ENOGASTRONOMY: A PATH TOWARDS THE DISCOVERY OF THE LOCAL CULTURE
Enogastronomy is the union of enology and gastronomy, referred to a territory. It is the wine and culinary tradition of the territory, an alternative reading of the history and geography of a territory from the tables of the populations that inhabit it.
Enogastronomy is an expression of culture of a local community; a component of a region’s identity and consequently an element of differentiation of its offer in the market; it has now become an important tourist segment, opening wide spaces of transversely.
Enogastronomy represents a synthesis, and a very pleasant one, of the context of life of a local community, and we must not forget that it always finishes by coinciding with the tourist’s idea of a holiday. That idea contains many different components, such as the natural environment, history and culture, social models, an particular economic produce.
Enogastronomy is an expression of culture of a local community; a component of a region’s identity and consequently an element of differentiation of its offer in the market; it has now become an important tourist segment, opening wide spaces of transversely.
Enogastronomy represents a synthesis, and a very pleasant one, of the context of life of a local community, and we must not forget that it always finishes by coinciding with the tourist’s idea of a holiday. That idea contains many different components, such as the natural environment, history and culture, social models, an particular economic produce.
In 2015, there were 22,238 agritourism farms (farms licensed to provide accommodation), 494 more than the previous year (+2.3%). Agritourism farms are continuing to offer several services. Tourist packages continue to be offered along with different services, aimed to a better qualification of the agritourist activity linked to the territory where it is located: 8,162 farms provide both accommodation and food serving services, while 10,440 farms add to accommodation other agritourism activities.
MALE, ADULT, GRADUATE, MARRIED, FATHER AND WORKING FREELANCE
This is the identity of the tourist who "consumes" food and wine tourism. The prevalence of men on women is clear but with a travel experience that is often experienced in couples. In terms of names, most of the food and wine tourists are between 30 and 60 years old, mindful of the mobile applications and new technologies, which are self-managing the holiday planning. Under an evolutionary profile, the food and wine tourist is today a more evolved and attentive consumer.
The "Wine Tourism Movement" has traced the identikit of the typical wine-maker. It turns out that 61.3% of visitors are male, and mostly Italian tourists (62% of attendance) are mostly visiting tourists in the local wineries, mostly for couples or groups of friends, against 38% of foreigners.
For 90% of the producers, the activity attracted by many of visitors is the tasting of wines, often accompanied by a guided visit to the farm and the cellar (81%). The visit to the vineyards and the taste of local products are also very effective for over half of the sample. Fewer appear to be theme dinners (with very few visitors responding to 43.7% of respondents) and other activities such as courses and meetings with experts.
The 90% of tourists believe that a restaurant that offers origin labelling products (DOC /IGP/DOP) is preferable, and 34% of them are willing to spend more.
The "Wine Tourism Movement" has traced the identikit of the typical wine-maker. It turns out that 61.3% of visitors are male, and mostly Italian tourists (62% of attendance) are mostly visiting tourists in the local wineries, mostly for couples or groups of friends, against 38% of foreigners.
For 90% of the producers, the activity attracted by many of visitors is the tasting of wines, often accompanied by a guided visit to the farm and the cellar (81%). The visit to the vineyards and the taste of local products are also very effective for over half of the sample. Fewer appear to be theme dinners (with very few visitors responding to 43.7% of respondents) and other activities such as courses and meetings with experts.
The 90% of tourists believe that a restaurant that offers origin labelling products (DOC /IGP/DOP) is preferable, and 34% of them are willing to spend more.
The profiles of the food and wine tourist:
- Authentic: Looks for foods and drinks prepared according to the recipes and traditions of the place, an authentic "gastronomic" (46%)
- Eclectic: Looks for a great variety of experiences-a bit of everything. Choose an Italian coffee one evening and a Thai restaurant in the next (44%)
- Innovative: Experiments and looks for innovative things. Rarely returns to the same places (23%)
- Local: Looks for restaurants and bars strictly in place, ranging from local pub to gourmet restaurant (35%)
- Social: Looks for social experiences related to food, to meet friends and spend time with your family, sit at table (30%)
- Budget: Look for low-budget options without the need for a particular food, but beware of spending (22%)
- Adventurous: Look for unique foods and drinks, with the desire to taste everything, even unusual dishes and away from your eating habits (19%)
- Gourmet: Looks for gourmet restaurants (18%)
- Biological: Looks for organic restaurants. The origin of the ingredients of the recipes is as important as the menu (17%)
- Aesthete: Look for an experience where the environment prevails on food, such as a romantic or themed restaurant (15%)
- Methodical: Looks for what you already know, avoiding surprises (14%)
- Trendy: Looks for food-related, trendy, fashionable experiences. Being "cool" is of primary importance (11%)
- Vegetarian: Looks for vegetarian and / or vegan restaurants and food (8%)