For the wineries of Assovini Sicilia, wine tourism represents one of the most genuine expressions of the union between passion for wine and the discovery of the territory. 84.8% of the companies have already implemented wine tourism services, and the remaining 15.2% have planned them. This demonstrates how companies are rapidly positioning themselves as a point of reference in the Italian and international tourism panorama, completing their offer through a business model oriented towards the future and innovation.
The majority of the wineries, with a percentage of 95.7%, offer internal tasting spaces, which provides a unique immersive experience. 78.3% have terraces and outdoor spaces overlooking the vineyards, offering the consumer a picturesque environment and a charming panorama to enjoy while tasting the local wines.
On the other hand, 91.3% of the companies offer private tastings in the winery. This is a way of establishing a more intimate relationship with the end consumer, who is given the opportunity to become familiar with and appreciate the production process up close. Furthermore, 10.3% of the wineries offer additional wine tourism services, including picnics in the vineyards, tailor-made experiences, and the possibility of staying at the facilities.
Furthermore, 10.9% of the companies have a restaurant inside, which acts as an internal showcase for local culinary excellences paired with wines. Food-wine pairing is a well-established practice, with 67.4% of the companies offering guided tastings to enhance the relationship with the terroir. Tastings are the most widespread service, offered by 93.5% of the wineries. Finally, 6.5% of the wineries have said that they offer additional food services, through cooking classes and music & wine tastings. This data highlights a vibrant and innovative sector, evolving rapidly to meet the desires and expectations of consumers.
The data confirms that wine tourism in the Assovini wineries extends beyond simple wine tasting, including accommodation facilities, thus offering complete immersion in the territory. Although 54.3% of the businesses currently do not have accommodation facilities, 17.4% of them plan to expand their facilities by integrating hospitality services into their business model. Among other businesses, 19.6% offer rooms or apartments, allowing visitors to extend their stay. Holiday farms, on the other hand, are present in 8.7% of the wineries, offering a more authentic rural experience. Finally, 2.2% of the companies have a B&B to welcome wine tourists.
The various wine experiences offered by the companies complete the wine tourism programmes of the wineries. With 91% of the companies offering guided tours of the winery and the production process, companies offer the visitor the opportunity to truly learn about the life cycle of each wine, from the vineyard to the table. Wine trekking is, instead, offered by 30% of the companies: This is a way to connect the wine tourist to nature and the terroir, to create an authentic relationship with the local resources. 15% of the companies also allow wine tourists to participate in the grape harvest, offering them the opportunity to rediscover the oldest and most authentic wine-making practices. But the commitment of wine-making companies goes further, to the point of creating that bridge between wine and food: This is the case of the cooking courses offered by 26% of the companies, to experiment with regional cuisine, with a view to sustainability and protection of biodiversity. Finally, the offer of other services is noteworthy, such as picnics in the vineyards and wine festivals (by 24% of the companies), which represent opportunities for conviviality, which strengthen the bond with the local community. Again from this perspective, 46% of the companies promote concerts and cultural events in the vineyard and in the winery, thus underlining the art of winemaking. Finally, only a small percentage of companies (2%) offer, as an additional service, that of the Spa and the possibility of participating in yoga sessions among the vineyards.
The wine tourism offer of the companies also integrates harmoniously with the variety of products offered by the companies through their wine shop. In relation to the type of products offered, it is not surprising that 41.3% of the companies sell only wine in their wine shop, thus demonstrating a constant commitment to promoting the wine experience in the digital sector. At the same time, 34.8% of the companies enrich their offer with additional products (their own production of oil, flour and pasta, organic jams, capers and caper berries), to give tourists a more complete story of the area. Then, there is 19.6% of the companies that also use their wine shop for company merchandising, promoting the company brand, and 17.4% sell local food products, thus contributing to supporting the economic development of the area. Finally, only one company has decided to include local artisan products in its online assortment, offering tangible evidence of how wine tourism can effectively enhance Sicilian artisan traditions. In this way, wine tourism experiences do not end when the tourist’s leave, but are extended beyond the local physical experience.
The complex and varied structure of the wine tourism services allows the wine companies of Assovini Sicilia to be able to define medium- and long-term objectives. With their wine tourism offer, 54.3% of the companies aim at creating a memorable experience for the customer. From accommodation services to food services and the different types of wine experiences, every detail of the services offered is designed in such a way that the customer-visitor can immerse themselves in the company reality, undertaking a veritable journey of rediscovery of the Sicilian wine culture, to be able to create a lasting memory. The desire to increase brand awareness is the main objective of 17.4% of the companies. It is a strategic objective, which goes beyond the simple recognition of the brand, but aims at building a corporate identity, fueled by the set of values that each bottle transmits. On the other hand, especially in the short term, 15.2% of the companies integrate the wine tourism offer to complement the company income. This objective coordinates well with the desire of companies to redefine their business model, making it more sustainable over time. Finally, 13% of the companies defined education on wine and wine culture as a priority in order to be able to count on a loyal clientele, that becomes ambassador of the company’s values in the world.
These interconnected objectives allow companies to develop a wine tourism offer synonymous with promotion, novelty, entertainment and values. The ambitions of Assovini Sicilia companies, however, clash with some significant challenges that need to be addressed.
Almost half of the companies (47.8%) identify accessibility and logistics as the main challenge to deal with. Although Sicily projects itself as an international wine tourism destination, the region needs to improve its inefficiencies of both inter-regional and extra-regional transport systems. This suggests the need to strengthen the regional system of infrastructures, in order to facilitate the arrival of visitors and to improve the overall experience, making visits more pleasant and more frequent. However, 41.3% of the companies note deficiencies in structures and accommodation capacity. Developing comfortable accommodation facilities becomes essential in order to encourage wine tourists to stay, thus increasing the attractiveness of wine tourism destinations. To stand out in the global market, you need to be able to create a sustainable competitive advantage. For this reason, 37% of the companies have to design unique experiences with a degree of innovation capable of increasing the value generated for the customer. The success of the various initiatives undertaken depends not only on the quality of the service offered, but also on the ability to train the staff.
This is the main challenge identified by 43.5% of the companies. Since the idea of companies is to be able to communicate the company value system through all of the operational and management activities, it is necessary to be able to count on informed and passionate staff who know about the history and culture of wine and know how to communicate it to visitors. Added to this is the 28.3% of the companies that see an obstacle in the complexity and number of regulations and permits to be respected and adapted to. This suggests that Assovini wine companies need greater clarity and support in navigating the complexity of the laws, in order to avoid delays and sanctions they could incur in the event of non-compliance. Furthermore, the often small size of the company means that the responsibility of having to adapt to regulations falls directly on company managers. This means that precious time, which could be used more productively in product and process innovation, in designing new wine tourism experiences, is instead dedicated to the process of complying with regulations. This inevitably leads to a redistribution of resources which could slow down other company initiatives that are crucial for the growth and positioning of the company on the market. Similarly, a significant percentage of businesses (28.3%) recognise digitalisation and online marketing as a further hindering factor. While, on the one hand, the digital factor helps to reach a wider audience, benefiting for example from online booking systems and the introduction of the QR code for product traceability, on the other hand, it requires huge investments for their implementation. Finally, 23.9% of the companies identify sustainability as a further challenge to face. As part of the growing interest in eco-sustainable practices, companies are pushed not only to reduce their environmental impact but also to actively promote the protection of biodiversity.
In this context, digitalisation emerges as a fundamental ally, helping companies to improve their offer. With 76.1% of the companies already using online booking platforms for various wine tourism services, it is clear that companies are actively engaged in simplifying access and visitor management. This not only improves the overall customer experience, but contributes to optimising the use of resources and making business planning more efficient. The management of the wine tourism offer involves the promotion of services. 60.9% of the companies actively use social media and make use of digital marketing tools to broaden the visibility of the company and to increase moments of dialogue and contact with the public.
The implementation of the QR code, by 10.9% of the companies, offers visitors immediate access to information on wines and the related production processes. This not only influences the company’s communication processes, but contributes to giving transparency to the value system and company activities. On the contrary, 6.5% of the companies have used new digital technologies for the organisation of virtual tours, which allow them to add service content to the tourist offer, thus increasing the value produced, with a view to product differentiation. Finally, 4.3% of the companies declared that they use augmented reality technologies as a tool to encourage learning and engagement processes for visitors.
Despite the considerable benefits of using digital technologies, 13% of the companies have not adopted any technological solution. This might be a reflection of limitations related to resources and skills or different feelings about the actual usefulness of these technologies in the wine context.
