UNWTO and the Government of Italy to hold the 6th World Conference on Wine Tourism

15-09-22

Under the slogan "What's next? Wine tourism meets innovation" and building on the success of the five previous editions, the sixth edition of the Conference will be held from 19 to 21 September 2022 in Alba, in the Piedmont region, the heart of the "Piedmont Wine Landscape: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato", recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

With more than 30 international speakers, the Conference will focus on the role of innovation in the future of wine tourism, how wine tourism can become 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 says: "As the sector's recovery moves forward, I am confident that the Conference will represent a unique opportunity to learn from the experiences of these difficult 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 selling wine, which is obviously 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 people who designed those landscapes with the rows of vines".

Now that the recovery of the sector is moving forward, I am confident that the conference will represent a unique opportunity to learn from the experiences of these difficult times to ensure a successful and resilient wine tourism sector in the future.

"Wine tourism has an environmental sustainability component. It is part 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".

"For these reasons, the UNWTO Alba Conference is undoubtedly a great event for the Piedmont region. But it is also a great event for all Italian regions, because it is an international showcase for the whole Italian territory".

"Wine is a driving force for Italy's image around the world, and an increasingly popular tourist attraction for visitors, thanks to the way it blends in with our country's distinctive culture, art and history. In the current uncertain circumstances, it is essential to strengthen the sector's ability to remain competitive, so the Alba event will be a crucial opportunity for the wine world to reflect on the prospects and challenges facing wine tourism," said ENIT Director General Roberta Garibaldi.

Piedmont Regional Councillor for Tourism, Vittoria Poggio, said: "We are honoured to host this important Conference, which will be preceded and accompanied by a rich programme of wine-related events throughout Piedmont. It will be a perfect moment to show the world the excellence of wine and tourism in our region, and to discuss new issues and opportunities for the sector".

Mariano Rabino, President of the Langhe Monferrato Roero Tourist Board, said: "We are proud that the Langhe Monferrato Roero region has been chosen to host the 6th UNWTO World Wine Tourism Conference. It is the first time that this Conference will be held in Italy and hundreds of delegates and institutional representatives will come to our region to attend the event. Not only will they have the opportunity to discuss the main issues of wine tourism, but they will also be able to discover the beauty and uniqueness of our hills. Our region is a pioneer in the wine tourism sector and one of the first in Italy and in the world to interpret the needs of a constantly growing tourism market. The challenge now is to continue on this path, keeping the compass oriented towards a development that seeks innovation, diversification and environmental, economic and social sustainability".

Over the two days of this edition, 300 industry professionals, leading experts and institutional representatives will benefit from the live debates, keynote speeches and workshops that experienced speakers will bring to Alba.

Among them, David Furer, wine journalist, Harpers, and director of the Wine Future and Green Wine Future programmes; Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food; Tanisha Townsend, head of wine at Girl Meets Glass; chef Pilar Rodríguez of Food & Wine Studio and UNWTO Ambassador for Gastronomic Tourism; Mauro Agnoletti, UNESCO Chair, Institute of Agricultural Heritage Landscapes, University of Florence; Marta Domènech Tomas, Director General of Tourism of Catalonia (Spain); Martin Hawke, Head of Global Product, WINERIST; Pamela Lanier, founder of the Sonoma Sustainable Tourism Observatory; Roberta Garibaldi, Director General of the Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT); Niklas Ridoff, CEO of WineTourism. com; David Mora, founder of Wine Tourism School; Filippo Polidori, Food GURU and CEO of Polidori and Partners; Jana Kreilein, founder of the.wine. girl; Julia Zuccardi of Bodegas Zuccardi; Sofía Ruiz Cavanagh, CEO of Wineobs; Martin Lhuillier, Head of Wine Tourism at Atout France, the French National Tourist Office; Luca Balbiano, President of the Italian Urban Vineyards Association; António Pé-Curto, CEO and founder of Alle Wine; and Santiago Vivanco, Vice President and CEO of the Vivanco Foundation.

The Conference also includes a High Level Panel on the Future of Wine Tourism, where 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, Trade and Services of Portugal, the Minister of Tourism, Post, Cooperation and Expo of San Marino and the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Serbia will discuss the policies needed to move wine tourism forward.

Since 2016, the Conference has highlighted the importance of wine tourism for 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.