Olive Oil Tourism
What is olive oil tourism?
Olive oil tourism is an experience in which the discovery and tasting of local olive productions is combined with visits to production sites and landscapes, together with knowledge of the culture, traditions and people who live there.
Compared with wine tourism, olive oil tourism is a more recent practice, but it is becoming increasingly relevant in production areas and attractive to a broad public. Around olive oil, new and more meaningful experiences are emerging: not only tastings and guided visits, but also outdoor activities among the olive groves, harvest experiences for visitors and thematic hospitality proposals.
What are the new trends in olive oil tourism?
Olive oil tourism is undergoing a deep transformation. The tourism offer is still developing and evolving. Opening mills to visitors is relatively recent compared with wineries, and many visitors are not yet fully aware that an olive mill can offer much more than tastings and purchases, including immersive experiences closely connected with nature.
Yet the potential is considerable. Thanks to its long history, strong links with territory and landscape, and the health value of the product, olive oil tourism can create distinctive experiences. In recent years, olive businesses have renewed their incoming offers: they organise tastings focused on single cultivars, often paired with local dishes; they create spa experiences in which extra virgin olive oil becomes part of the treatment; they involve visitors in harvesting and the early processing phases; and they even produce personalised small batches for end customers.
As highlighted in the 2023 report, what visitors seek above all is authenticity, rooted in a genuine connection between extra virgin olive oil production and the story of the business. Travellers want to meet the owner, understand the company’s story and experience the production context directly.
How can you experience olive oil tourism in Italy?
In Italy, olive oil tourism is regulated by the national guidelines and regional implementing decrees that define minimum quality requirements and standards for olive-tourism activities.
The guidelines define olive oil tourism as a set of activities that may include:
- learning about olive oil at the place of production;
- visits to cultivation areas, production sites and places where tools related to olive growing are displayed;
- tastings and sales of the company’s olive oil products, including pairings with food;
- educational and recreational initiatives connected with places of cultivation and production.
These activities can be carried out by olive-oil producers, whether individual or associated. The document also defines the minimum standards that operators must satisfy in order to offer olive-tourism services, including opening times, booking tools, visitor information, signage, parking, multilingual materials, dedicated reception spaces, trained staff and compliance with food-safety and hygiene regulations. Access to these activities is subject to the submission of the relevant certified start-of-activity notice (SCIA).