Wine Tourism

Wine tourism has grown from a niche phenomenon limited to a few tasting sessions into a major draw for many tourist destinations around the world, as confirmed by the Global Wine Tourism Report 2025^[1], a landmark for the industry. The study’s main findings also underline a rise in the significant economic impact of wine tourism on regional development.

Current trends in wine tourism are founded on local, authentic and niche experiences. Gastronomic offerings and eco-friendly practices are major attractions for visitors, and nature-based activities and digital engagement – particularly via social media – are also gaining importance.

Europe is riding a positive trend of growth in wine tourism, while international wine tourism is moving in the opposite direction. This is also thanks to leading innovation strategies in wine tourism across Europe which include sharing authentic local stories, partly due to increased social media use.

In the development of this product, top priority is given to food and wine pairing experiences alongside partnerships with local businesses. Other key components are educational, cultural and nature-based formats, often delivered through workshops, artistic events and vineyard-related activities.

Innovation is widely recognised as essential, and industry players agree that innovative approaches offer a competitive edge and help attract new visitor groups. The level of investment in new wine tourism experiences varies significantly depending on each winery’s philosophy and strategic approach.

Wine tastings, winery tours and vineyard tours are the most common wine tourism activities on offer, giving visitors the opportunity to connect both with the wine itself and with the surrounding countryside. Through these experiences, winery operators can help guests form a closer relationship with their wine.

Of course, in wine tourism, as with any tourism product, wineries face challenges in implementing tourist services on their premises, staff and time shortages being by far the most frequently cited barriers. However, the study’s findings show that one in four wineries has already chosen to introduce these activities, and 50% are considering doing so in the future.

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Who are today’s wine tourists? Visitor numbers are generally on the rise across Europe, the largest age group being those between 45 and 65, although visitors aged 25 to 44 are also well represented. Key trends include wine education, followed by sustainability, culinary experiences and a growing interest among younger travellers.

Two-thirds of wineries consider wine tourism to be profitable or very profitable, while around 30% report limited but stable returns: on average, wine tourism accounts for around 25% of wineries’ total turnover.

In addition, sustainability to be important or very important for their wine tourism business.

Economic pressures and falling consumption are the most frequently cited challenges, pointing to a fragile consumer market. Accessibility issues, regulatory barriers and public health policies also constitute significant obstacles to tourism, while labour shortages and the ongoing digital transformation further highlight internal operational limitations.

According to the Report on Wine Tourism in Italy by ISMEA (Institute for Agricultural and Food Market Services), presented at Vinitaly 2025, 64.5% of Italian tourists have chosen at least one wine-themed experience in the last three years.

Italy’s wine tourism therefore has an estimated turnover of 3.1 billion euros, involving 18 million Italians in 2026 (up by 4.5 million on 2024).^[2] Against the backdrop of a general decline in global exports due to tariff retaliation, Italian production remains stable at 44.4 million hectolitres (+0.7%) across 681,000 hectares and is growing in Trentino-Alto Adige (+15.2%), Lombardy (+11.7%), Apulia (+9.7%) and Veneto (+6.1%). Piedmont maintains a high proportion of PDO wine production (85%), second only to the Aosta Valley (86%) and Trentino-Alto Adige (88%).

The favourite destination is Italy, which 85% of respondents would like to visit in the future. Almost all wine tourists (98%) say they are interested in having new wine-related experiences within the next two to three years. Italy is by far the most popular destination, with 85% of respondents saying they would like to visit the country, followed by France with 65%.

Italy is also the leader in ‘experiential’ wine tourism, and among American wine tourists, it is the most popular destination in a range of ‘sectors’: wine tastings, winery tours, vineyard tours and participation in the grape harvest (source: Associazione Nazionale Città del Vino).

¹ Szolnoki, G. (2025), Global Wine Tourism Report 2025. A study by Geisenheim University in collaboration with UN World Tourism Organisation, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), the Great Wine Capitals Global Network (GWC) and WineTourism.com. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.23740.50564. The report is based on data from a survey of 1,310 wine producers in 47 countries.

² UniCredit-Nomisma Wine Monitor 2025.