individual visit proposals, such as itineraries, tastings and experiences, setting quality standards and costs. Identifies communication, promotion and sales actions for customers and intermediaries, including OTAs. Extends reception activity by providing information about local attractions and experiences. Builds co-marketing collaborations with public and private local stakeholders. Participates in trade fairs and sector events and also manages media relations.
Supervises and coordinates staff dedicated to visitor hospitality. Defines service standards and operating procedures. Identifies staff training needs and organises update sessions. Manages the administrative and financial aspects connected with tourism services.
Collects and analyses performance data, identifying critical issues and areas for improvement. Manages CRM tools and loyalty activities. Handles post-visit follow-up with customers.
Coordinates and develops direct sales activities for agri-food and wine products, with particular attention to tourist visitors. Organises the front office dedicated to sales during on-site experiences, in alignment with the commercial manager.
Knowledge of the tourism market and of supply-and-demand dynamics. Ability to build tourism development strategies and evaluate customer satisfaction. Knowledge of at least two foreign languages.
Skills in market analysis, strategic planning and offer positioning. Ability to develop marketing and communication plans and evaluate business performance. Budget management, project management and business planning tools.
Use of CRM tools, channel managers, OTA platforms and artificial-intelligence tools for data analysis. Skills in social media marketing and digital content creation. Knowledge of the main applications used to manage and promote tourism services.
Knowledge of tasting techniques and sensory evaluation. Knowledge of raw materials, production techniques and food-and-wine pairings.
Ability to design sustainable tourism experiences, enhancing the company’s green practices.
Staff training techniques. Human resources management and knowledge of the regulatory context and the local tourism offer.
Knowledge of the tourism market and of supply-and-demand dynamics. Ability to build tourism development strategies and evaluate customer satisfaction. Knowledge of at least two foreign languages.
Skills in market analysis, strategic planning and offer positioning. Ability to develop marketing and communication plans and evaluate business performance. Budget management, project management and business planning tools.
Use of CRM tools, channel managers, OTA platforms and artificial-intelligence tools for data analysis. Skills in social media marketing and digital content creation. Knowledge of the main applications used to manage and promote tourism services.
Knowledge of tasting techniques and sensory evaluation. Knowledge of raw materials, production techniques and food-and-wine pairings.
Ability to design sustainable tourism experiences, enhancing the company’s green practices.
Staff training techniques. Human resources management and knowledge of the regulatory context and the local tourism offer.
The food & wine tourism consultant has previous experience in the sector and works either as an independent professional or within production consortia and tourism organisations. This role supports companies in the design, promotion and sale of their tourism offer. It optimises lead management and tourism service sales processes, from revenue management to CRM, from channel managers to the implementation of artificial intelligence. It helps businesses position themselves effectively on the market and select personnel dedicated to tourism services.
Analyses visitor needs and the tourism context, including the market, local offer and competitors. Supports the business in defining tourism products, services and experiences aligned with target audiences and business goals. Facilitates the innovation and evolution of the tourism offer.
Market analysis and offer positioning. Evaluation of business performance. Project management. Measurement and evaluation of customer satisfaction. Development of marketing plans.
Knowledge of the tourism market and its dynamics, including demand, supply and intermediation. Collection and analysis of tourism data. Knowledge of at least two foreign languages.
The company visit coordinator is an operational profile working under the coordination of the hospitality manager. This role welcomes and accompanies
visitors during the experience, clearly explains the characteristics of the business and the local area, actively engages guests, listens to their needs and ensures a positive, high-quality visit. It also manages and nurtures the relationship with visitors during and after the visit, including through digital tools.
Manages bookings and visitor requests. Supports the development of the tourism offer. Supports communication and promotion of tourism activities.
Handles visitor reception. Accompanies guests during tourism experiences. Leads tasting activities. Introduces visitors to the culture and lifestyle of the area, providing information about attractions and experiences beyond the company itself. Concludes the visit and measures customer satisfaction. Manages visitor requests and unexpected situations. Enters customers into the company CRM and sends follow-up messages and personalised offers.
Supports the development of direct sales activities for agri-food and wine products, with particular attention to tourist visitors. Manages the front office for direct sales during on-site experiences.
Booking management. Measurement and evaluation of customer satisfaction. Knowledge of local culture and of the territorial tourism offer. Knowledge of at least two foreign languages.
Sales and up-selling techniques. Storytelling techniques for engaging narratives. Use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. Knowledge and use of artificial-intelligence tools. Digital communication techniques.
Knowledge of raw materials, processes and production techniques. Tasting techniques. Sensory evaluation techniques. Pairing techniques for food, wine, olive oil and related products.
Trust, honesty, expertise and confidence in relations with others. Empathy in the relationship with visitors. Ability to build and maintain positive customer relationships. Clear and effective communication, both written and oral. Active listening and understanding of visitor needs. Professional fairness and transparency. Customer-oriented hospitality. Awareness of paraverbal communication. Negotiation skills.
Autonomous planning and management of activities and working time. Problem solving and the ability to handle complex situations. Teamwork and collaboration.
The product manager for food & wine tourism is responsible for defining, managing and promoting integrated territorial food-and-wine tourism products. This role analyses territorial and market dynamics, facilitates collaboration among operators and supports their work. It encourages the transition towards sustainable tourism models and digitalisation across the sector. The role works with Wine, Oil and Taste Routes, producer consortia, DMOs and food districts, enhancing partnerships and funding opportunities.
Analyses current and potential tourism demand in relation to the characteristics of the territory, with a focus on food and wine. Analyses and understands the tourism context, including macro-environment, local offer and competitors.
Defines integrated tourism products consistent with the strategy that has been developed. Provides mentoring and coaching to public and private stakeholders to improve and innovate the tourism offer. Develops system-wide promotion and commercialisation actions in relation to target markets. Defines and consolidates relationships with tourism intermediaries.
Knowledge of the tourism market and its dynamics, including demand, supply and intermediation. Collection and analysis of tourism-sector data. Definition of tourism development strategies at destination level. Principles and methods for building, promoting and selling tourism products. Organisation and management of relations with tourism intermediaries. Knowledge of tourism regulations. Measurement and evaluation of traveller satisfaction. Organisation of promotional events. Knowledge of at least two foreign languages. Participatory design skills.
Knowledge of ICT technologies. Use of data-intelligence and data-analysis tools based on artificial intelligence. Understanding of AI for the optimisation of work processes. Human resources management. Coaching and mentoring skills. Partnership management.
The food & wine experience curator is a professional specialised in designing and managing authentic territorial experiences. This role analyses demand, builds itineraries aligned with target audiences and collaborates with businesses, producer consortia and DMOs. It also handles storytelling activities and supports groups. The role can work in outsourcing for businesses that do not have dedicated staff or during peak periods.
Analyses current and potential tourism demand, with a focus on food and wine. Analyses and understands the context, including market, offer and competitors. Designs and organises itineraries and visits that enhance local food-and-wine assets, such as restaurants, shops and production businesses. Defines visit programmes and prepares supporting materials. Manages relations with tourism and food-and-wine institutions, associations, DMOs and consortia. Works with businesses to build visit proposals and supports smaller operators in creating experiences.
Organises and manages the transport of visitors to inland or rural areas and production businesses in compliance with applicable regulations. Welcomes and engages visitors by presenting the production process, history and culture of agri-food and wine products. Accompanies groups along itineraries and experiences, including visits, tastings and workshops. Manages the relationship with customers during and after the experience.
Booking management. Measurement and evaluation of customer satisfaction. Principles and methods for presenting, promoting and selling products and services. Organisation and creation of tourism packages. Knowledge of at least two foreign languages.
Knowledge of agri-food and wine culture. Knowledge of raw materials, processes and production techniques. Tasting techniques. Sensory evaluation techniques. Pairing techniques for food, wine, olive oil and related products. Knowledge of processes and regulations related to food safety.
Storytelling techniques for creating engaging narratives. Digital communication techniques. Knowledge of artificial intelligence for optimising work processes. Social media marketing techniques, including content creation, campaigns and data analysis.
Flessibilità e adattabilità a contesti e situazioni diversi.
Gestione dello stress e mantenimento di un atteggiamento positivo.
Curiosità e desiderio continuo di apprendere.
Knowledge of agri-food and wine culture. Knowledge of processes and regulations related to food safety.
The White Paper on Food & Wine Tourism Professions is the result of an initiative promoted by the Italian Association of Food & Wine Tourism in collaboration with UnionCamere, the National Association of Olive Oil Cities, the National Association of Wine Cities, Coldiretti, Confartigianato Turismo, CNA Turismo e Commercio, the National Food Districts Forum, the Italian Federation of Wine, Oil and Taste Routes and Unione Italiana Vini.
Here are some direct testimonies from professionals working in food and wine tourism:
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