route | Global Wine Tourism Organization

Wine tourism in the Iberia Airlines on board magazine Summer issue (July-August)

July 18, 2023July 5, 2023

Ibero-America – the territory in which Spanish or Portuguese is spoken and which includes Spain and Portugal – is one of the world’s great gastronomic and tourist destinations, rich in native products and traditional and avant-garde recipes.

Madrid is connected to major Ibero-American destinations that serve as designated Capitals. Cases in point are Mendoza (Argentina), the Capital of Gastronomic Harmony, where wine is the protagonist; Puebla and Querétaro (Mexico), the Ibero-American Capital of Gastronomic and Encounter Cultures, respectively; and Asunción (Paraguay), the Capital of the Missions.

Rafael Ansón Oliart, President of the Ibero-American Academy of Gastronomy.

The Expert

José Antonio Vidal, President of the Global Wine Tourism Organization and Spanish Wine Tourism Organization: “The promotion and growth of gastronomic and wine tourism are intimately linked to connectivity and the means for travellers to find appropriate routes that allow them to reach their destinations in comfort”

The longest route in the world: Global Wine Tourism Organization

The world’s longest wine tourist route

April 3, 2023November 30, 2021

Wine tourism in its purest form

Argentina’s Inprotur, Chile’s Sernatur and the Global Wine Tourism Organization (GWTO) promote, support and publicize the creation of The World’s Longest Wine Tourist Route (1,300 km of wine culture), favouring the twinning between the Chilean and Argentinian Regions of Coquimbo, San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca and Santiago del Estero.

Argentina and Chile, as wine tourism destinations, feature over 250 and 130 wineries that receive visitors, respectively.

The Tourist Route re-enacts the journey made by conquistadors and missionaries, who, after founding La Serena -the first coastal city in Chile- projected the bi-oceanic union and crossed the Andes to establish the oldest settlement in Argentina, Santiago del Estero. Subsequently, they would use the same road to introduce the first grapevine stumps, hence consolidating the base for the wine culture in both countries and in all of the Southern Cone between 1553 and 1556 (Source: Orígenes).

During the project’s presentation within the cycles The Journeys of the Vine and the Wine, the President of the GWTO, José Antonio Vidal, pointed out that “this initiative qualifies as what GWTO defines as a Tourist Route (since it includes more than one country), it boosts public and private collaboration and regards coopetitivity, academic investigation, innovation and sustainability as its essential core. From GWTO, we encourage every country to assist this type of initiatives.

The president of the GWTO carried on stating that “in these current particularly difficult times, it is necessary to redefine concepts in regards to Tourism and Wine Tourism, aimed at satisfying the new demands marked by the sanitation safety:

Public-private, public-public and private-private cooperation is more essential than ever, and
Companies that have not done it yet, must redefine themselves towards an inclusive and sustainable approach.
We all have to work on our reliability in orderto maintain ourselves within the buying decision scope of consumers.

There is a wide opportunity window linked to the pluses that a comprehensive and transversal sector such as Wine Tourism offers. It implies innovative strategies, and this Tourist Route includes them.

In the face of the current complex situation, if the aim is ensuring Wine Tourism in the markets by developing the socio-economical environment at destinations, ADDING to the effort is necessary, nurturing the commitment to unity.

Entrepreneurs must work on their individual and creative projects, but while being aware of the fact that they also have to work together within their sector in order to strengthen the unique qualities of their destinations.

Coopetitivity (competing with a cooperative spirit) will teach us how to adapt ourselves to the new situation: let us become the BIG FAMILY OF THE GLOBAL WINE TOURISM, all agents working united and co-ordinately as in the GWTO.

No wine tourist experience -and, practically, any other- can be understood without its complementary gastronomy as an instrument for the social and local development

Wine Tourism sector has to incorporate it into its offer, not only as part of the integrated service, but during the wine tasting at the wineries, harmonizing them with simple gastronomic Km 0 proposals.

At GWTO we consider that the time is ideal to take actions towards broadening up the horizons of a responsible, supportive and sustainable global Wine Tourism.

The leadership in sustainability takes in an inclusive and supportive Governance Model that gives prominence to ‘Knowledge Management’ applied to the Investigation for the Training in Sustainability via GWTO Academy, which acts as the headquarters and the voice of the Wine Tourism know-how. It features 50 authorities from the most prestigious universities and Business Schools in 24 countries, specialized in the investigation of Tourist Intelligence, in Wine Tourism Management, Gastronomic Tourism and leading the education in Agricultural and Wine tourism.

Because of and for this purpose, the GWTO has been created: probably the most inclusive and supportive touristic project that has ever been proposed”.

Iberian Wine Tourism Route

April 3, 2023December 6, 2020

BASSAIRPINIA.- “Coopetitiveness (competing with a cooperative spirit) will be more essential than ever during and after the pandemic. Entrepreneurs and actors from the Public Sector are required to be supportive among ourselves and with the community, collaborating with actions that contribute both to the socio-economical development of the destinations and their residents as well as to the consumers satisfaction”, says José Antonio Vidal, President CEO of the Global Wine Tourism Organization (GWTO).

“An example of the above, is the alliance between the Spanish (AEE) and the Portuguese (APENO) Wine Tourism Associations. Two countries that share geography and hospitality and that are now united to boost and emphasize the great richness of their cultural heritage, their history, their art and their wine and gastronomy tradition”, stated Mr. Vidal

Iberian EnoTourism Route

April 18, 2024December 4, 2020

ENG / ESP
Press Release.
The Iberian Peninsula, cradle of the Eno and Gastronomy Tourism between the Old and the New World.

“Coopetitiveness (competing with a cooperative spirit) will be more essential than ever during and after the pandemic. Entrepreneurs and actors from the Public Sector are required to be supportive among ourselves and with the community, collaborating with actions that contribute both to the socio-economical development of the destinations and their residents as well as to the consumers satisfaction”, says José Antonio Vidal, Founder President CEO of the Spanish Enotourism Association (AEE) and Global Wine Tourism Organization (GWTO).

“An example of the above, is the alliance between the Spanish (AEE) and the Portuguese (APENO) EnoTourism Associations. Two countries that share geography and hospitality and that are now united to boost and emphasize the great richness of their cultural heritage, their history, their art and their wine and gastronomy tradition”, stated Maria João de Almeida, President of the Portuguese Enotourism Association (APENO) and GWTO Country Manager for Portugal.

The tourism product will be designed by a team of Spanish-Portuguese tour operators and marketed internationally.

“The entire Spanish-Portuguese border (La Raya-A Raia), from the stuary of the Miño-Minho River down to tha the Guadiana River, features the tourism resources necessary for the creation of quality offerings around the ‘Longest Wine Route between two countries within the European Union’ with more than 1.215 kms,” says Vidal.

“That is why GWTO will promote the Iberian EnoTourism Route internationally, and will encourage public administrations of both countries to provide it with all the necessary infrastructures for its success in the markets, both in terms of connectivity, accesiility and signposting,” concludes the president.

The AEE-APENO agreement, counts as well with the support of the Academies of Gastronomy and Chef Associations (FACYRE and AHRESP) from Spain and Portugal.

Gastronomy has become a socio-economical engine that not only attracts a growing gourmet sector, but that also enriches the perception of the destination for national and international tourists. Every wine touristic proposal -both in the wineries and in destinations- must incorporate the essential harmony between wine and food, agree Rafael Ansón (President of Honor of the International, Iberoamerican and Spanish Academies of Gastronomy), José Bento (President of Honor of the Portuguese Academy of Gastronomy), Pepa Muñoz (President of FACYRE – Spanish Federation of Chefs and Confectioners Associations) and Paulo Mendonça (Vicepresident of AHRESP -Association of Chefs, Restaurants and Similars of Portugal).

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Ruta Ibérica del EnoTurismo

La Península Ibérica, cuna del turismo eno-gastronómico entre el Viejo y el Nuevo Mundo.

“La coopetitividad (competir desde la colaboración) será más esencial que nunca durante y después de la pandemia. Los empresarios y los actores del sector público estamos obligados a ser solidarios entre nosotros y con la comunidad, cooperando en acciones que aporten tanto desarrollo socio-económico a los destinos y sus residentes, como satisfacción a los consumidores”, afirma José Antonio Vidal, Presidente CEO de la Asociación Española de Enoturismo (AEE) y de la Organización Mundial del EnoTurismo (OMET).

“La iniciativa surge fruto del hermanamiento binacional en materia enoturística, entre las Asociaciones Española (AEE) y Portuguesa (APENO) de Enoturismo. Dos países que comparten geografía y hospitalidad, y que ahora se unen para potenciar y destacar conjuntamente su gran riqueza patrimonial, Historia, Arte y eno-gastronomía”, señala Maria João de Almeida, Presidenta de las Asociación Portuguesa de Enoturismo (APENO) y Directora de OMET para Portugal.

El producto turístico será diseñado por un equipo de turoperadores hispano-luso y comercializado internacionalmente.

“Toda la frontera hispano-lusa (La Raya-A Raia), desde la desembocadura del río Miño-Minho hasta la del río Guadiana, cuenta con todos los recursos turísticos necesarios para la creación de oferta de calidad en torno a la ‘Ruta del Vino más Larga entre dos países de la Unión Europea’ con más de 1.215 kms”, constata Vidal.

“Es por ello que OMET promoverá internacionalmente la Ruta Ibérica del Enoturismo, e instará a las administraciones públicas de ambos países para dotarla de todas las infraestructuras necesarias para su éxito en los mercados, en lo que a conectividad, accesibilidad y señalética se refiere”, concluye el Presidente.

Al convenio AEE-APENO se suman los apoyos de las Academias de Gastronomía y Asociaciones de Restauradores (FACYRE y AHRESP) españolas y portuguesas.

La gastronomía se ha convertido en un motor socio-económico, que no sólo atrae a un creciente segmento gourmet, sino que enriquece la percepción del destino por parte de turistas nacionales e internacionales. Toda propuesta enoturística -en bodega y en destinos- ha de incorporar la fundamental armonía del vino con la comida, coinciden Rafael Ansón (Presidente de Honor de las Academias Internacional, Iberoamericana y Española de Gastronomía), José Bento (Presidente de Honor de la Academia Portuguesa de Gastronomía), Pepa Muñoz (Presidenta de FACYRE -Federación de Asociaciones de Cocineros y Reposteros de España-) y Paulo Mendonça (Vicepresidente de AHRESP -Asociación de Hostelería, Restauración y Similares de Portugal-).

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