Verona, 16 March 2026 – Expertise, vision and practical tools to position Made in Italy wine tourism as an increasingly integrated component of global travel. These are the guiding principles of Vinitaly Tourism 2026, which, following its debut last year, returns to Veronafiere from 12 to 15 April with a renewed, dynamic format enhanced in both content and location.
The initiative will be hosted in a central area of the 58th International Wine and Spirits Exhibition, in the gallery between Halls 2 and 3, featuring a full programme of events and proposals running throughout the show. Additional conferences and in-depth sessions dedicated to the sector will take place at Palaexpo.
“With this edition of Vinitaly Tourism,” commented Gianni Bruno, Deputy General Manager of Veronafiere, “wine tourism becomes a permanent component of the exhibition, taking on a central role in the development of the wine system. This is a strategic and structural choice by Veronafiere, positioning wine tourism no longer merely as a complementary activity for Italian wineries, but as a true competitive asset with a clear business-oriented approach.”
According to early insights from the Wine Suite Report 2026, to be previewed during Vinitaly Tourism, wine tourism continues to drive growth both in visitor flows and economic value. In 2025, the average booking value reached €39.4 per adult, with a CAGR of 11% over the past four years. Structured wineries recorded an average annual visitor growth of +16.8%, while direct sales increased by +21.4%—a figure exceeding visitor growth and highlighting improved conversion rates and profitability.
Developed by Veronafiere with Wine Tourism Hub, in collaboration with Wine Suite, Wine Meridian and Winedering, Vinitaly Tourism aims to establish itself as an operational infrastructure connecting wine tourism supply and demand. In this direction, Veronafiere’s incoming programme will welcome domestic and international tourism buyers from the United States, Brazil, Croatia, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Thailand. Highly specialised profiles include tour operators, travel designers and experiential operators across outdoor and nature tourism, cultural tourism and luxury & experiential travel. These professionals will be hosted at the dedicated Business Point within the Gallery between Halls 2 and 3.
The thematic gallery will also feature an exhibition area showcasing companies active in wine tourism and winery services, alongside a dedicated Tourism Room for seminars, tastings and talks.
As for the programme, the agenda combines content with practical tools. It kicks off on Sunday 12 April with a session on administration and taxation in wine tourism (2:30 pm), preceded by experiential tastings (daily from 1:00 to 1:30 pm).
On Monday 13 April, the schedule continues with “Celiac Disease and Wine Tourism: Figures, Trends, Demands and Opportunities” (11:30 am) and “The Impact of Wine Clubs and Direct-to-Client Strategies” (2:30 pm). A masterclass curated by The Wine Net on the wine tourism offering of Italian cooperatives will also be presented.
On Tuesday 14 April at 11:30 am, the survey “Hospitality Managers and Tour Operators” will be previewed, offering insights from hospitality managers and tour operators on the needs, challenges and development opportunities of Italian wine tourism. This will be followed in the afternoon by “Wine Bars: From Pouring to Experience” and “Human Resources, HR Recruiting and Career Opportunities in Wine Tourism” (2:30 pm and 4:00 pm).
The Vinitaly Tourism programme concludes on 15 April at 11:30 am with a seminar on the opportunities offered by digitalisation in wine tourism, focusing on logistics, guest management and software solutions.
The second thematic hub dedicated to wine tourism will be located at Palaexpo (Sala Vivaldi, level -1), hosting four major sector-focused sessions.
On Monday 13 April (10:30 am – 12:00 pm), the Movimento Turismo del Vino opens the programme with “Wine Tourism in Italy: The Value of Proximity. The Journey to the Winery as the Real Challenge.” This is followed by “Italian Wine in Global Tourism: Attractiveness and Positioning in the US Market,” curated by Roberta Garibaldi in collaboration with Vinitaly Tourism (2:00 pm).
On Tuesday 14 April (10:30 am – 12:00 pm), Unicredit-Nomisma Wine Monitor presents its research on “The Role of Wine Tourism in the Development of Italian Wineries: Values, Evolving Scenarios and Future Perspectives.” The programme concludes on Wednesday 15 April (10:30 am – 12:00 pm) with “MetodoContemporaneo. Observatory on Art and Wine Landscapes,” organised by the University of Verona and BAM Strategie Culturali.