Definition: Wine tourism 2

Wine tourism (viticultural tourism) - What can tourism bring to winegrowers, and vice versa?

We conducted a survey in the main wine-producing regions of France and interviewed representatives of professional organisations, experts and specialist journalists (see list in the appendix).

We also made a point of visiting particularly exemplary examples of projects combining tourism and wine-growing, such as Georges Dubœuf's Hameau du Vin; Philippe Raoux's Winery, Les Sources de Caudalie at Château Smith Haut Lafitte owned by Florence Cathiard and Alice Cathiard-Tourbier, in Tuscany and Spain, in La Rioja, one of the most interesting examples of synergy between wine and tourism, which we will discuss further below.

The first observation that emerges from this work is that there are significant untapped resources that could be used to develop wine tourism through the gradual implementation of specific actions. (In this report, we have used the terms wine tourism and wine-related tourism interchangeably, as specified in the commission, but the latter is too complicated. We could also remove the words "wine" or "viticulture" to refer to wine tourism or wine-related tourism).

I therefore propose adopting and standardising the concept of wine tourism, which has the advantage of being internationally understood and recognised. There are many synergies, and this report will show that education and training will have a fundamental role to play.

The second observation is that, while this report provides some solutions, it often highlights areas for reflection and guidelines that will need to be explored in greater depth through specific studies that could be carried out jointly with ODIT-France, La Maison de la France, INAO, VINIFLHOR and the wine industry associations. This is a major undertaking for the future of wine tourism. The prospects are significant enough, I would emphasise, for this work to be carried out seriously by the relevant political, administrative and professional authorities. The objective is obviously to increase the turnover of winegrowers and those involved in tourism.

For winegrowers, it is essential to build on the reputation of "France as a destination" for tourism, which will add value to wine and therefore lead to better prices. Some winegrowers will be able to add what might be called derivative or complementary products, such as guest rooms, cultural or sporting activities, museums, training, etc., providing additional income.

For those involved in tourism, their role will essentially be networking.

Our proposals are based on four main themes:

1. Building a shared culture of promoting French wine heritage through wine tourism, with two key elements: landscapes and architecture;

2. Increasing the visibility of tourism and wine-related offerings;

3. Link wine tourism with other forms of tourism;

4. Provide joint training for those involved in wine tourism.

This joint commission by the Ministers of Agriculture and Tourism is certainly not the first of its kind, but such commissions remain relatively rare. The study showed that interministerial approaches (and one might also consider the Ministries of Culture and Ecology) are a necessity for emerging sectors of activity.

I would like to commend this joint initiative and thank the ministers who entrusted me with this mission.

Paul Dubrulé

Co-founder of the ACCOR group

Former Senator and Mayor of Fontainebleau

Paris, 3 March 2007 INTRODUCTION

The renown and great diversity of French wines can be explained in large part by the variety of terroirs: the wine-growing landscapes are a characteristic aesthetic expression of this diversity, contributing to the country's tourist heritage. Beyond the wines themselves, which are products of worldwide renown, there is a whole complex, both diverse and coherent, which builds around the vine and wine an image, evocations, an identity—in a word, a cultural reality. One of France's major tourist attractions is its invitation to explore, discover and learn about the French art of living. Heritage, landscapes and lifestyle are the three major assets of France's tourist offering. The vineyard landscapes, historical culture and heritage assets of wine-growing, wine culture and the "good" life are emblematic of France. Playing on perception, sensations and pleasure, wine tourism accompanies wines that are both emblematic products and a major economic asset. This offering is diversifying: it is creative, dynamic and inventive. But it is also fragmented, difficult to understand, uneven, and both overabundant and insufficient. One cannot help but be struck by the parallels between the difficulties faced by wine production and the characteristics of the tourism offering. In both cases, the search for ways to better exploit undeniable potential revolves around two questions:

• How can the "products"be improved – and therefore, in terms of wine tourism, what should be associated with French wines in order to offer access to this unique cultural offering and better promote it economically?
• How can the many players in the fieldorganise themselves to build a common strategy that is part of a tourism approach and constitutes real added value for the benefit of the entire sector?

This report aims to take stock of the opportunities offered by tourism linked to wine production, broadening the scope of reflection beyond the wines themselves to take into account the methods and environment of wine production, with particular mention of the landscapes.

It proposes a number of actions and guidelines for promoting this activity, which is an important part of France's tourist heritage.

I - WHERE DOES WINE TOURISM STAND TODAY?

I.1 - WINE TOURISM: A REALITY AND AN ECONOMIC FORCE

Wine tourism, or oenotourism, can be defined as all services related to tourist stays in wine-producing regions:

visits to wine cellars, tastings, accommodation, catering and related activities linked to wine, local produce and regional traditions.

What do we know about wine tourism?

The report published in 2001 by AFIT (Agence Française de l'Ingénierie Touristique), now ODIT-France, is a good starting point for understanding supply and demand in wine tourism. This report is based on an in-depth documentary analysis and a series of surveys of the French population, French and foreign wine tourism customers, institutions and professionals, and visitors to the major wine-producing regions.

The supply survey

The two main motivations for wine tourism are:

- increasing the volume of direct wine sales,

- increase the overall volume of tourism in wine-producing regions.

In its report, AFIT lists nine types of services offered:

1. wine routes,

2. wine trails and hiking paths,

3. organised tours or stays in the vineyards,

4. wine tasting courses,

5. tours and other services offered by wine estates,

6. Museums, wine eco-museums,

7. wine houses,

8. celebrations and festivals,

9. trade fairs, local wine fairs, auctions.

The AFIT estimates that there are around 5,000 cellars, estates, vineyards and châteaux open to the public, covering a total vineyard area of 850,000 hectares. To raise awareness of this offering abroad, Maison de la France set up a working group on wine tourism in 2000, bringing together fifty tourism and wine professionals around two national partners, SOPEXA and VINIFLOHR, illustrating the diversity of services on offer.

The offering is summarised in a map of "wine-producing France" presenting the 17 vineyards of France and their most remarkable sites.

The above information was supplemented by surveys of wine and tourism institutions and wine professionals.

The aim of the survey of institutions was to:

- to complete the inventory of the types of products on the market,

- to ascertain their views on the strengths and obstacles to the development of wine tourism,

- identify actions already taken in the field,

- gather suggestions for avenues of development.

This survey highlights certain points that obviously need to be adapted to different regions:

- a lack of knowledge about the two worlds of tourism and wine "in the field",

- the need to improve the quality of the welcome in wineries with better reception facilities

- the need to improve the quality of the welcome in the cellars with better

- professionalisation of winegrowers in the tourism sector.

- professionalisation of winegrowers in the tourism sector,

- the problem of a lack of commercial accommodation in the vineyards,

- the problem of a shortage of commercial accommodation in the vineyards,

- the issue of wine clarity in the vineyard, with insufficient signage, but also highly variable qua

- the issue of wine clarity in the vineyard, with insufficient signage, but also a highly variable approach to quality depending on the site.

With regard to visitor reception in wineries, in 2004 the AFIT published a mini-guide for professionals entitled "Réussir l'accueil dans les caves" (Successful visitor reception in wineries), which contains a wealth of useful advice.

Examples can also be found abroad, such as the "Morgenhof" estate in South Africa, which was presented at a round table discussion in the Senate on 28 October 2004.

The survey of professionals made it possible to quantify the services offered in their establishments.

These are:

- tasting: 100% (paid in 17% of cases),

- cellar tours: 81% (paid in 14% of cases),

- other activities: 51% (such as vineyard tours (21%), accommodation (15%), wine tasting sessions (10%), meals (6%), etc.).

The main foreign languages spoken are English (81%) and German (46%).

Finally, the survey of group tourism organisers showed that they favour regions with a strong reputation and rarely plan purely wine-related tourism.

In order to improve relations between professionals and foreign travel organisations, Maison de la France organises the "destination vignobles" event every two years. The last one took place in Bordeaux on 19 and 20 October 2006 and enabled around a hundred foreign tour operators to meet with some sixty players in French wine tourism.

The survey on demand

In the AFIT report, the analysis of demand focused mainly on:

- identify the profiles of wine tourism customers at national and regional level,

- identify information and referral networks,

- understand customer motivations and tourist behaviour,

- measure the level of satisfaction with the services offered,

- identify barriers to attendance and the main expectations of the market.

To do this, it relied on:

- an omnibus survey of national customers,

- a survey of tourists visiting wine tourism sites,

- a survey of tourists who are not customers of the vineyard,

The omnibus survey of French people highlights a strong interest in wine and vineyards, as:

• 40% of French people say they have visited a winery during a holiday or weekend in France to tour, taste or buy wine,
• 22% of French people have chosen their destination at least once because they could discover the vineyard and buy wine there,
• 28% have made at least one detour for the same reason.

For French people, the appeal of wine tourism increases with income, age and the absence of dependent children.

The three most popular regions are Bordeaux (21%), Alsace (17%) and Champagne (12%), followed by Languedoc-Roussillon (8%), the Rhône Valley (6%), the south-west outside Bordeaux (6%), the Loire Valley (5%) and Provence-Corsica (3%).

A recent survey (September 2006) conducted by the CSA Institute shows that the two local products to which French people are most attached are cheese (46%) and wine (38%), far ahead of fruit and vegetables (19%) and foie gras (13%).

This survey shows the potential benefits of combining several products in tasting or promotional campaigns, such as cheese and wine, foie gras and wine, or truffles and wine (e.g. the "blends" created by Master Cheesemaker Xavier in Toulouse).

• The on-site survey of French and foreign visitors shows that 67% of visitors to the cellars are French.

The main foreign clientele are Belgian (27%), British (21%), German (15%) and Dutch (11%). Overall, Europe, including Switzerland, accounts for 82% of foreign customers.

Cellar visits and wine purchases are the main activities, with wine purchases averaging around €120 per household. There are high expectations in terms of wine-related gastronomy.

Beyond that, demand focuses on classic leisure tourism with exploring the region (56%), visiting family (29%), and visiting natural (25%) and built (22%) heritage sites.

Based on these surveys, AFIT has developed a typology by positioning individuals on two axes, one expressing their degree of loyalty to the vineyard and the other their motivations, which are either "tourist" or "consumerist".

Four customer groups were thus identified:

- Vineyard enthusiasts (20%) visit the vineyard regularly to stock up on local wines. They have a good knowledge of wine, especially in the vineyard surveyed.

- regional enthusiasts (22%) visit the region regularly for its wine but also to enjoy its tourist attractions,

- Wine enthusiasts (20%) are visiting the vineyard for the first time and are looking to make a purchase. They are knowledgeable about wine in general.

-

- Tourist enthusiasts (38%) are motivated by a desire to discover the region.

an essential part of which is the vineyard and wine, which they appreciate in its cultural and tourist dimension. There are more foreigners in this group.

The survey of tourists staying in wine-growing regions but not visiting wine sites provides little information, as the main reason given for not visiting is that they have other motivations for their stay that take up the time available for visiting vineyards.

• The survey of individual customers makes it possible to identify their interest in certain products. The most popular are:

- a typical meal at a winegrower's (28%),

- an introduction to wine tasting (27%),

- wine and food weekends (22%),

- tasting different wines accompanied by snacks (23%).

Conversely, specific facilities for children and cycling tours attract little interest. For group customers, the programme mainly focuses on products for which wine is just one theme among others (heritage, gastronomy, sport, etc.).

The reputation of the vineyards plays an important role in the choice of region. Alsace and Bordeaux are the most popular destinations. Finally, six criteria appear to be predominant in the choice of cellars to visit:

- the reputation of the brand,

- the quality of the welcome given to groups,

- the facilities for welcoming groups,

- recommendations from tourist offices and institutions,

- the environment, setting and authenticity,

- languages for foreign visitors.

I.2 . WINE TOURISM: PROMISING DEVELOPMENT AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE WINE INDUSTRY CRISIS:

The 2001 AFIT survey provides a baseline. It has been revisited, supplemented and updated in regional or local contexts (for example in Aquitaine by the CRT and CDT Gironde in 2004) or in research work in this field.

Based on the interviews conducted (see Appendix 2), five observations can be made:

1. There is unanimous agreement that the wine crisis, which is perceived as long-lasting, appears to have triggered a dynamic of development.

In this regard, the report submitted by Prefect Pomel to the Minister of Agriculture (in March 2006), proposing a national plan for the restructuring of the wine industry, presents what appears to be a unanimous assessment of the crisis facing the wine industry and identifies the obstacles to be overcome and the assets to be preserved and promoted.

It is worth noting that among the strengths put forward, the fact that "wine is spontaneously associated throughout the world with the French art of living (...) that French viticulture has many positive externalities (...) and that it is a structuring activity for the landscape" features prominently.

Among the handicaps, "the overly complex and unclear offering" with regard to wines can also characterise the wine tourism offering...

As for the objectives pursued, they place great emphasis on the search for innovations that promote demand-driven management, and recommend a cultural approach that takes into account "the preservation of landscapes (...), taste education, (...) the preservation of the dimension of pleasure and festivity in the consumption of new products derived from the vine, a field that must be widely open to all innovations in this area".

The report recommends the implementation of a new management model for the wine industry, notably by grouping products under the concept of "Vins de France" (Wines of France), a designation already used by Maison de la France and SOPEXA in their promotional campaigns abroad.

The modernisation process must be based on three components:

- organising change management,

- injecting new economic momentum into French viticulture,

- provide technical, economic and social support for change.

For our report, the key points to remember seem to be the following:

- organising action within wine-growing regions. The POMEL report identifies 10 such regions, while

- the organisation of action within wine-growing regions. The POMEL report identifies 10 such regions, while the "Vins de France" map used by Maison de la France and SOPEXA lists 17.

-

- the creation of a National Council for French Viticulture, effective since 15 June 2006,

- Redefining the roles of instruments serving viticulture: INAO, which became the National Institute for Origin and Quality (see Decree No. 2002-30 of 5 January 2007 on the promotion of agricultural, forestry, food and marine products), VINIFLHOR, ITV, etc.

- improving the clarity of the offer,

- restructuring vineyards and developing viticultural and oenological practices.

- restructuring vineyards and developing cultivation and winemaking practices.

More generally, it can be noted that periods of crisis have influenced the evolution of vineyards in the past and contributed to the creation of the current situation. For example, the phylloxera crisis provided an opportunity to reshape most vineyards, which had previously been densely planted, giving them the appearance that is now familiar in the form of regular rows.

2. A large majority of opinions point to strong growth in wine tourism and, even more so, highlight the significant potential that is envisaged for this sector. Wine tourism is considered to be one of the sectors of the European economy that will experience strong growth: it responds to a societal demand for quality products, for terroirs, for the typical characteristics of landscapes associated with a high quality of life, where people can engage in leisure activities and participate in cultural events linked to these places.

This observation is not limited to France: for example, a recent meeting on the theme of wine tourism involving 60 wine-producing secondary schools from 11 different European countries highlighted, in different historical and institutional contexts, the promising dynamics observed, the interest of regional networks in this development, and the support provided to the various stakeholders through training. However, this sector sorely lacks reliable, up-to-date and comparable data.

Although many stakeholders are in favour of creating a "wine tourism observatory" that would enable the development and monitoring of shareable knowledge in this field, we must not hide the difficulty of such an exercise.

At the very least, we could ask for the study carried out by AFIT to be updated, which would require financial participation from the operators concerned.

With regard to foreign customers, analysis of visits to the Maison de la France and SOPEXA websites provides some indications of changes in demand and the impact of promotional campaigns. Visits to the "art de vivre/wine" pages of the www.franceguide.com website increased by more than 50% between 2005 and 2006 (for the first eight months of the year), with notable differences between countries (+129% in Belgium, compared with only +21% in the UK and +27% in the US).

3. On the other hand, there is a clear diversity of players from different backgrounds and cultures, operating in a highly competitive environment. The emergence of collective approaches, which are essential for promoting the wine sector in the context of increasingly international tourism, is not a given. Designing these initiatives, and above all implementing them, is an extremely complex undertaking. Public operators are thus responsible for bringing together and attempting to organise the sector, while themselves being extremely compartmentalised.

This organisation leads to a dilution of financial resources, which are already considered to be significantly lower than those devoted by some of our competitors to promoting their products.

For example, VINIFLHOR has spent €5 million on promoting "French wines" in 17 markets, while at the same time the Bordeaux Wine Council has spent €8 million on promoting its own products. Thus, alongside a multitude of initiatives and one-off achievements by private operators, collective approaches can only be carried out by public or semi-public actors, which requires either strong political will and capacity or a common understanding of the difficulties.

4. The dual constraint of seeking diversification and asserting identity.

- There are clear signs of a desire to diversify tourism products linked to wine and vineyards: this diversification through wine tourism is seen as an increasingly important issue in response to the growing demand mentioned above.

This drive for diversification can be illustrated, for example, by the six categories selected by the "Best of Wine Tourism" juries:

The variety of estates on offer encourages tourists to adopt a more open physical and intellectual attitude, ensuring that they get involved in activities during their stay:

·Architecture... it's about... discovering... a story in space

· Art and culture... it's about... opening up... to creativity

· Events... it's about... challenging... your frame of reference

· Landscape... it's about... taking a stroll... with a sensitive approach

· Accommodation... it's about... staying... and feeling good

· Services.........it's about........being welcomed....and enjoying your stay

It is worth noting the lack of reference to gastronomy, which seems to be considered already integrated and therefore excluded from the areas of new initiatives...

- The first difficulty is that of asserting an identity:

As soon as we want to move away from the typical characteristics of a product (wine) in a given place (the estate) on a given date in order to present a broader, clearer and more understandable image, we encounter a major difficulty: that of defining the concept(s) that will "speak" to the tourist-customer and convey the wine tourism offering. The aim is to identify the "emblems" that will resonate and become the "hooks" for a desire to stay.

These "emblems" do not enjoy the same popularity around the world, and what will appeal to a "medium-haul" European tourist will generally not be perceived in the same way by potential tourists from the other side of the globe.

In some cases, the main hook is not the vineyard. This is the case, for example, with CAHORS, which relies on the reputation acquired by its urban heritage and the "secret gardens" initiative, which won the special heritage promotion prize in 2003, to launch a "Cahors - vineyard - garden" competition, encouraging tourists to explore the vineyard to discover the wines, landscapes and heritage with prizes to be won.

The second challenge, once the central concept has been defined and agreed upon, is to determine the boundaries that complete the identity process:

- which territory?

- What characteristics?

- What reference name?

- What guarantee rules?

- ...etc.

In many ways, this approach to defining appellations, which is well known to winegrowers and used by the INAO for agricultural products, can be applied to wine tourism. We are aware of the enormous contribution this has made to viticulture in particular, but also of the limitations we currently see in terms of communication about French wines.

It seems that today there is a growing consensus around a more integrated, broader and more coherent vision of wine in its production heritage, where the cultural dimension takes precedence over the product "wine", even if the latter remains central in terms of economic value.

There is also consensus on the method to be used to achieve this: a system of convergence criteria such as charters (for hospitality, landscaping, good practices, etc.) seems preferable to decreed standards: such a system can harmoniously resolve this dual approach of seeking identity and diversification.

5. Some aspects highlighted in discussions on wine tourism (gleaned from reading promotional material).

Wine tourism is:

- "a way of life, a source of satisfaction and pleasure",

- "a way of life that should be prioritised",

- "an integrated approach combining wine with all products resulting from the alliance between two sectors (food industry and tourism) with a focus on quality",

- "integration into the landscape, which is an asset for wine tourism".

It is also

• an approach:

- "the vine as an image carrier",

- "I discover, I meet, I visit, I learn, I explore, I savour, ...I buy,

- I talk about it, I come back...",

- "a demand for quality that does not lead to uniformity",

- "a celebration of the unique nature of the winemaker's craft","a vocabulary that is promotional, sometimes emphatic, focused on a few specific semantic fields ",

- Places

"Terroirs (necessarily... exceptional!), landscapes, sunshine, vineyards, extraordinary gardens",

"A region where life is an art form... roads, paths..."

- Heritage

"A land of high culture, ancestral traditions, history, wine civilisation; gourmet traditions, initiation, values, cellars, wine stores, traditional housing, winegrowers' houses..."

- The language of the senses and sensuality

"Enchantment, magic, natural delights, surprises, amazement, the imagination of wine, the road to pleasure, a dictionary of wine lovers, gourmet food, gastronomy, well-being, sensations, aromas, fragrances, tasting, taste, etc.

Recipe for happiness, harmony, beauty, luxury, variety, diversity, generosity... and celebration!"

• A staging in privileged locations of a sensory encounter between a product (wine and associated products) and humans (made up of body and mind).

The often systematic use of seduction is obviously central to all types of advertising, regardless of the product: however, it seems particularly well suited to wine tourism, which is characterised by a close and direct relationship with the five senses, in a context of quality.

Some estates, however, are poorly represented or not represented at all.

- History of production and winemaking techniques.

- Landscape and art (painting, photography, etc.)

- Landscape, wine and literature, philosophy.

- Territories

- Artistic creation - contemporary art.

- Health - sport - discovery.

- Health - care - beauty

- Gastronomy (in producers' documents)

- etc.

I.3 - WINE TOURISM: THE "INITIATIVE AREAS"

The exploration of "areas of initiative" in the form of both a review of projects and achievements in progress and, implicitly, suggestions for promoting under-represented sectors, focuses on the diversification of wine tourism offerings: this is a question.

Three directions have been prioritised:

• Wine-related locations: sites, landscapes, heritage, etc.
• Products: wines and related products
• People and lifestyle: winegrowers and wine producers, the culture of taste, tourists, cultured individuals, connoisseurs, physical and intellectual activity, health and beauty, women and feminine sensibility, tomorrow's lifestyle, etc.

I.3.1. - THE PLACES OF WINE: WINE-GROWING LANDSCAPES

Vines and wine have accompanied the civilisations that arose and developed around the Mediterranean basin and have been part of