Good food and good wine remain among the favourite travel motivations for many people. Wine, in particular, represents a winning model from which other sectors, such as beer and oil, are drawing inspiration. This is confirmed by data from the latest Report on Food and Wine Tourism: in 2021, on the Tripadvisor portal, around 13% of the bookings to Italy were related to food and wine proposals, second only to cultural tours.

Growth figures and models to emulate

Italy is particularly well positioned: not only because of the fascination that Italian cuisine still exerts all over the world, but also because the Bel Paese has several strong points, such as the largest number of taste museums – 129 compared to 107 in Spain and 88 in France, its direct competitors – and the various “routes”: of wine, oil and more. Another sector that is benefiting from the boom of food and wine is agritourism, thanks to the possibility of combining the sensory experience with the environmental and naturalistic one. In 2019-20, there was a growth in the number of agritourism companies offering tasting proposals (+8%) along with other activities, especially outdoors (+10%).

Moreover, as mentioned above, the model of wine tourism is also extending to craft breweries (especially in Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Tuscany) and oil cellars (especially in Apulia). But this is not just an Italian phenomenon: according to data from Statista, wine tourism alone is worth more than 8.7 billion dollars worldwide and sees Italy at the top of the list of wine tourism destinations at international level, although France continues to be considered the country with the best estates.

Food and wine tourism at BIT 2023

BIT 2023, at Allianz MiCo from 12 to 14 February, will highlight all the growth opportunities for food and wine tourism. The sector will be among the main protagonists of the leisure area, the place where supply and demand for international tourism can meet thanks to a system of pre-arranged appointments, but also where the public can discover new holiday destinations and lesser-known attractions. It will also be the focus of various meetings in the rich schedule of events, thanks to an entire thematic strand dedicated to winning combinations of green, social and innovative experiences to discover the territories.

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