Innovation, sustainability at the heart of UNWTO Global Wine Tourism Conference 2022 in Italy
The UNWTO and Italian Government will celebrate the 6th Global Conference on Wine Tourism in the Piemonte region under the theme ‘What’s next? Wine tourism pairs with Innovation”.
Taking place on September 19-21, 2022 in Alba in the Piemonte region, at the heart of the ‘Vineyard Landscape of Piemonte: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato’, the UNWTO Global Wine Tourism Conference featured over 30 international speakers, who focused on the role of innovation in the future of wine tourism, how can wine tourism be more sustainable and what are the opportunities of digital and social to enhance the wine tourism value chain and create local benefits.
UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili said : “As the sector’s recovery get underway, I am confident that the conference represents a unique opportunity to learn from experiences that face up these challenging times to ensure a successful and resilient wine tourism sector in the future”.
Massimo Garavaglia Italian Minister of Tourism: “Wine tourism is much more than just selling wine, which clearly is important. When you sell a bottle of wine, you are selling the territory behind that bottle, the culture of that territory, the history of the men who designed these landscapes.”
“Wine-related tourism has a component in environmental sustainability. It is a component of slow tourism, partly different from traditional tourism. And it is no coincidence that 90% of tourists have a food and wine experience during their visit.”
“Wine is a driver of Italy’s image worldwide, and an increasingly popular tourist attraction for visitors, thanks to how it blends with our country’s characteristic culture, art and history. In today’s uncertain circumstances, it is of central importance to strengthen the sector’s ability to remain competitive, so the Alba event is a key opportunity for the world of wine to reflect on the prospects and challenges wine tourism is set to face”, said ENIT CEO Roberta Garibaldi.
Over the two days of this edition, 300 professionals from the sector, leading experts and institutional representatives benefit from the live debates, keynote speeches and workshops that experienced speakers brought to Alba.
The UNWTO Conference also included a High Level Panel on The Future of Wine Tourism, where necessary policies to wine tourism were discussed by the Minister of Tourism of Bulgaria, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, the Deputy Minister of Tourism of Greece, the Minister of Tourism of Italy, the Minister of Culture of Moldova, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Commerce and Services of Portugal, the Minister of Tourism, Posts, Cooperation and Expo of San Marino and the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Serbia.
Since 2016, the UNWTO Conference has highlighted the importance of wine tourism to the socio-economic development of destinations and has served as a platform to exchange experiences, identify good practices and promote wine tourism as a tool for sustainable development.
