Wine tourism is an experience in which tasting local wines is combined with visiting the places and territories where they are produced, and with discovering the culture, traditions and people who live there.
Once considered a niche segment, it has now become attractive to a much broader audience. Around wine, new and more distinctive experiences have emerged: outdoor activities among the vineyards, wellness-led proposals that combine wine and relaxation, active formats such as harvest experiences, and wine museums.
For 73.7% of Italian wine tourists, a wine-related holiday is an opportunity for personal enrichment, not just sensory pleasure. Wine tourism is increasingly becoming a cultural and identity-based experience.
Communicating this value means being able to offer authentic experiences. But what do travellers actually mean by authenticity?
Sustainability has become a criterion in the choice of wine-related experiences.
As the audience broadens, demand for variety increases. 65% of Italian wine tourists believe that winery experiences are still too similar to one another (+12.2% compared with 2019).
There is room for more structured proposals. Among the main opportunities:
The wine traveller increasingly seeks full immersion in the world of wine: food service and accommodation are no longer accessory services but key elements that strengthen the experience.
Dining
Accommodation
Generation Z experiences wine tourism in a distinctive way, with values and behaviours that differ from other target groups:
According to the definition adopted by UN Tourism, a wine tourist is an overnight visitor, not a same-day excursionist, who takes part in tourism experiences related to wine, regardless of the main reason for the trip.
Today there are around 13.4 million Italian wine tourists, equal to 64.5% of Italian travellers.
How do they choose?
About 1 Italian wine tourist out of 2 is influenced by recommendations from relatives and friends. Web 2.0 plays a central role:
How do they book?
How do they travel?
What experiences do they prefer?
Younger travellers (18-24) show less interest in traditional tastings and visits, but greater attraction to active experiences.
Italy is among the world’s leading wine destinations thanks to the richness and uniqueness of its heritage and attractions.
Key figures:
*Data refers to 2024.
Discover the main wine tourism trends in Italy in 2024: data, habits and preferences of wine travellers across generations, trip length, requested experiences and wineries visited.
Investing in wine tourism creates value for destinations, businesses, communities and travellers: it attracts new visitors, stimulates spending, creates jobs and enhances landscapes and local traditions.
How can it be done effectively?
Businesses and destinations can take inspiration from tested models and successful case studies collected in the section dedicated to best practices.
There are many funding opportunities offered by ministries and regional authorities to develop wine tourism projects.
Wine tourism is growing and requires new professional figures able to welcome, engage and tell the story of wine, design and manage tourism experiences, and promote the territory.
The roles emerging most clearly include the hospitality manager, the food & wine tourism consultant, the visitor services coordinator, the curator of food & wine experiences and the product manager for food & wine tourism.
Yes. The Decree of 12 March 2019 defines wine tourism at national level and sets out guidelines, requirements and minimum quality standards for carrying out the activity.
Today, almost all regions and autonomous provinces have adopted the implementing decrees and the related SCIA models (Certified Notification of Start of Activity).
To better understand wine tourism, the main terms, concepts and definitions have been gathered in a glossary.