Wine tourists are a growing sector of the travel industry with more and more people seeking out both foreign and local experiences that will allow them to visit wine regions rich in profiles, history, and stories.
Sipping wine, discovering emerging regions, talking with experts, discovering something new, pairing a delicious glass of vino with its perfect food match – these are just some of the joys of wine tourism, a popular travel choice for which Italy is well-known.
So what is the profile of the typical wine tourist coming to Italian wineries? They are visitors who love food and wine, are curious about the reality they visit, have a high average spending power, and often have a good network of acquaintances that encourages other visitors by word of mouth.
Divinea’s Survey on Wine Tourism
This is what emerges from the “Report Enotourism and Direct-to-consumer Sales 2023” prepared by the technology firm Divinea, which offers interesting insights into the evolving world of wine and understanding the real opportunities of direct sales and wine tourism through the analysis of data and market trends.
Who Are the New Wine Tourists?
Along with food tourism, wine tourism makes up an important part of today’s travelers. Above all, they tend to be expert wine lovers and sommeliers, who, with their testimony and endorsement, can bring prestige to the winery. Romantic couples are the third most popular group of wine tourists, as confirmed by the fact that picnics and romantic dinners are among the most popular experiences, especially on anniversaries such as birthdays and Valentine’s Day.
“Wine tourism is experiencing on a high note and confirms the trend of experiential research by travelers,” explains Roberto Villa, CMO and Digital Expert at Divinea. “In this context, wine estates need to get to know their customers through data collection in order to create wine tourism proposals that always live up to expectations.
According to Divinea’s data, in addition to the wine tourist, wine lover, sommelier, and romantic couple, the identikit of the wine tourist has other important declinations.
In fourth place are foreign visitors, who are returning after the global health emergency. The number of foreigners has probably dropped compared to pre-Covid years but, in qualitative terms, they remain a valuable pool with high spending power, tending to purchase significant quantities of wine.
In fifth place enter the newbies, and more and more wineries are adapting their communication to approach people curious to discover for the first time what is behind a bottle of wine. In sixth place are athletes who combine the beauty of grape-growing areas with visits to wineries, especially those equipped to meet their needs with dedicated proposals and facilities with the necessary services.
In seventh place are families, who, especially on weekends and during the summer season, choose to spend a family day at the winery or devote proximity tourism to the visit. In eighth place is the casual tourist who does not plan a visit, while in ninth place are visitors with pets who reward wineries that take care of animals.
Finally, in last place is the repeat visitor or people who have had a positive experience at a winery and are the best candidates to become ambassadors of a wine brand.