Consorzio del Vino
Brunello di Montalcino®

TOURISM: MONTALCINO READY FOR ARRIVALS MADE IN ITALY THIS YEAR THE GLOBAL BRAND BRUNELLO WILL BE PLAYING AT HOME

 

26/06/2020

TOURISM: MONTALCINO READY FOR ARRIVALS MADE IN ITALY

THIS YEAR THE GLOBAL BRAND BRUNELLO WILL BE PLAYING AT HOME

 

(Montalcino, 26 June 2020). Italians, high-spending, lovers of taste and nature. This is the identikit of the tourists targeted by Montalcino for the summer of 2020, now that the area's wine estates are reopening their doors and hospitality in this iconic Tuscan village, which recorded over 180,000 overnight stays by both Italians and foreigners in 2019, visiting specifically for its wines, is up and running again. One of the epicentres of wine tourism, Montalcino's wineries that open to visitors (by reservation and in complete safety) have teamed up with hospitality operators: one for every 35 residents, including hotels, country guesthouses, wine relais, restaurants, bars and cafés and, of course, winemakers, all looking forward to welcoming the increasing demand from Italians, more and more of whom are deciding to “staycation”.

“We know that it isn't going to be easy to change hospitality targets in a short time, in a place where 2/3 of visitors are usually foreign, with most of them coming from outside Europe” - says Fabrizio Bindocci, chairman of Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino. “However, we are comforted by last year's figure, which saw an almost 5% increase in Italian tourists, and we are very interested in Enit's latest survey, which reveals that 9 out of 10 Italians are planning to spend their holidays in beautiful Italy”. According to the survey by the National Tourism Agency, more than 90% of Italians who have already chosen their holiday destination will be staying in Italy. The most popular destinations revolve around nature (the main motivation for 30% of respondents), food and wine (13.6%) and experiential tourism in the area (11.2%). A favourable match for an area which is 50% covered by woodland, making biodiversity a high added value.

According to surveys carried out by the Region of Tuscany, Montalcino's wine-tourism leverage has proved to be a fundamental asset not only for operators in the wine sector, but for the whole local economy, with a 132% increase in the number of visitors in the last decade alone. The leverage of a global brand like Brunello - combined with the World Heritage status of the Val d'Orcia and the close link with the historicity of the municipality - has led to exponential growth in arrivals. Visitors tend particularly to be non-EU wine lovers, with arrivals from the United States (+178% from 2009 to 2019), well in the lead, followed by Germany (+213%) and Brazil, which, with over 10,000 presences, has increased arrivals over the period by 910%. Among the Italians, attracted not only by wine but also by artisan products such as saffron and honey, record attendance figures are set by visitors from Lombardy, followed by Lazio, Tuscany, Veneto and Emilia Romagna.