How to successfully navigate wine tourism

Coming in a variety of shapes and sizes – from spending a night at the winery to taking part in harvesting or indulging in some food and wine pairing workshops – wine tourism is enjoying sustained success, with plenty of room left to grow. Provided that is, you know how to structure and promote your proposition so that it can go the distance.

Contents

  • How significant is wine tourism in France?
  • What is the point of developing wine tourism activities?
  • How can you make a success of it?
  • What are the benefits of working as part of a network?

How significant is wine tourism in France?

How ironic is it that the first French wine route emerged in Burgundy in 1937, but wine tourism actually established a home for itself in California in the 1970s. Subsequently, it would chart its course through the wineries of the New World, before reaching Europe, a decade later… According to Atout France, the country’s national tourism development agency, France now hosts 10 million wine tourists annually, 42% of them from abroad, who spend 5.2 billion euros. The figures date back to 2016 and have not been updated in the interim, but the momentum continues. “Due to the groundwork conducted by institutional organisations over the past 20 years, Bordeaux has climbed the ranks to become one of the world’s major wine tourism destinations”, recounts Catherine Leparmentier Dayot, managing director of the Great Wine Capitals network*. And yet, originally, wineries did not see the point of opening to the public because they sold their wines through the Bordeaux wine trade and not at the cellar door”.

What is the point of developing wine tourism activities?

Every wine region has now jumped on the bandwagon, in some respects forced to do so due to the industry crisis. The rationale is undeniably sound: this type of tourism boosts cellar door sales and offers a different source of income, one that is less contingent upon hazardous weather, unlike winegrowing. On average, a winery increases its revenue by 20% by offering wine tourism services. More importantly, it provides winegrowers with a formidable marketing tool which guarantees a direct, and instructive, contact with consumers and the promise of enhanced awareness. “When visitors leave with good memories, they will tend to choose your brand when they encounter it in restaurants or at wine merchants”, stresses Leparmentier Dayot. There is a small caveat, however: “A tour followed by a tasting is not enough. For the business model to work, you cannot only address wine enthusiasts, you also have to speak to tourists. And tourists want to enjoy memorable experiences”.

How can you make a success of it?

This is where imagination comes in. From theme days to the whole package – accommodation, catering and events – everyone makes their own choices based on their objectives and their abilities. A few principles should be followed however to stack the odds in your favour. Firstly, the quality of the service is the key to success and ranges from keeping to opening times to properly training staff.  “The offer does not necessarily need to be extensive but it needs to stand out and include a food aspect because that is part of what people expect in terms of enjoyment – a cheese and wine workshop is one example. Also, regularly hosting events is a way of getting local customers to return over and over again, often during the week and out of season”, adds Leparmentier Dayot. Ultimately, these newly-designed activities are a second job that requires time and money. Before investing “market research is essential to ascertain customers’ expectations, existing propositions and rates charged and to think about your positioning”.

What are the benefits of working as part of a network?

Once the offer has been established it then needs to be publicised via “an efficient, well-referenced website that needs to be bilingual at least and active presence on social media, where you need to be mindful of your e-reputation”, claims the expert. And because strength comes in numbers, connecting with marketing boards, producers’ organisations, chambers of agriculture and commerce, county, regional and local tourist information boards and other service providers is also pivotal to marketing and promotion. Joining certain schemes also boosts the effectiveness of networking – these include the ‘Vignobles & Découvertes’ endorsement by Atout France and competitions like the Best of Wine Tourism. Another way to boost sales is through “specialised online booking platforms and incoming agencies which are useful relays for reaching out to new customer audiences, particularly internationally”, concludes Leparmentier Dayot. The rest is up to you!

Florence Jaroniak,© pexels Sama Bairamova

*Established in 1999 by the Bordeaux Gironde CCI, the Great Wine Capitals Global Network aims to promote conversations among its members on trade, tourism and education. It organises the Best of Wine Tourism competition which every year awards the properties and service providers that offer unique, quality wine tourism solutions.

Bibliography (available as free downloads on the Atout France website):

https://www.atout-france.fr/fr/catalogue/etudes-publications/tourisme-et-vin-reussir-la-mise-en-marche

https://www.atout-france.fr/fr/catalogue/rendez-vous/imex-america-2023