Title – Name
Rutas del Vino de España
Scope / Sector / Industry
Wine Tourism
Country / Region
Spain
Why is it good practice?
The “Wine Routes of Spain” (Rutas del Vino de España) is an initiative of the Spanish Association of Wine Cities (Asociación Española de Ciudades del Vino, ACEVIN) which aims to promote wine tourism in Spain. It is considered a good management practice as, through a set of actions, the effective cooperation and synergy of the country’s public and private sectors is sought towards a common goal, the promotion of wine culture, wine products and the place in which they are developed. The Association, through the creation of “products” such as “The Wine Route of Spain”, the “Spanish Wine Tourism Awards”, the “Spanish City of Wine” and other initiatives, motivates entrepreneurs and institutions to create upgraded and higher quality wine tourism products and services capable of competing in the foreign market.
How is it applied?
The Spanish Association of Wine Cities is a local organization that unites Spanish cities that have as a common characteristic the dominance of the wine industry in their economy. The municipalities that make up the Association understand that this factor determines everything, from the urban and landscape profile to the structure of the labor market, even the culture of the community. Aware of this common characteristic, they participate in decision-making, in the formulation of proposals and in the resolution of problems, especially in the areas of agro-entrepreneurship, urban planning, culture and wine tourism, industrial heritage and the creation of local means of promotion and diversification of economic activity.
The objective of the Association is to develop activities that benefit wine tourism in the area where it operates. Specifically, it aims to plan and promote actions aimed at the development and economic diversification of local communities, the development of initiatives necessary to increase the competitiveness of the wine industry, the organization of meetings and activities aimed at the exchange of knowledge and experiences, cooperation with European wine cities and other activities in the same direction.
One of the most important initiatives of the Union was the creation of the “Spanish Wine Routes”. The project is supported by the Ministries of Industry, Trade and Tourism and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and was designed to make travelers discover a different Spain and live unique experiences linked to wine.
The Spanish Wine Routes consist of 37 spatial routes, which extend through the wine-growing areas of the municipalities of the country that collaborate with the Union. The Wine Routes of Spain are essentially a network of business cooperation and synergy between the public sector (local administrations through which the routes pass) and the private sector (tourist companies and companies that are not traditionally considered touristic).
Each wine route is designed in a way that respects the quality criteria and standards established by the Association and the Ministry. The above are included in the Spanish Wine Routes Tourist Product Manual, which defines the requirements of the management, signage, promotion and marketing system, as well as the requirements that all tourist facilities (restaurants, accommodations, wineries, shops, etc.) must meet. As part of the management, there is also a system of six-monthly inspections for all routes.
The Spanish Wine Routes are displayed on the official website that has been created for their promotion. There, the entire network of routes is promoted along with the necessary information for the visitor such as the viticultural history of each region, the cultural and natural heritage resources, local festivals and events, suggested activities, accessibility instructions, relevant audiovisual material, tourist guides with recommended wineries, restaurants, accommodations, etc. The information provided varies depending on how developed each route is. At the same time, experiences are also promoted, which the visitor can choose and purchase from the same website. The suggestions concern wine experiences, for which all the necessary information is provided as well as the purchase cost.
An established action of the Association is the organization and implementation of the “Spanish Wine Routes” Wine Tourism Awards, in which the best wine tourism initiatives in the country are awarded. The awards are implemented every two years and there are 12 in total. Indicatively are mentioned the Award for the Best Wine Tourism Municipality, the Award for Sustainable and Responsible Wine Tourism Destination and the Award for the Best Wine Tourism Accommodation. The above awards constitute an incentive for businesses and organizations to continuously improve their wine tourism products and services and to respond to new trends and market demands.
In addition to the above, a recent but equally important initiative launched by the Association in 2023, which aims to further promote and promote the wine culture of its Municipalities, is the title of “Spanish City of Wine”. According to this initiative, cities that have been members of the Association for at least 4 years have the opportunity to submit a candidacy, annually, for the title of “Spanish City of Wine”. The title for 2024 is held by the Municipality of Cambados, which in 2017 was also elected European City of Wine (a title awarded by the European Network of Wine Cities, RECEVIN).
Each candidate city is invited to submit a predefined application-program, which is evaluated. The program must have a national dimension and explore the specificities of the place and demonstrate creativity, covering some basic criteria such as promoting awareness-raising activities regarding the culture and tradition of wine, mobilizing citizens, strengthening ties with the region and all national wine tourism areas, developing partnerships and giving the city an orientation towards the future. It is important to mention that at the end of the implemented actions, it must present their effectiveness with measurable indicators.
It is also worth mentioning the Union’s effort to promote sustainability in wine tourism. In this context, it participated in 2021 in the project “Wine tourism experiences in Spain: observatory, innovative experiences, circular economy and sale of unique experiences” of the “Spain Tourism Experiences” program. In the above program, actions were implemented such as the preparation of a manual for the implementation of the circular economy in wine tourism, the drafting of a report with good practices on circular economy issues, both at the destination management level and at the business administration level, and the drafting of 17 individual reports with proposals for the implementation of circular economy criteria adapted to the needs of each Wine Route.
In addition to the above, it recently published a guide of 50 good sustainable practices implemented by entities and businesses in the areas of the Wine Routes of Spain. This guide was prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and aims not only to highlight the efforts of businesses and entities but also to serve as a guide and motivation for others to implement similar sustainability practices.
Finally, another important action of the Union is the creation of an Observatory, with the aim of researching and presenting statistical results on wine tourism in the Wine Routes. In this way, the effectiveness of its actions and those of the local wine tourism entities that collaborate with it is measured.
Where is it applied?
The Spanish Wine Routes are an initiative which address to wine lovers and visitors who want to get to know the wine culture of the country and each region individually through proposed alternative wine tourism options. However, the main objective of the initiative is to strengthen the reputation of wine producers and the development of the local community. Therefore, its actions concern businesses and local bodies and route managers.
When did it applied?
The Spanish Association of Wine Cities was founded in 1994.
Results
In June 2024, the Spanish Association of Wine Cities presented the sixteenth annual report on visits to wineries and wine museums related to the Wine Routes. The report was prepared by the Tourism Observatory of the Wine Routes of Spain, for the year 2023 and showed that the total number of visitors reached 2.977.115, 18.2% more than in 2022 and the highest in previous periods. The amount of revenue achieved with this increase exceeded 100 million euros (102.208.200 euros) and is related, among other factors, to the increase in the number of Routes and the increase in the average expenditure of wine tourists.
It is worth noting that the revenues were calculated only taking into account wineries and museums, that is, the two types of establishments to which a visit with a purely wine tourism motive can be objectively attributed. To this amount, if we add the possible expenses that the tourist’s trip entails and that are attributed to other establishments in the destination (and that are also part of the Spanish Wine Routes), such as accommodation, restaurants or activity companies, the total economic impact is considered much greater.
The routes that have received the greatest number of visitors during 2023 were the Rioja Alta Wine Route (389.399 visitors), the Marco de Jerez Wine and Brandy Route (382.716 visitors) and the Ribera del Duero Wine Route (368.537 visitors). 70.5% of these visitors correspond to wineries and 29.5% to museums. Of the visitors, 78.8% of the total were local, however, there is a new increase in the percentage of international visitors. The month with the most tourist visits was October, followed by August.
As for the Association itself, during 2023, the wine tourism service offer of the Wine Roads increased, exceeding 2.600 companies and 796 entities associated with the management bodies. Also, one more route was added to the Roads, reaching a total of 37.
Other Information
The Association has participated in projects that concern the wine sector in various ways. Specifically, it participated in programs that concerned recycling actions (VinAdapt), research and training in new technologies (LEONARDO), support for business initiatives (Equal Los Yacimientos del Vino), actions to promote wine tourism (VinTUR), training and adaptation of workers (Equal Vinqual), and actions related to sustainability and competitiveness (Enoturismo Responsable).
The official website of the Wine Route of Spain is: https://wineroutesofspain.com/
