ROMA (ITALPRESS) – The new edition of the Italian Food and Wine Tourism Report curated by Roberta Garibaldi, president of the Italian Food and Wine Tourism Association (AITE) and professor at the University of Bergamo, with the support of Visit Emilia and Valdichina Living, puts for the first time the international question at the centre. And the results, presented today at the Bto-Be Travel Onlife in Florence, of the Report that since 2016 monitors with rigor and continuity the evolution of one of the most strategic segments for national tourism, confirm the exceptional attractiveness of the “taste” factor among international travelers who choose Italy as a destination for their holidays.
Analyzing in a comparative way the six most important foreign markets for Italy — Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Austria, Switzerland and France — Report 2025 allows to understand not only the interest in food and wine tourism, but also the expectations and experiences experienced by foreign tourists in Italy. “To understand how they see us and how they live is the first step to govern change, in a sector that continues to grow at sustained pace, affirming itself as one of the most dynamic segments of the global tourist economy.” explains Roberta Garibaldi.
LA FONDAMENTALE ATTRAZIONE DEL GUSTO PER GLI STRANIERI
The Report points out that, in the last three years, between domestic and international travel, the share of tourists who traveled for food and wine varies from 60% in the UK to 74% in France, with an increase from 2016 between 15 to 28 percentage points. And Italy is mainly associated, as the destination of the trip, to “food and wine”, cited from 55% of the Germans and the Swiss/Austrians and from 54% of the Americans; Only among the French who choose Italy prevail historical monuments (50%).
In the choice of destination, they count mainly the beauty of the rural landscape (over 80% in all markets, with a maximum of 88% in France) and the presence of local restaurants (81% in France, 79% in the USA). Americans attribute more value to thematic experiences (69%) and gourmet restaurants (59%).
The main reasons for discovering food and wine are to try new experiences (52% in the UK and the USA) and enrich your cultural heritage (34% in France), followed by fun (36% USA). The French stand out to see food and wine as an opportunity to indulge in luxury (36%), while Germans and Swiss/Austrians to immerse themselves in rural landscapes.
The most attractive regions for international tourists are Tuscany (69% US/FR; 66% AT+CH), Sicily (66% FR; 62% US), Sardinia (63% FR) and Puglia (63% FR). Among the tourist destinations are Chianti (up to 41% US) and Etna (up to 40% FR), Montepulciano (42% AT+CH), Montalcino (27% US) and Bolgheri (25% AT+CH). Good preferences also for Cinque Terre (26% AT+CH) and Food Valley of Emilia-Romagna (24% US).
The Report then takes into account the inspirational sources, with a great role of the traditional – the councils of friends and relatives come to represent 60% in Germany, UK and USA – and the means chosen for the booking of experiences, with the digital channels that take relevance especially between French and Americans, while Germans and British show a greater propensity to decide on the spot. Artificial intelligence is growing. Local restaurants (68% for French, 71% AT+CH) but also ethnic groups, then wine cellar visits (up to 36% in AT+CH area), followed by dairies (34% in France) and breweries (25% FR, 26% US). The availability of expenditure: for a typical meal the majority is concentrated between 21 € and 60 € (more than 50% of the cases in each country), for wine tasting tours prevails the 21–40 € band (up to 35% in AT+CH area), while the experiences in acetary and taste museums are located for more than half of the respondents under 20 €.
Finally, here is the intention of travelling to Italy by foreign tourists, who in the next three years is very high: the quota “very probable + probable” goes from 55% in Germany to 81% in AT+CH (UK 59%, US 57%, FR 70%); the “very likely” touch 50% in AT+CH and 34% in France. And the inclusion of food and wine experiences in the holiday package is important: the 8–10 ratings reach 62% in the USA, followed by 38–40% in the UK/FRAT+CH and 36% in Germany. A high potential, in addition to the wine world, characterizes oleotourism, with experiences like dinners in olive groves (over 50% in all markets) and beer tourism.
LE NUOVE TRAIETTORIE DEL TURISMO DEL GUSTO
From research it emerges clearly how food and wine tourism is entering a new phase. Today’s traveler does not only look for the “iconic crime”, but a deeper relationship with the territories, people and stories that live there.
We observe a return to the essential, made of simple experiences and rooted in the landscape, where the value lies in the gestures of hospitality and the daily life of agricultural production. In parallel, interest in forms of gastronomic intimacy grows, such as dedicated tables, direct meetings with chefs and producers, tastings for small groups treated in a personal way.
There are also real communities of taste, from wine clubs to shared gardens, to shared kitchens: spaces where food returns to be occasion of relationship and belonging. Finally, the trend of well-being and longevity is strengthened, which brings travelers to choose places where the quality of life, the environment and food is perceived as an integral part of experience – as happens in the Italian Blue Zones. In this perspective, the food and wine experience evolves: it is no longer just a matter of tasting a territory, but of getting involved.
GOVERNANCE E INNOVAZIONE: LA SFIDA DEI TERRITORI
To accompany this change, the Italian destinations are called to strengthen four key levers:
Stewardship territoriale: passare dalla sola promozione alla cura condivisa del territorio e delle sue comunità;
Misurazione degli impatti: valutare non solo i flussi, ma gli effetti sociali, culturali e ambientali del turismo;
Digitalizzazione e intelligenza artificiale: strumenti indispensabili per migliorare visibilità, personalizzazione e gestione delle presenze;
Professionalizzazione delle competenze: soprattutto nelle realtà agricole, artigiane e nelle piccole imprese, che rappresentano l’ossatura del settore.
Competitiveness is no longer determined by the number of visitors, but by the quality of experience, the ability to keep alive the territories and the shared value that tourism is able to generate.
In Italy characterized by contrasting territorial dynamics: on the one hand the iconic destinations that continue to record high tourist flows, on the other villages and internal areas that struggle to maintain economic and social vitality. In these contexts, the progressive reduction of local services and productive activities is accompanied by the loss of traditional skills and knowledge. Food and wine tourism can be a strategic lever for enhancement and regeneration: generates economic value and relates agriculture, crafts, hospitality and culture. “Because this potential translates into concrete results – says Garibaldi – a systemic approach is needed that integrates cohesion policies, adequate infrastructures, targeted tax measures and a strengthening of professional skills.”.
A crucial point is the communication aimed at new generations. Food and wine tourism must change language: no longer need traditional brochures and storytelling, it serves an authentic, visual, viral digital presence. Yet, only a small percentage of Italian farms is present on platforms such as TikTok or YouTube, while these are the spaces where the perception of made in Italy is formed among young people from all over the world.
AI, CHI NON APPARE NON ESISTE
One of the most innovative sections of the Report is dedicated to the impact of artificial intelligence. Already today, 21% of American tourists and 18% of the French plan their journey through platforms that integrate it, which will become increasingly important not only in terms of programming experience, but also as means of substitution/integration of current online research. This revolution determines the need, for companies, to have the cards in order to be selected by artificial intelligence. If a company’s data is not up-to-date or unreadable by AI systems, that reality simply risks not to exist digitally. For this reason, the Report proposes an operating box – “Denter or off the digital map” – with concrete indications for companies, DMOs and consortia: standardize data, be present on global experiential portals (GetYourGuide, Viator, Airbnb Experiences, Musement,…), use structured formats and build shared information networks. “Artificial intelligence – says Garibaldi – is not only a support: it is the new infrastructure of tourism”. And who will be able to dialogue with it, maintaining authenticity and quality, will be the protagonist of the next phase.
COMPETENZE E NUOVE PROFESSIONI
Another key issue concerns skills. Many farmers and artisans, excellent in their business, do not have the digital or tourist knowledge necessary to open up to the market of experience. For this reason, the Report recalls the evidence of the White Paper on Enogastronomic Tourism Professions (Garibaldi, 2024), which identified crucial figures such as hospitality manager, food and wine tourism advisor, visitor manager, food and wine tourism product manager and curator. The future goes from a territorial support network: Shared consultants made available by DMO, consortia and associations to accompany small businesses in the technological and tourist transition. “Our production fabric is made of small but extraordinary excellence. We must allow them to become part of a larger ecosystem, without falling apart but learning to be readable in the digital world,” says Garibaldi.
UN MODELLO ITALIANO FONDATO SUL VALORE
The trends emerged outline a profound transformation scenario, in which food and wine tourism is established as a strategic lever for a more human, integrated and responsible development, capable of enhancing the territories not only as places of consumption, but as cultural, social and economic ecosystems in evolution. The real frontier is to integrate three forms of intelligence — natural, social and artificial — as complementary components of the same ecosystem. It is only from their balance that a truly regenerative development model can be born, in which the data dialogues with nature and communities maintain a central role. “the future of food and wine tourism is no longer measured in volumes, but in the value generated — economic, social and cultural. In a world that tends to the artificial, the most advanced intelligence could come back to be the one that arises from the harmonious relationship between man, community and nature: the principle that has always supported the deep value of Italian cuisine and the territories that express it. Italy has the resources to build a distinctive model, in balance between tradition and innovation, between local and global, between identity and sustainability. A model able to return meaning to travel, dignity to work and future to communities. Food and wine tourism can become the laboratory of an Italy that combines business, culture and territory. We have all the ingredients to succeed,” Garibaldi concludes.
Speaks on this Simone Fornasari, President of Visit Emilia, which highlights how these themes have been developed effectively: “All Emilia should become a heritage of humanity. In the provinces of Piacenza, Parma and Reggio Emilia the taste has become culture, identity and art. Since 2015, when Parma has been recognized UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy, we have built an extraordinary network that today has 291 Food and Wine operators, 7 Michelin star restaurants and 8 Food Museums. Every product PDO and IGP tells centuries of wisdom: the Parmigiano Reggiano that ages slowly, the Prosciutto di Parma that smells of fresh air of the hills, the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar that is born from an ancient alchemy. To enhance this extraordinary heritage there is a bicycle route that crosses the Food Valley: 360 kilometers between Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Parma, where pedaling means immersing yourself in a unique ecosystem made of flavors, medieval villages and landscapes that have conquered the world. An experience that transforms every visit into an unforgettable memory.”.
Michele Angiolini – Mayor of Montepulciano, municipality leader of the Community Tourist Area Valdichiana Senese confirms: “Enogastronomic tourism is a strategic key to sustainable development of the territories like ours, where the quality of local productions, a strong cultural identity and an iconic landscape blend naturally. The data of the Report confirms a trend that we have long been meeting in Valdichiana Senese: international visitors seek authentic experiences, linked to taste but also to the story of places and people. The challenge is to continue to offer value tourism and an authentic experience of our places. ”
The research is carried out thanks to the support of Visit Emilia and Valdichiana Living, and can be downloaded free of charge from www.robertagaribaldi.it .
– photo press office Associazione Italiana Turismo Enogastronomico –
(ITALPRESS).
