This article examines the international context and the strategic role of wine tourism for the Italian wine system.
A growing global market in a difficult wine context
Wine tourism is now a growing asset worldwide. It is worth 46.5 billion dollars globally, and Europe holds 51% of the market, led by France, Italy and Spain. Forecast growth is also strong, at an estimated 12.9% per year.
This positive trajectory contrasts sharply with declining global wine consumption, which in 2023 fell to its lowest level since 1961. Changing lifestyles and lower willingness to purchase are affecting the profitability of the wine chain. In this context, wine tourism becomes strategic: it creates value through visitor spending, increases direct sales and enables the collection of useful data for marketing and customer knowledge.
How Italian wine tourism is structured
The research set out to describe the economic and entrepreneurial characteristics of wine tourism in Italy, focusing on how the offer is organised, how visitors flow through businesses and territories, and how local governance models are evolving.
Italian wine tourism is still managed mostly directly by owners: in two companies out of three, the offer is coordinated by the ownership, while only a minority has a dedicated structure. Larger companies show more articulated arrangements, with stronger internal commercial departments and specialised offices. Overall, 83% of wine tourism businesses operate with fewer than ten employees, often seasonal, confirming the prevalence of micro and small enterprises.
A broad offer with strong vineyard emphasis
The core activities, visits, tastings and courses, are well diversified. More advanced services are also present, especially in the agritourism area: restaurants are offered by 36% of businesses, accommodation by 30% and event services by 22%.
In international comparison, Italy stands out for how strongly it enhances vineyards and production sites. Ninety per cent of companies offer visits to the winery and among the vines, much more than in foreign markets. Accommodation is broadly aligned with the international context, while restaurants are somewhat more common in Italy than in Europe overall.
Accessible but mature experiences
Experiences typically last one to two hours and prices are most often concentrated in the 36 to 50 euro range. This defines an offer that is accessible but curated. There is also broad diversification, a sign of a sector that has reached maturity. Opening to the public is relatively broad and stable on weekdays and weekends, while holidays remain less covered, with regional differences especially in Central and Southern Italy.
A solid economic lever
Wine tourism contributes up to 30% of profits for about half of the companies surveyed, including those offering accommodation and food services. One third exceed that threshold, and almost one in five generates over 60% of its profit from this activity. No company reports losses, confirming the solidity of the sector. Internationally too, profitability is perceived as high.
Governance remains fragmented
Territorial governance appears fragmented among many actors: consortia, regional departments, food districts, wine routes and sector associations. The French comparison points to more structured models, based on wider collaboration with institutions and specialised actors.
At the same time, 62% of companies say they would be willing to contribute to the creation of a public-private consortium for territorial marketing. Most would contribute between 100 and 300 euro, while only very few would exceed 1,000 euro annually. This indicates broad willingness, but still based on modest financial commitments.
Domestic visitors prevail, but the sector invests
Visitors to Italian wineries are still mostly domestic: 55% are Italian tourists, while foreign visitors account for 32%, a lower share than in other international contexts. Resident and local visitors form a smaller but useful segment for loyalty and direct sales. This composition is similar in both small and large companies, showing that internationalisation remains limited across the sector as a whole.
Seasonality is strong, with 68% of visits concentrated in spring and summer. Communication is widespread online, but operational digitalisation remains incomplete. Almost all companies have a web section dedicated to wine tourism, often with multilingual content, yet only a minority offers online booking. Phone and email still dominate in the sales process, while only one quarter of businesses use digital intermediaries, despite their global relevance.
Investment attitudes, however, are robust. Between 2022 and 2024, 77% of wine tourism businesses invested, a higher share than in the hotel sector. Half invest between 6% and 15% of turnover, with an average incidence of 14.15%. Smaller firms invest proportionally more, showing strong strategic conviction.
A strategic sector entering a phase of transformation
The future competitiveness of wine tourism will depend on the ability to integrate sustainability, technological innovation and inclusion. For 2025-2027, 53% of companies expect new investments, potentially rising to 63% under favourable conditions. Yet structural criticalities remain: slowing consumption, difficulties in finding qualified staff, regulatory pressure and the need to accelerate digitalisation.
In this scenario, public governance is crucial. Companies need stability, vision and operational tools, while territories need clearer and more collaborative coordination models. Wine tourism is therefore entering a phase of selective and qualitative growth: businesses are called to invest with vision, institutions to create enabling conditions, and territories to consolidate an offer that is increasingly integrated, sustainable and aligned with new forms of demand.
Text adapted from the report “When Wine Meets Tourism. Numbers and Models of Italian Wineries”.
