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ITALY REVELS IN NEW FORM OF TOURISM

Wednesday, 14 May 2008

Apart from being renowned as the ‘country of love’, Italy is also fast gaining in popularity with the ‘wine-nauts’. What is a ‘wine-naut’, you may ask? These are the five million or so practising wine tourists, of which a considerable amount are commuting to Italy as the top choice destination.

According to data released during the Wine and Food Tourism Fair 2008,
“Wine tourism is growing in popularity and now generates some 2.5 billion euros in revenue”.

Experts believe that the wine tourism movement in Italy is operating at only 20% of its potential and could easily double in the near future.

Evidence of wine tourism's success and its benefit to the local economy is the fact that of the three million euros in turnover made by 82 of Italy's leading wine producers, 7.5% comes from direct sales at the vineyards themselves.

Italy's 140 'wine roads', with specialised itineraries through wine-producing regions, as well as annual events like Open Cellars, which draws over a million tourists to vineyards in the spring, is among the many factors helping to expand the new ‘wine-naut’ invasion.

A study by the social research group CENSIS found that “every 10 euros spent in the vineyard generates 50 euros in earnings for the local economy.” And according to another CENSIS report, “wine and food have become the second most important reason why tourists come to Italy and are considered the treat which gives the greatest satisfaction to visitors.”

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