Enotourism

Wine tourism is used as a term for tourist stays, where the landscape and structural characteristics of wine regions and wine -related activities are in the foreground.

Nature and history

Essence -determining elements are shaped by the wine-growing cultural landscape as well as dining and tourist activities directly related to wine. These include the visit of wine festivals, wine cellars and taverns, but also historical and cultural activities. Wine tourism is therefore closely linked to other forms of tourism, such as recreational or cultural tourism. It includes both day trips and multi-day and week - holiday travel. Allen wine tourist stays, wine -oriented travel motivation of travelers is common.

In some countries, the so-called 'new' wine world such as Australia and New Zealand Wine tourism is a mainstay of the economy since the early 1990s. On the European travel market claimed wine tourism is a niche position; However, its importance is growing. In Germany the wine is subject to massive structural changes in recent years. While the number of wineries decreased continuously, especially small businesses are no longer viable, fewer and fewer companies always manage larger areas. Wine tourism here opens up the possibility of an additional source of income or even livelihood. Even against the backdrop of saturated markets and international competition seems necessary a regional profile of the wine products also.

To Wine tourism has emerged as a topic of economic- tourist or oenological studies at various German universities and colleges.

Conceptual framing

In the literature there is no uniform definition of wine tourism. The " Assembly of European Wine Regions " ( assemblée des régions européennes viticoles - AREV ) According to Wine tourism encompasses all those activities, " where the wine and the local gastronomy of each region with the culture - physical or not -. Connected " On the interdependence of culture and wine tourism make various authors carefully. This is reflected, among other things reflected in the characteristic wine regions components such as wine presses and wine farms. Similarly, the wine -oriented travel motivation is used as a determining feature.

Overall, the wine tourism by three different actors is determined: the wine producers ( winemakers, winegrowers' associations ), tourist operators and travelers. Also the factor of seasonality is an influencing factor, especially since the wine tourism covers largely with the growing season of the vine (May to October).

Wine tourism in Europe

Unlike the European Viticulture Wine tourism has had a short story. Although wine belongs to the European food culture for centuries, the motivated by the Wine Tours is a young phenomenon. In Germany and Austria, the tourist offer spreads around the wine gradually. Even in the classical countries of the wine production - France, Italy and Spain - wins Wine tourism, albeit to a lesser extent than in German-speaking countries, in importance. The wine tourist infrastructure here is improving only slowly. So the French and Italian wineries to which the public remain largely closed. In Portugal form the wine routes, such as the Rota dos Vinhos do Alentejo, the focus of tourism development. A positive image change experienced by the wine currently in the UK; Wine tourism is an increasingly topic of intense interest.