In the last decade, wine tourism has become a key component of gastronomy tourism until being today recognized as an essential segment of the tourism industry. Many wine regions and tourism destinations have realized that the benefits of wine tourism extend well beyond the cellar door to all areas of the regional economy. Wine, food, tourism and the arts collectively comprise the core elements of the wine tourism product and provide the lifestyle package that wine tourists seek to experience. If efficiently developed, wine tourism represents an excellent opportunity for destinations to diversify and enhance consumer´s value.   

Mindful of this, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has developed the UNWTO Wine Tourism Product Development Project, a project that introduces an innovative methodology to identify the existing correlative relationship of the wineries and their surroundings, including their influences on local and regional history, socio-economics and culture. This relationship created the framework for a product to experience a region through its wineries and the environment in which they have developed. The wine tourism project includes an analysis and diagnostic assessment of the current situation with regard to wine tourism, in comparison with other markets and in the technical design of the tourism model.

The initial outcomes of the pilot project implemented in Spain were first presented at the 1st UNWTO Global Conference of Wine Tourism, in the Kakheti Region, Georgia (7-9 September 2016). The Conference derived in the draft of the Georgia Declaration on Wine Tourism, a statutory document that identifies a number of recommendations to facilitate the development of wine tourism that would help destinations to implement key actions.

So far, the UNWTO Wine Tourism Product Development Project has been carried out in the following regions :

• Spain: The project was carried out by UNWTO, Affiliate Member The Leading Brand of Spain and with the participation of major Spanish wineries. The result is an innovative and complex tourism product named "Spain Through Its Wineries", which is the first wine tourism product to be officially commercialized. 

• Argentina: At the request of the Ministry of Tourism of Argentina, it is currently being implemented in the region of Mendoza by the Tourism Board of Mendoza.

The project is currently open to the development of the initiative in other destinations.

Spain through its wineries

On the occasion of the 2018 edition of FITUR, the World Tourism Organization and the Leading Brands of Spain (Foro de Marcas renombradas, FMRE) proudly introduced the outcomes of a year-long collaboration: an innovative tourism offer named "Spain Through its Wineries". 

This brand is the result of a fruitful alliance between UNWTO and the major Spanish wineries which decided to join forces to develop a more innovative and complex tourism product to contribute to enhance the competitiveness of Spanish wineries and position Spain as a leading wine tourism destination. 

The resulting innovative product meets the demands of emerging consumer profiles and allows the tourist to experience the wineries and their surroundings in a completely new and unique way, including but not limited to their influences on local and regional history, socio-economics and culture. The product was designed around three main lines of action: promote sustainable development (Environmental, economic and social), address seasonality and contribute to the development of rural areas. 

"Spain through its wineries" is the first project that will be officially commercialized through the application of phases 4 and 5 of the UNWTO Product Development methodology. The product will be available in February 2018 and can be accessed through the "De Bodeguas" portal, available at the following website. 

Spain is the first member of the "Joyful Journey - A UNWTO Wine Tourism Network", an initiative that aims at bringing together all participants who have succesfully finalized the development of a UNWTO Product Development Project on wine tourism. 

Vineyarding in Mendoza - In the Clouds of Malbec

On the occasion of the 14th UNWTO Awards Forum held in the framework of FITUR 2018, the World Tourism Organization and the Ministry of Tourism of Argentina proudly presented the initial progress of the UNWTO Wine Tourism Product Development methodology, which is currently being carried out in the province of Mendoza, Argentina, with the participation of the Ente de Turismo de Mendoza.

The brand "Vineyarding in Mendoza - in the Clouds of Malbec" is the result of a fruitful alliance between the main tourism stakeholders of the region, coming both from the public and private sectors, which have decided to join forces to develop a more innovative tourism product to allow the tourist to discover the wine region of Mendoza in a completely new way, while contributing to improving the competitiveness of the region and positioning Mendoza as a wine tourism destination.

 "Vineyarding in Mendoza - in the Clouds of Malbec" is an innovative proposal that genuinely connects all the components of the wine value chain to build the ideal tourism product that would correctly enhance the true identity of Mendoza. To do so, wine tourism experiences are built upon the local agricultural variety of products, the diverse landscapes and the rich handicraft heritage of the area. Developed in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), all tourism products contribute to the development of sustainable development, the empowerment of women and ending poverty in the region.

The prototype is expected to be finalized in 2018, while the resulting tourism product should be commercialized at the end of this year.