03, March 2015: With growing concerns for wine tourism in Italy for a number of years (the country has seen its share of the world market drop from 6.6% to a 4.5%), many tourism experts have expressed frustration, believing that much of Italy is an untapped source when it comes to this kind of tourism, in particular. However, in great news for both operators and travellers, in Tuscany, holidays of this kind are, in fact, holding strong, with reported rates of steady wine prices and popular wine tours.
The Lure of Tuscan Wines
In mid-2014, it was reported that Italy had lost its top spot in world wine production after a difficult harvest, falling to second behind France. The arrivals tourism sector revealed that out of 20 million people traveling for wine tourism, only 3 million chose to travel to Italy. However, while the wine tourism of Italy appears to be suffering, Tuscany’s Brunello di Montalcina sold for its highest price in the first four months of the 2014-2013 sales year.
In terms of wine sales, the average return for Italy in 2014 was 3.8%, but was 6.1% in Tuscany. With its resounding success, the valuation of Tuscan vineyards has risen in price on the market, and it’s a profitable time for vineyard owners who open to wine tours to visitors to Tuscany. Holidays of this kind are on the rise, understandably.
Experts question whether the fall in wine tourism in the rest of Italy has, in turn, affected the success of wine sales. A spokesperson from the Italian wine industry says that wine and Italy were once held in close association with one another, but the association may be drifting. “Tourism will be a big factor in creating interest around the wine industry in Italy again, and we are doing all we can to encourage that.”
Love Italy, the website of ABTOI (The Association of British Travel Organisers to Italy), is committed to the promotion of Tuscany. Holidays and packages to the region are in hot demand, including food and wine tours. Clearly, Tuscany is a hugely popular tourist destination for wine tours, so experts say research is needed in to what it is about this region that is proving so popular, in order to apply it to other regions’ wine holidays.
About Love Italy:
Love Italy is the website of ABTOI – The Association of British Travel Organisers to Italy.
If you’re looking for the perfect holiday in Italy, the website provides destination information, contact details of tour operator members to help you plan the best Italian holiday, ‘insider’ tips, year round special offers and information on everything from beach holidays in Sardinia, cycling in Sicily, to a wedding or honeymoon in Tuscany.
Contact Details:
Contact Love Italy at www.loveitaly.co.uk
