Source: UN Tourism
Source: UN Tourism
Source: UN Tourism
Source: UN Tourism
Source: UN Tourism

The importance of partnerships and cooperation to build sustainability and community development was emphasized at the sixth edition of the UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism.

Held in the city of Alba, Piedmont, Italy, the conference brought together more than 300 leading public and private sector experts from 30 countries around the theme of "What next for wine tourism?. The event was organized in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Tourism, the National Tourist Board – ENIT, the Piedmont Region and the Langhe Monferrato Roero Tourism Board.

Wine tourism for cultural preservation

Welcoming delegates, UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili said. “Well-managed tourism is a powerful tool for rural development, innovation and the preservation of our culture and our nature. This Conference is part of our work to take the benefits of tourism and create new opportunities for rural areas. The past two years have brought major shifts in the world and in tourism. They have accelerated many challenges already in motion – from digital to sustainability. Wine tourism is no exception.”

Participants stressed the importance of expanding the links between wineries and wine-producing territories to promote innovative experiences that value local products and traditions, the landscape, heritage, gastronomy and people. The role of women and youth in the development of wine tourism was also highlighted. To this end, investment in wine tourism in rural areas should be encouraged, as this can motivate young people to become involved in the activity and preserve the knowledge and traditions of their region.

Digital transformation gathers pace

The conference also debated the role of technology in enhancing wine tourism offering and attracting tourists and how these innovative tools can impact on the experience of the client who seeks fulfillment in their lifestyle and traveler experience. Benefitting from expert insights from Argentina, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States of America, participants could deep dive into a road ahead created with a vision of community.

On this occasion, UNWTO and Slow Food signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate and formalize the intention of both organizations to work together in promoting gastronomic tourism as a tool for development and socioeconomic inclusion, especially in its links with rural development.

La Rioja in Spain will host the 2023 edition of the UNWTO World Conference on Wine Tourism.

RELATED LINKS

About UN Tourism

The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

Our Priorities

Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.

Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.

Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.

Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members' competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.

Advancing tourism's contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.

Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.

Our Structure

Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.

Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.

Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism's 500 plus Affiliate members.

UNWTO Communications Department
+34 91 567 8100
UN Tourism