The Drinks+ media group, in collaboration with the Marketing agency MIX, has presented a global initiative to support wine tourism around the world – Wine Travel Awards, an award of a new educational format. Already today, a number of reputable international organizations have announced their intention to support this socially significant project.

As you know, on the eve of the pandemic tourism was one of the most profitable and dynamic industries in the world: in 2018 alone, it brought in $ 8.8 trillion and for the eighth year in a row grew faster than the global economy. Wine tourism also developed at an extremely intensive pace, which gave not only attractive economic indicators, but even led to the emergence of new professions, primarily wine guides and ambassadors.

Two years ago, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) identified wine tourism as the fastest growing niche market. In addition, in some wine regions, this segment has often had a greater impact on the economy than the wine industry itself. More importantly, wine tourism has come to be seen as one of the keys to sustainable regional development, as it creates jobs and at the same time protects and promotes cultural heritage.

According to Drinks+, wine tourism can and should be part of every national tourism strategy. And in countries such as Ukraine or Moldova, where the infrastructure is less developed than in Western Europe or the United States, wine tourism could form the most attractive and successful destinations.

A study conducted by the Geisenheim University (Germany) proved the effectiveness of wine tourism. The polls carried out received very encouraging responses. For example, German winemakers were asked what, in their opinion, the main advantages of wine tourismare. The most common answer: it ensures the survival of the winery. Several respondents even stated that it is also a marketing tool to increase sales and brand awareness.

A recent online survey of German winemakers concluded that wine tourism averages 24% of a winery’s turnover. Moreover, the smaller the size of the winery, the higher this percentage turned out to be. For example, for a winery with a production area of ​​up to seven hectares, wine tourism services account for more than a third of the company’s turnover.

Thus, on the eve of the pandemic, wine tourism entered the pool of budget-forming industries in many countries. And it is in it that Drinks+ sees the most effective tool for renewal of the tourist flows up to the post-pandemic levels.

To support this sector, the Drinks+ media group, which has almost 30 years of experience in the industry, including its own author’s tours, has developed a large-scale project Wine Travel Awards. The focus of this initiative will be wine guides, ambassadors of wines and wine regions (both influencers and associations of winemakers, brewers, and farmers), the Wine Routes facilities themselves – Wine Museums, wineries, restaurants, hotels and tasting rooms, distilleries and other places that form tourist routes.

In addition, the task of the Wine Travel Awards is to find, highlight and inform the community about the brightest ambassadors and effective guides, underrated and little-known destinations, lecturers and educational excursions that open up new wine corners of the planet. Wine Travel Awards will also tell about new books and blogs regarding wine, specialized media and personalities – photographers, operators, and writers.

Wine Travel Awards is a new format award. This is not a rating – but a year-long information campaign to draw attention – to people, regions and wines, local products. An important result of the project will be a list of the best places to visit in the participating countries, posted on the website www.winеtravelawards.com (the site will be launched at the end of 2021 for voting). There will also be a special edition of the printed guide featuring articles representing all nominees.

For foundersand partners of Wine Travel Awards, the process is more interesting and more important than the result: it is not just an opportunity to win and receive a sign of respect, which, of course, is an honor. Most importantly, these awards provide an opportunity for wineries, farms and other host companies to gain recognition for their efforts to attract tourists to their region. And, certainly, international fame because of the well-thought advertising strategy of the Wine Travel Awards.

The peculiarity of the Wine Travel Awards concept is that in some countries no traditional competition-oriented qualifying rounds will be held; instead, presentations of participants at national levels will be conducted. Within the framework of wine exhibitions or Wine Days of different countries, presentations of the Wine Travel Awards project and the nominees themselves will be held, including lectures and tastings of wines and local products. Ukraine, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Moldova, France, Spain, and Georgia have already entered the list of key countries for the Wine Travel Awards presentations.

The top task of Wine Travel Awards will be to create a special informational space in the field of winemaking and wine tourism. Wine Travel Awards plans to form a special community of wine travelers around the world, which will bring together professionals and winelovers.

And when the borders are reopened, we’ll be able to travel along the Wine Roads of the world, relying on the information of the Wine Travel Awards – about people, wines and places!

We invite informational partners, sponsors and everyone who loves wine and life to cooperate!

If you are interested, please contact: dimdi@ukr.net

Registration of nominees has already started.

• enotourism
• Gastronomic tourism
• Heisenheim University
• Wine Roads
• wine tourism
• Wine Travel Awards
• World Tourism Organization