4 Reasons to Develop Wine Tourism at Your Estate

Not yet welcoming visitors to your winery? After reading this article, you’ll surely change your mind! Discover 4 reasons to develop wine tourism at your winery.

Promoting French winemaking expertise

In France

Although wine is produced in many countries, France possesses a millennia-old expertise of inestimable value. Its heritage and its terroirs must be preserved and promoted at various levels. And yes, it is partly the responsibility of our French winemakers—who now offer a variety of activities—to showcase their expertise to the most curious among the French. In fact, French residents are quite receptive to wine tourism offerings: French visitors accounted for 58% of all wine tourists in 2017 (according to Atout France).

If you haven't already, you know what to do next weekend!

Around the world

While French expertise is recognized internationally (at least when it comes to wine), we must continue these promotional efforts to preserve it and attract even more visitors. The skills of our winemakers must not be lost, and this requires raising their profile and sharing their expertise.

Although South African and New Zealand vineyards attract many visitors each year, it is important to continue promoting French wines. Thanks to the joint efforts of institutions, educational institutions, and businesses, winemakers will be able to welcome wine tourists with confidence and thus help wine tourism in France thrive.

Raise awareness of your vineyard

Word of mouth: a winemaker’s best friend

Marketing and communications experts will tell you that word of mouth is the best form of media. In 2010, France was the world’s largest wine producer, with 45 million hectoliters. When 20% of 1,000 French tourists choose their vacation destination based on the region’s vineyards (according to AFIT), the stakes are high for wine producers. Opening their estates to tourists is the perfect opportunity for winemakers to get the word out about their work and meet customers face-to-face.

Boosting Sales Through Wine Tourism

Embracing wine tourism is also a way to build customer loyalty. Welcoming tourists to your winery for a tasting or other activities has the potential to turn a tourist into a consumer of your product. Furthermore, on-site sales are common when wine tourists visit the estate: according to Atout France, a tourist spends an average of €250 on wine consumption or purchases directly at the winery. This arrangement benefits both parties, as the customer buys at the estate price (no commission charged per bottle) and the winemaker saves on shipping costs.

As both the world’s top tourist destination and leading wine producer, France has everything it needs to become the world’s top wine tourism destination. If you own a vineyard, don’t wait any longer—jump on the wine tourism bandwagon!