The city of Reguengos de Monsaraz (Alentejo), Portugal was the seat of the 5th UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism, organised by the UNWTO (World Tourism Organisation) together with VisitPortugal and held on 8th-10th September 2021.

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Welcome cocktail in Monsaraz. Photo credit: UNWTO Flickr

Main Theme and Goals of the Global Wine Tourism Conference

The main theme of the wine tourism conference was ‘Wine Tourism – a driver for rural development’; the whole focus of the wine tourism conference organised by UNWTO was the role that wine tourism plays in the integration between regional social and economic factors. Speeches from several of the guests invited to the wine tourism conference pointed out the ability of wine tourism to develop opportunities and generate potential in remote rural destinations. 

UNWTO decided to invite to the wine tourism conference a great number of professionals coming from very diverse wine tourism businesses. The point of having so many experts involved in the conferences was to find concrete and solid solutions to build a strong foundation for future actions related to wine tourism. Moving forward, as it came out of the wine tourism conference, the goal is to achieve a more sustainable, comprehensive and strong network of actors involved in wine tourism in rural areas of the world.

WineTourism.com at the Global Wine Tourism Conference

The speech that opened the 5th UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism was held by Pau Roca, Director-General of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) on 9th September 2021. 

On 10th September 2021, our CEO Calle Nilsson took part in Session 3 at the wine tourism conference, titled Data, data, data… – how to better understand wine tourism. The session was moderated by Paula Sousa, Wine Tourism Director at Quinta da Aveleda and Calle was joined by other two speakers, Giorgio Delgrosso, Chief of Statistics at the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) and Daniel González, Senior Project Manager at Vivential Value (Spain).

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Calle Nilsson, Giorgio Delgrosso and Daniel González. Photo credit: UNWTO Flickr

Calle was asked by Paula Sousa why global standard data is important from a business point of view and, after giving a brief introduction to WineTourism.com as a company, Calle identified the lack of data behind the number of wine tourists as the main pain point in the wine tourism industry right now. He stated that it is impossible to compare data of wine tourists visiting wine regions because there is no standardised practice related to it. 

What is necessary now, from Calle’s perspective, is to start benchmarking and standardising data; wine countries should benchmark their numbers with other wine countries, and wine regions should do the same. This is going to become fundamental especially due to the ongrowing trend related to the wine tourism movement.

Our colleague Ana Flávia Bonatto Damasceno had the opportunity to be at wine tourism conference together with Calle Nilsson, and this is her thought on the experience: 

“The 5th UNWTO Conference on Wine Tourism was a great opportunity to discuss the impact and importance of wine tourism regarding rural development. To witness that different organizations and companies are interested in promoting a better, more sustainable, and diverse wine tourism worldwide is great, makes me confident to see a great perspective going forward both for wineries and wine enthusiasts”

Conclusions from the 5th UNWTO Conference on Wine Tourism 

As it was pointed out by the UNWTO in their final powerpoint, conclusions were drawn concerning 7 main areas discussed at the wine tourism conference. 

Here is a brief summary of what should come next for wine tourism: 

  1. There is a need for a national wine tourism policy and strategy to ensure coordination among several actors. Investments have to be done to support SMEs, infrastructures and the creation of new talents. 
  2. The Covid-19 pandemic is not over yet, so everyone involved in wine tourism should take into account safety measures to ensure a Covid-free and safe environment for visitors and workers. 
  3. To secure the growth of the wine tourism industry, there is a need for innovation, storytelling, digitalisation and a strong client/visitor relationship. 
  4. Educate wineries and other businesses involved with wine tourism to practice sustainability. Everyone must keep in mind that all decisions can impact the future of the next generations. 
  5. Governance is another key point to work on, as public and private actors must come together to cooperate and coordinate their work in the interest of the environment and the wine tourism business. 
  6. Engage wineries and winemakers in partnerships with gastronomy experts, chefs and local farmers. There needs to be a stress on the value of ‘localhood’. 
  7. Last but not least, the importance of data. The development of common indicators and a wise use of big data can help the wine tourism industry take a step forward.

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