WINETOURISM TRENDS 2024

No matter how many turns the world takes, wine tourism is growing and evolving. Here are seven wine tourism trends for 2024

Before talking about wine tourism trends for 2024, let's get a definition. What is a trend? Tendency;?inclination;?disposition;?purpose.

With each passing year, Wine Tourism gains more purpose, becomes more available to new audiences, leans towards different formats but always with a propensity to grow.

I don't have a crystal ball, and nowadays it's really hard to make predictions about anything in the world. However, based on travels, winery visits, conversations with winemakers and some research, I put together in this article seven trends for Wine Tourism in 2024.

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1. Technology Integration: Artificial Intelligence and Social Media

The use of technology, artificial intelligence and digital platforms will be key to improving the overall wine tourism experience.

Don't be afraid of artificial intelligence because, when used wisely, it can be a great ally for your business. Whether in the search for content, in the creation of more interactive activities or in the gathering of data and information about your visitors, knowledge of their consumption habits and evolution.

Also consider partnering with online booking platforms and mobile apps that provide visitors with information about your winery, wines and events. These channels are being used more and more at the moment of travel planning and work as good connection pointbetween your wine tourism and the customer.

When it comes to social media, it continues to play a significant role in promoting wine tourism. It is essential to be present on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok (not necessarily all at the same time, if you prefer, choose one and invest your time in it) to showcase your wines, vineyards, wine tourism offer and events throughout the year.

Being creative in the way you communicate your winery's activity is half the battle to attract new visitors and even new audiences!

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2. Experiential tourism and partnerships

"Experience" is one of the words of the moment. It's what people value most and where they're willing to spend the most money. Creating memories around wine is worth much more than buying a bottle and that's what wine tourism does.

But it's important to pay attention to variety and innovation. To do this, you need to know the offer of the wineries around yours, so as not to repeat and be able to offer something different to your visitor. Diversifying the touristic offer, it’s a win-win situation!

Consider partnering with other local wineries, as well as restaurants and other tourism businesses to enrich the overall visitor experience in your region.

Networking and creating partnerships is the best way to grow your region and provide the wine tourist with a much more genuine and immersive wine experience.

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3. Emerging Wine Regions

While traditional wine regions remain popular, there is a growing interest in exploring wines from emerging regions. Visitors are looking for unique and undiscovered wine destinations, contributing to the growth of wine tourism in less traditional areas.

Let’s take Portugal as an example.

Broadly speaking, Portugal is still an emerging wine tourism destination, little explored and, therefore, still represents novelty for many wine lovers around the world. If, in one hand, tourism in our country has already grown so much and has reached, in the last 5 years, values at the level of many other world destinations, wine tourism continues to be a niche activity with a lot to grow.

I really believe that Portugal will continue to arouse interest in the near future, precisely because it is still a destination that is not very popular and because it maintains its authenticity. For those who already know Portugal, there will also be regions that are still to be explored and that, therefore, will attract greater attention.

I'm talking about regions like Trás-os-Montes, Beira Interior and Algarve, for example. Regions that are growing as wine tourism destinations, that are developing structures, communicating better and creating conditions to receive visitors with more quality.

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4. Gastronomic Tourism

Wine tourism is part of gastronomic tourism, a type of tourism with significant growth worldwide. Eating and drinking is trendy, Chefs and fine dining restaurants are in high demand and gastronomy is becoming the central theme when it comes to planning a travel.

Therefore, the integration of gastronomic experiences in the wine scene, including tastings paired with local delicacies, is certainly a wine tourism trend for 2024.

The connection between wine and food is a significant aspect of wine tourism. Try to partner with local restaurants and chefs, organize cooking workshops or food and wine pairing in order to improve your wine tourism offer.

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5. Focus on "wine education"

A wine tourist is definitely not an ordinary tourist. They want to learn while being entertained. Want to have an experience that is both fun and didactic, taking something home more than just a few hours well spent drinking wine.

For this reason, more and more wineries are focusing on "wine education", i.e. offering visitors more detailed information about winemaking processes, grape varieties and characteristics of the wines. Organising workshops and courses is also becoming a very popular activity.

The truth is, for the wine sector, "educating" the consumer about wine will surely lead to a more conscient and mature consumption, as well as more awareness and a greater appreciation of the wine product.

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6.?Slow tourism

The "slow" movement also gained momentum after the 2020 pandemic. Many people realized that they don't need to have a life of constant rush to be happy. In fact, when they stop (albeit forcefully) they felt that it is in calm that they find the well-being and happiness that they did not know. That's where wine tourism comes in. This fits into the concept of slow tourism.

Those who practice slow tourism are people who usually have very intense professional lives, in an office or city environment, surrounded by technology. They are, therefore, people who, in their free and leisure time, want to live more slowly and absorb the experience.

Wine tourism is exactly that: drinking wine calmly, tasting the local food, observing the landscape, listening to the sounds of the countryside, talking to the people who make and live wine...

If you run a winery or wine tourism business (wine trips), my advice is not to fill each day with too many visits or long trips and allow each visitor to quietly and peacefully enjoy their experience.

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7. Sustainable WineTourism

Sustainability is one of the words of the moment and that’s very positive! Wine tourism plays a fundamental role in the sustainability of the regions where it operates, either environmentally, socially or economically.

But it's not enough to look sustainable, you have to be! Why? Because the visitor is increasingly sensitive to this topic, they are more attentive and informed.

The wine tourist increasingly seeks to adopt tourism in a sustainable way (the opposite of mass tourism) and seeks to respect local communities by living immersive and non-invasive experiences.

Opting for a rural accommodation instead of a hotel chain, going to traditional restaurants and consuming wine from the region, using bicycles or walking through the vineyards reducing the environmental footprint, are already common practices.

At the same time, the visitor is looking for wineries that also have sustainable practices: organic farming, rational use of water in the winery, employing local human resources, partnerships with small regional businesses, are some examples.

Want to know more about wine tourism in Portugal? Please visit www.entrevinhas.com