In 2022-2024, 77% of wineries invested in wine tourism, which today is worth the half of profit

Between 2022 and 2024, 77% of Italian wine companies allocated dedicated funds to wine tourism (for comparison, in the hospitality sector, the percentage of operators who invested stopped at 64%), and half of them allocated between 6% and 15% of their turnover. Larger companies show a greater propensity to invest (83%) compared to smaller ones (75%), but it is the latter that invest more (15% of turnover). At a territorial level, over 80% of wineries in the North have made investments in the last three years, while in Central and Southern Italy the percentage is just under 70%. The result is a significant economic return: 49% report that wine tourism accounts for up to 30% of company profit, 33% between 31% and 60%, and 18% of wineries over 60%. For this reason, for the 2025-2027 period, 53% of companies will make new investments, mainly focused on expanding and diversifying activities and services offered. The priorities for the next five years are staff training and sustainability (from reducing water consumption to self-producing energy from renewable sources). This is according to the first Report dedicated to winery management models, investment choices, and Italian wine tourism governance, conducted by Roberta Garibaldi, professor at the University of Bergamo and president of Aite-Italian Association of Food and Wine Tourism, and Srm Research Center linked to the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, and presented today at the opening of “Fine - #WineTourism Marketplace Italy”, the first Italian trade fair entirely dedicated to wine tourism, organized by Riva del Garda Fierecongressi in collaboration with Feria de Valladolid, featuring over 70 realities, including wineries and destinations from Italy and Spain (today and tomorrow).
Report figures - carried out on a sample of 200 companies, a mix of larger, structured players and micro-enterprises to represent the most active realities in the sector - illustrate investments in wine tourism, a phenomenon that has been growing since its inception over 30 years ago, which, today, involves every form of tourism and millions of tourists visiting Italy from all over the world. Companies are dedicating increasing human resources, properly trained, to meet the needs of wine lovers, who significantly impact company revenues through direct sales, experience purchases, and post-visit loyalty. And not only, seen that food and wine tourism has an impact of over 40 billion euros on Italy Gdp.
“The factors influencing investment propensity in wine tourism companies - according to Salvio Capasso of Srm - include improving business performance, wine tourism attractiveness for travelers, and the regulatory framework. Larger companies also consider quality and diversification of the offer, along with attention to new tourist needs”.
According to the Report, although still managed directly by owners in 63% of cases (only 12% have created a dedicated business unit), half of the wineries now employ between 5 and 9 staff for hospitality, and 17% employ more than 10. In Central and Southern Italy, 77% of companies have more than 5 staff, compared to 59% in the Northwest, and 63% in the Northeast. This is because tourism is now a core part of the business, with employment also linked to restaurant and accommodation activities, offered by 36% and 30% of companies, respectively. In winery offerings, visits, tastings, and wine preparation courses still dominate - with an average price, in 51% of cases, between 36 and 50 euros, and in 23% exceeding 50 euros, unlike a decade ago when they were free and considered just a way to sell wine - but, increasingly, outdoor experiences are available - Italian wineries, compared to those in other countries, make better use of the landscape, offering vineyard tours as an experiential asset (90% against 61% globally) and winery visits (+22%) - or cultural events (59%), or even hosting private events such as ceremonies (22%).
Looking at visitor numbers, 68% of companies welcomed between 100 and 2,000 visitors per year, while only a small portion (5%) exceeded quota 5,000. Foreign tourists account for just over 30%, while the European average is 43%, a gap of 12 percentage points. “Italy - explains Roberta Garibaldi - records 31.5% of foreign visitors, compared to a global average of 41-43%, creating a gap of 9.5-11.5 points. This is particularly concerning, considering Italy receives 65 million foreign tourists annually and has a globally recognized wine brand. Even large Italian companies (32% foreign visitors) remain below the global average, indicating a systemic issue rather than individual capacity. International promotion actions of Italian wine tourism has been limited, and this affects results. Governance also shows limits: French wineries collaborate extensively with institutional actors (78%) and specialists (72%), while in Italy this stops at 25%, highlighting weaker systemic integration”. Local visitors account for only 7%, showing untapped potential. Seasonality is marked, with higher attendance in spring and summer and a 10-point drop in autumn. France, by contrast, capitalizes on autumn with harvest and foliage experiences. In Italy, only 23% of wineries offer educational harvest activities. “Foreign visitors, locals, and autumn represent opportunities Italy could invest in to expand and de-seasonalize its wine tourism offer”, underlines Garibaldi.
The study also examined promotion strategies, increasingly focused on social media: 90% of companies use Facebook and 88% Instagram, confirming their central role in reaching audiences. Platforms popular among under-30s, such as YouTube (17%) and TikTok (8%), remain marginal. Advanced technologies are still rarely used: less than 1% employ Ai-based chatbots; of all investments made in the last three years, only 1.2% went to Ai solutions and 2.9% to Crm systems for offer management. But, also regarding sales, direct channels - phone and email - still dominate, only a quarter of companies use online experience platforms, and 27% collaborate with travel agencies or tour operators. For this reason, concludes Roberta Garibaldi, “it is essential to strengthen the presence on channels most used by younger generations, who may find wine tourism a gateway to wine, and expand the digital presence of companies. Ai will play an increasingly important role in guiding information, choice, and booking processes for tourist experiences. Today, a widespread, coherent, and authoritative digital presence is necessary to be showcased by Ai as a visit-worthy experience; companies must significantly strengthen their digital footprint”.
Lastly, but not last chapter, on the public side, companies expect investments in public service management policies and, subsequently, recognition of the Hospitality Manager role. “Looking ahead - says, in the end, Salvio Capasso - environmental sustainability, technological innovation, and social inclusion will be the levers for further wine tourism development. Forecasts for the next three years outline cautious but widespread optimism: over half of companies plan new investments, and many expect an increase in visitors and revenues. This indicates a desire to consolidate the offer and strengthen competitiveness in an increasingly dynamic and complex international context. Challenges remain, including slowing consumption, shortage of qualified labor, regulatory pressure, and the need for digitalization, which risk limiting the sector full potential. Companies call for stability, vision, and concrete support tools from public governance. A governance capable of creating synergy among institutions, businesses, and local communities will be crucial to ensure balanced and lasting development, combining competitiveness and social cohesion. In short, wine tourism is entering a phase of selective and qualitative growth. The future requires companies to combine investment and vision, institutions to provide context and support, and territories to build an increasingly integrated and sustainable offer”.