After its debut last year, Vinitaly Tourism returns from 12 to 15 April with a renewed identity and a significantly expanded offering. Within the 58th edition of the International Wine and Spirits Exhibition, wine tourism takes on a structural role for the first time, occupying the gallery between pavilions 2 and 3—one of the central areas of the event—and a second thematic hub at the Palaexpo. The project, developed by Veronafiere with Wine Tourism Hub and partners Wine Suite, Wine Meridian and Winedering, confirms its mission as an operational platform designed to connect wineries, tourism professionals, experiential platforms and international buyers.
“With this edition, wine tourism becomes a permanent part of the event, taking on a central role in the development of the wine system,” says Gianni Bruno, Deputy General Manager of Veronafiere. “It is a strategic choice that positions wine tourism not as an accessory activity, but as a true business-oriented competitive asset.”
A fast-growing sector: rising bookings and increasingly high-performing wineries
During the event, the Wine Suite 2026 Report will be presented in preview, highlighting wine tourism as one of the most dynamic components of the wine industry. In 2025, the average value of a wine tourism booking reached €39.4 per adult, with an 11% CAGR over the past four years. Wineries with dedicated hospitality structures recorded an average annual visitor growth of +16.8%, while direct sales increased by +21.4%, demonstrating the sector’s ability to convert experiences into tangible margins.
Buyers from the US, Brazil, the UK, Singapore and Thailand: Vinitaly Tourism becomes an international hub
Vinitaly Tourism aims to create an efficient ecosystem between wine tourism supply and demand, welcoming national and international buyers from key tourism markets: the United States, Brazil, Croatia, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Thailand. The focus is on operators specialising in outdoor & nature, cultural tourism and the luxury & experience travel segment. A dedicated Business Point in the 2–3 gallery will facilitate meetings, presentations and commercial activities.
The same area will also host an exhibition space for companies active in wine tourism, digital tools and winery services, alongside a Tourism Hall dedicated to talks, tastings and training sessions.
Programme highlights: taxation, accessible wine tourism, wine clubs and digitalisation
The 2026 programme offers a rich schedule designed to provide valuable content for industry professionals. It opens on Sunday 12 April with a session on administration and taxation in wine tourism, preceded by experiential tastings. On Monday 13 April, the official inauguration of Vinitaly Tourism will be followed by two focus sessions on coeliac disease and wine tourism, and on the impact of wine clubs and direct-to-client strategies. In the afternoon, The Wine Net will host a masterclass dedicated to the wine tourism offering of Italian cooperatives.
On Tuesday 14 April, the day begins with the presentation of the “Hospitality Managers and Tour Operators” survey, exploring challenges and opportunities from the perspective of industry professionals. The afternoon will address the new frontiers of wine bars, training and job opportunities in wine tourism. On Wednesday 15 April, the event closes with a seminar on digitalisation, covering shipping, guest management and winery software.
The second thematic hub at Palaexpo: four major sessions on the present and future of the sector
Four nationally relevant events will take place in the Vivaldi Hall at the Palaexpo. The first, organised by Movimento Turismo del Vino, explores the value of proximity and the challenge of “accessibility to wineries”, a crucial theme for the competitiveness of Italian wine tourism.
Next, the study “Italy’s Wine in Global Tourism”, curated by Roberta Garibaldi in collaboration with Vinitaly Tourism, offers an overview of the attractiveness of Italian wine for international tourism, with a focus on the US market.
On Tuesday 14 April, the Unicredit Nomisma Wine Monitor research will examine the role of wine tourism in the development of wine businesses. The programme concludes with “MetodoContemporaneo – Observatory on Arts and Wine Landscapes”, developed by the University of Verona and BAM Strategie Culturali, exploring the relationship between cultural production and wine landscapes.
Vinitaly Tourism 2026: a permanent infrastructure for Italian wine tourism
With its new format, Vinitaly Tourism 2026 positions itself as a structured and permanent platform designed to support the sector through content, strategic vision and operational tools. It marks a forward-looking choice that officially brings wine tourism into the heart of Vinitaly, projecting it among the most innovative and high-value segments of the Italian wine system.
