Food & Wine Tourism Report
The First Italian Food & Wine Tourism Report 2018, produced under the aegis of the World Food Travel Association, provides an up-to-date overview of the sector in Italy.
It compares demand and supply to support the decisions of institutions and operators. It includes a focus on the international market by the World Food Travel Association, best practices and contributions from international experts.
Roberta Garibaldi coordinated the Report and promoted the research, which outlines the state of the sector and identifies the trends of a fast-growing segment worldwide.
It compares demand and supply to support the decisions of institutions and operators. It includes a focus on the international market by the World Food Travel Association, best practices and contributions from international experts.
One Italian in three has taken at least one trip motivated by food and wine in the last three years. The share had already reached 21%, as reported by the Food Travel Monitor 2016, and has now risen to 30%. This figure shows the new role of food and wine: from an accessory element, it has become a component capable of influencing travel choices.
Food and wine is a relevant component in Italians’ travel choices
For 63% of Italian tourists, the presence of food and wine offerings or themed experiences is important when choosing a travel destination. Quality and sustainability are essential elements: the green theme is not only a choice driver for agri-food products, but also for 42% of accommodation facilities and events.
On holiday, tourists want to discover and experience food and wine in all its forms. During a trip they take part in a wide variety of experiences, including very different ones. After eating typical local dishes in a local restaurant (mentioned by 73% of tourists), the most popular food experiences are visiting a market with local products (70%) and buying food from a food truck (59%). Interest is also strong in beverages, not only wine, but local beer as well.
The most desired region among Italian tourists is Tuscany, but there is strong interest in the South, especially Sicily and Puglia. Many regions have unexpressed potential and are not perceived as relevant food and wine destinations, even though they are rich in excellence. Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto, for example, have an offering that numerically ranks immediately after Tuscany. This points to opportunities to improve the visibility of these places.
ROBERTA GARIBALDI summarizes the profile of the Italian food and wine tourist as follows: “This is a cultured tourist, with greater spending capacity and propensity, who sees food and wine as an opportunity for knowledge and contact with a territory’s culture. They organize their trip using the web, both to gather information and to book individual travel components. Compared with the generic tourist, however, they are more inclined to book through intermediaries. They feel more involved, want to experience food and wine at 360 degrees, often alongside other active proposals. They prefer mixed itineraries rather than single-theme ones: the wine tourist also looks for excellent gastronomic experiences.”
The Scientific Committee that contributed to the research is composed of:
Greg Richards, NHTV University of Breda and Tilburg University (Netherlands)
Carlos Fernandes, Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (Portugal)
Marcantonio Ruisi, University of Palermo
Silvia Biffignandi, University of Bergamo
The following Italian and international experts also provided their views on the sector and future trends:
Anne-Mette Hjalager, University of Southern Denmark (Denmark), editor in chief of the Journal of Gastronomy and Tourism
Trevor Benson, Culinary Tourism Alliance (Canada)
Carlos Fernandes, Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (Portugal)
Mattew J. Stone, California State University, Chico
Erik Wolf, World Food Travel Association
Patrick Torrent, Catalan Tourist Board
Mauro Rosati, Fondazione Qualivita
Rossano Pazzagli, University of Molise
The abstract can be downloaded by clicking here
