Ana M. López
Research expert covering travel, tourism and hospitality
Wine tourism in Europe - statistics & facts
Wine tourism —also referred to as oenotourism, enotourism, or vinitourism— is a segment of the tourism sector alluring wine lovers to vineyards, wineries, cellars, or museums specifically dedicated to that famous alcoholic beverage. During the first year of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the global market size of wine tourism amounted to less than nine billion U.S. dollars. However, its future perspectives look promising as its value is expected to more than triple by 2030.
The wine tourism offer is widespread across the world, but as figures on the leading wine producers worldwide suggest, Europe is without any doubt a top spot for leisure travelers interested in this market. In this respect, according to a late-2020 survey, wine tourists are mainly casual wine tasters rather than wine geeks. Overall, wine was first introduced in Europe by the Phoenicians through their trade in the Mediterranean back in the ninth century BC. Its production and consumption were, nonetheless, prompted by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. Fast forward to the most recent ages, this tradition left the religion’s milieus, and its economic importance grew substantially. In 2020, the revenue of the wine market in Europe amounted to nearly 148 billion U.S. dollars, with several European countries still included among the largest consumers of wine worldwide.
The wine tourism offer is widespread across the world, but as figures on the leading wine producers worldwide suggest, Europe is without any doubt a top spot for leisure travelers interested in this market. In this respect, according to a late-2020 survey, wine tourists are mainly casual wine tasters rather than wine geeks. Overall, wine was first introduced in Europe by the Phoenicians through their trade in the Mediterranean back in the ninth century BC. Its production and consumption were, nonetheless, prompted by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. Fast forward to the most recent ages, this tradition left the religion’s milieus, and its economic importance grew substantially. In 2020, the revenue of the wine market in Europe amounted to nearly 148 billion U.S. dollars, with several European countries still included among the largest consumers of wine worldwide.
Which top wine-producing regions attract the most tourists?
In France, the region of Bordeaux —where the world’s most popular wine grape varieties come from— enjoys a wide recognition among wine tourists, with the area of Saint-Emilion-Pomerol-Fronsac drawing the largest share of them. Meanwhile, Tuscany undoubtedly takes the lead as the most attractive region for both domestic and international enotourists in Italy, according to wine experts. And with more than 145 thousand wine tourists each in 2020, Castile and León and Catalonia stand out as top wine tourism destinations in Spain. Nevertheless, it is Castile and León the home to the highest number of official wine routes in the country.Wine tourism in the digital world
With the COVID-19 outbreak and the mobility restrictions imposed worldwide, tourism was among the most affected sectors. As a result of the limitations to in-person events during the health crisis, wine tourism providers, like several other tourism businesses, found in the digital world a way to dampen the COVID-19 effects on their visitor volume. According to a global 2021 survey, most wineries conducting online wine tastings in several countries worldwide were doing so because of the pandemic, with Germany exhibiting the most pronounced expansion of such digital events in Europe. However, this move did not always go without problems for some of these businesses. Around one-third of the total number of wineries surveyed had technical issues during their online wine tastings, 17 percent had a hard time finding participants, while a similar percentage reported problems with the shipping of the wine sets. Despite this, the willingness to continue carrying out online wine tastings was high among survey participants at that time, suggesting that the digital wine tourism offer is likely to stay in post-pandemic years.
