Food and wine drive Italian tourism

Expedia Group highlights how cities and regions of Italy, where numerous food and wine itineraries take place, recorded significant growth in tourist demand in the third quarter of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018.
Food and Wine - Photo by Gerhard Gellinger
Food and Wine - Photo by Gerhard Gellinger

More and more often, Italian and foreign tourists have the desire to transform a trip into a culinary journey with the aim of experimenting with new flavors and new places.

According to the data of ExpediaGroup, regions like the Sicilia, Piemonte , Sardinia, in which numerous events take place food and wine itineraries, recorded significant growth in tourism demand in the third quarter of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018.

Food and wine drive tourism in the territories

It seems that food and wine have become the "engine" of travel and the expressions of a territory. Tourists are increasingly curious to transform a trip into a culinary itinerary with the aim of experiencing new flavors and new places, and Italy with its food traditions is a destination of excellence for this type of tourism. In this regard, the report on Italian food and wine tourism 2019 underlines that this trend especially affects Generation

The same report highlighted an increase in interest in travel experiences related to food, wine and Italian food traditions. In 2016, some studies showed that only 21% of traveling Italians were interested in this type of tourism, increasing to 30% in 2017, and 45% in 2018. In the last three years, 45% of Italian tourists have undertaken a journey with the aim of living a food and wine experience.

Sicilia

In Sicilia, where the typical dishes are a riot of colors and flavours, cities like San Vito Lo Capo e Agrigento, achieved in the third quarter of 2019 an increase in tourist demand of almost 20% and just over 15% respectively compared to the same period of 2018. During the month of September in San Vito lo Capo, for example, carries out the international gastronomic competition Cous Cous Fest. The festival, which attracts interest from all over the world, both culinary and beyond, was born from the desire to combine couscous with a passion for food, cultural exchange and the desire to party.

Piemonte

In Piemonte, and more precisely in the territory between Langhe and the Monferrato, which recorded an increase in tourist demand of almost 20% compared to the same period in 2018, there are numerous wine-growing itineraries to discover wines and cellars. Precisely during the month of September the Monferrato hills come alive with tourists for the most important moment of the agricultural season: the grape harvest. Trips to these locations are a means of getting to know new wines and observing the places where they mature. In addition to this, with the aim of highlighting the importance of the wine supply chain in Italy, in 2014 the Vitivinicultural Landscapes di Langhe-Roero e Monferrato have been recognized as an integral part of the World Heritage ofUNESCO.

Sardinia

In Sardinia, Alghero, the region of Gallura e Villasimius recorded an increase in tourist demand of almost 20% and just over 30% respectively compared to the same period of 2018. These places, particularly popular during the months of July and August, were the scene of numerous Exhibitions, festivals and fairs whose protagonists were the typical products of the region.

Some examples? Villasimius was chosen as one of the numerous stages for the “International Taste Festival”, an event dedicated to the best of traditional Italian cuisine in format street food.

"We know that today's tourists, especially Millennials, are always looking for a variety of tours and activities to participate in during their stay. The gastronomic itineraries, which increasingly involve travelers from all over the globe, have the task of making known not only local tastes, but also the territories and local companies of excellence"He comments GGiovanni Moretto, Director of Market Management, Italy, Expedia Group. "We are honored that Italian beauties and tastes push tourists to visit the various territories that host these itineraries. Expedia Group is always trend-conscious to ensure we support hoteliers in emerging and popular locations with the latest innovations and technologies to reach these travelers and drive demand to their property.”.

ExpediaGroup

Il Expedia Group works in close contact with Italian hoteliers, in order to allow an improvement in their performance, a targeting of their reservations and the optimization of their strategy, leveraging the development of new technologies to be allocated to partner accommodations so that they can take advantage of them to grow your business.

Il Expedia Group conducts important research on how travelers book, as well as identifying the needs of its partner accommodations. Alongside this research, the company is making significant investments: more than $1,6 billion in technology and content production in 2018, resulting in new tools from Expedia brands, plus further developments from Expedia Group Partner Central for partner accommodation. An example of this is the platform supporting online conversations, which allows direct dialogue and greater engagement between hoteliers and guests at all stages of the journey, and which aims to create a personalized experience for guests, to ensure that hoteliers can guarantee services and comforts tailored to the consumer. Since the platform launched in 2016, more than 6 million conversations have been recorded between hoteliers and guests, with more than 9,8 million messages exchanged. This data demonstrates how guests place a strong value on communication from hoteliers before their stay and, above all, how this positively influences the experience.

Posted in

Comment first

Leave a comment

The email address will not be published.


*