Italian Wineries Struggle to Convert Tourist Interest Into Visits Due to Poor Accessibility

Italian wine tourism is showing strong growth, with the sector now valued at €3 billion. This trend was a central topic at Vinitaly 2026 in Verona, where industry leaders and researchers discussed both the opportunities and challenges facing Italian wineries. The event, organized by Movimento Turismo del Vino, highlighted new data from a study by the Centro Studi Enoturismo e Oleoturismo (Ceseo) at Lumsa University. The research, which surveyed 300 member wineries, found that foreign tourists make up 35-40% of visitors to Italian wineries.

Despite this demand, only a small share of international tourists are visiting wineries. In 2025, Italy welcomed 104 million foreign tourists, but less than 10% visited a winery. Experts say the main challenge is not attracting interest but making wineries more accessible. Physical access remains a barrier, with many visitors struggling to reach rural wine estates from airports or train stations. The study found that direct wine sales at wineries or through shipping are the most significant source of tourism revenue, ahead of paid tours or events.

The research also showed regional differences in visitor numbers. In 2025, 12% of wineries in Central Italy received more than 5,000 visitors, compared to 10% in the South and Islands and 7% in the North. Between 2,000 and 5,000 visitors were reported by 19% of wineries in the South and Islands, 18% in Central Italy, and 12% in the North. Visitor numbers increased across all regions: 63% of Northern wineries saw growth, compared to 50% in Central Italy and 67% in the South and Islands.

International visitors are especially important for Central Italy, where 46% of wineries report that over half their guests are from abroad. This figure drops to 31% in the South and Islands and just 15% in the North.

Digital visibility is another area needing improvement. The study found that 65% of Northern wineries do not explain on their websites how to reach them by train, bus or taxi. The same is true for 59% of Central Italian wineries and 56% in the South and Islands. As a result, nearly all visitors arrive by private car. Tourist buses are more common in Central Italy (50%) and the South and Islands (48%), but less so in the North (32%). Private transport services organized by wineries are most common in the South (21%), compared to a national average of 13%.

Travel costs can also be high. In the South and Islands, 17% of visitors spend over €200 to reach a winery from a train station or airport; this figure is just 7% in Central Italy. The most common expense range is €50-100: this applies to 37% of Northern visitors, 34% in Central Italy and 36% in the Islands. From airports, reaching a winery by taxi or private car costs €50-100 for 59% of Northern visitors, 38% in Central Italy and 36% in the South and Islands. Only in the South do some visitors (21%) spend less than €50.

The connection between wineries and local tourism systems remains weak. More than half of Italian wineries do not work with local operators selling wine tours; Central Italy is an exception with a higher rate of collaboration (38%). Tourist offices promote winery visits for just 44% of Northern locations, 35% in Central Italy and 30% in the South and Islands. Many wineries are unaware if their local tourist office offers such services.

Communication with travel agencies is also limited. In Northern Italy, 63% of wineries do not send proposals or experiences to agencies unless specifically requested; this figure improves but remains high at 47% for Southern regions and islands. In Central Italy it drops to 29%, with one-third sending information more than once per year.

The study identified three main areas for improvement: physical accessibility—working with local transport providers to reduce reliance on private cars; digital visibility—ensuring websites clearly explain how to reach each winery; and stronger partnerships with tourism operators—following Central Italy’s example of regular communication with agencies.

Tourism Minister Gianmarco Mazzi attended the event and stressed his commitment to supporting wine tourism as a way for wineries to sell directly while reducing costs. He noted that wine tourists often encourage others to visit through word-of-mouth recommendations and that wine tourism can help ease overcrowding in major cities by spreading visitor flows more evenly across regions.

Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombini, president of Movimento Turismo del Vino, emphasized the need for wineries to focus on their unique qualities when hosting tourists rather than just explaining production methods. Barbara Ferro, CEO of Veronafiere, highlighted how wine has become an experience rather than just a product: “We used to buy postcards; now we seek out experiences at wineries.”

Industry leaders agree that improving access, digital presence and collaboration will help transform interest in Italian wine tourism into real visits from travelers around the world.