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San Gimignano, Chianti, Montalcino, Montepulciano and Maremma are some of the localities which have greeted the largest number of tourists, according to the report by Irpet on Tuscan tourism in 2015. They are among the cities and areas which produce the most well known Docg wines in the world. Is this by chance?
No, replies the Movimento Toscano del Vino Toscana (Tourist Movement of Tuscan Wine), reacting to the study. “We weren’t surpised by the report presented by the Tuscan Region”, comments the President of the MTV Toscana, Violante Gardini. “We have been saying this for years, and the numbers confirm that tourism tied to excellent wine and food is a known fact, and not something new. Because of this, we must all continue to invest in this direction”.
The number of international tour operators that include wine cellar visits in their package has increased. They even include stays in estates and farm stays connected to a wine company. Because of this, the new guide of the MTV Toscana contains references to wine cellars, tour operators and marketing agents in the wine sector.
Wine tourism in Tuscany is a model for the country. The analysis made by the MTV Toscana confirms this: of the almos t14 million visitors to Italian wine cellars in 2015 most visited those in Tuscany. The revenue has also increased. The national estimate for 2015 is 2.5 billion euros, to which the Tuscan wineries contributed greatly.
“For Italians, wine tourism is made of nearby trips, often within 100 kilometers from home. In Tuscany this is concentrated on the most famous localities and labels”, concludes Violante Gardini. “It is a new style of wine tourism, more spread out and less elite than before. It doesn’t only involve ‘wine lovers’”.