This week, the Association of Italian wine, oil, and aroma routes, in partnership with Iter Vitis, organized the first international wine routes’ conference in the small Italian town of Alba, located in Piedmont – a region renowned for its world-class wines and gastronomy. As a newly-joined member, the Herzegovina Wine Route (HWR) was the focus of this event. Attending the conference were representatives from HWR and the USAID Turizam project team.
“Iter Vitis will raise the awareness of its partners’ wine regions on the worldwide market and assist wine routes in initiating new partnerships and project activities. In addition, it is crucial to engage in coordinated negotiations in order to confirm that wine routes must become interlocutors in the planning and implementation of rural development programs.”, concluded Emanuela Panke, the President of Iter Vitis, who participated in the promotion of HWR this month in BiH.
During the conference, other renowned European wine routes were presented. HWR was presented as a new Iter Vitis member by Ibrahim Osta, USAID Turizam Chief of Party, and Gorčin Dizdar, USAID Turizam Communications Manager. Through the presentation of best practices in connecting culture and resources in European wine tourism, they have discussed the future development of this tourist product.
In the past two years, wine tourism has undergone a significant transformation, including changes in travel logistics, wine experience, and consumer behavior, as well as the challenges of digital transformation, sustainability, and international cooperation.
“Today, cooperation between local communities and companies is of great importance and adds value to the creation of new tourist products,” said Pablo Morbidoni, President of the Association of Italian Wine, Oil, and Aroma Routes. “This is particularly true for wines, oils, and gastronomy, whose production is not only closely linked to hospitality activities, but also has a direct impact on the development of sustainable and productive rural areas. More importantly, we recognized a willingness for dialogue with other wine routes across the world aimed at the exchange of experiences, sharing of good practice, and joint collaboration on project activities.”, added Morbidoni
Under the auspices of the National Tourism Agency-ENIT, the Piedmont region, the Langhe Monferrato Roero Tourism Board, and the Association of Routes, Wines, and Tastes of Piedmont, a conference on the international perspective of wine tourism has been organized.. As part of the meeting’s agenda, the HWR is promoted as a good example of international practice.
“With the support of the USAID Turizam project and the BiH Foreign Trade Chamber, today we have an opportunity to present the potential of wine tourism in BiH, in the country and in the region considered as the home to wine tourism. We are proud, given the fact that we succeeded in promoting revitalized HWR with our winemakers and enshrined HWR on the world map as an important tourist product from BiH. Representatives coming from institutions, alliances, and affiliations with great interest want to meet the HWR and discuss the future of this tourist product. Wine tourism is worth 2,5 billion euros, which represents a golden chance for the HWR.”said Ognjenka Laković from BiH Foreign Trade Chamber.
We will continue promoting HWR in Piedmont by visiting winemakers in Italy and attending events together with wine tourism elites.
“Iter Vitis will provide help to partners in promoting wine territories in the international market, finding partners for new projects. It is important to act jointly and to demonstrate that wine routes must engage in coordinated negotiations in order to confirm that wine routes must become interlocutors in the planning and implementation of rural development programs.” , cocluded Emanuela Panke, Iter Vitis President
