Verona, 31 March 2026 – Expertise, vision and practical tools to strengthen a Made in Italy wine tourism offer increasingly integrated into global tourism flows. 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 and more dynamic format. The initiative will be located 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 initiatives 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 and central component of the exhibition, taking on a strategic role in the development of the wine system. This is a structural and forward-looking choice by Veronafiere, positioning wine tourism no longer as an ancillary activity for Italian wineries, but as a true competitive asset with a clear business-oriented vision.”
Organised by Veronafiere with Wine Tourism Hub, in collaboration with partners Wine Suite, Wine Meridian and Winedering, the first Vinitaly Tourism hub (Gallery Halls 2-3) aims to establish itself as an operational infrastructure connecting wine tourism supply and demand. In this direction goes Veronafiere’s incoming plan targeting national 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 tourism professionals active in outdoor and nature tourism, cultural tourism and luxury & experiential travel. A dedicated “Business Point” in the Gallery between Halls 2 and 3 will serve these operators.
Completing the thematic gallery will be an exhibition area featuring companies active in wine tourism and winery services, as well as a “Tourism Room” hosting seminars, tastings and talks.
Programme highlights
The programme combines content with practical tools. It opens on Sunday, 12 April (2:30 pm) with a session on administration and taxation in wine tourism, preceded each day (1:00–1:30 pm) by experiential tastings.
On Monday, 13 April, the agenda continues with “Celiac Disease and Wine Tourism: Data, Trends, Demand and Opportunities” (11:30 am) and “The Impact of Wine Clubs and Direct-to-Client Sales” (2:30 pm). A masterclass curated by The Wine Net will also present the wine tourism offering of Italian cooperatives.
On Tuesday, 14 April (11:30 am), the preview presentation of the survey “Hospitality Managers and Tour Operators” will provide insights into the needs, critical issues and development opportunities of Italian wine tourism from the perspective of industry professionals. In the afternoon, sessions will focus on “Wine Bar: From Pouring to Experience” and “Human Resources, HR Recruiting and Career Opportunities in Wine Tourism” (2:30 pm and 4:00 pm). The programme concludes on 15 April (11:30 am) with a seminar dedicated to digitalisation opportunities in wine tourism (logistics, guest management, software solutions).
The second thematic hub at Palaexpo
The second Veronafiere/Vinitaly wine tourism hub will be hosted at Palaexpo (Sala Vivaldi, -1 floor), featuring four major industry focus events.
On Monday, 13 April (10:30 am – 12:00 pm), the Movimento Turismo del Vino will open the sessions with “Wine Tourism in Italy, the Value of Proximity. The Journey to the Wineries: The Real Challenge of Wine Tourism,” highlighting the results of new research conducted by Ceseo (Centre for Wine and Oil Tourism Studies at LUMSA University) for MTV. Speakers include Antonello Maruotti (research coordinator), Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombini (President, MTV) and Dario Stefano (President, Ceseo).
This will be followed (2:00 pm) by “Italian Wine in Global Tourism. Attractiveness and Positioning in the US Market,” developed by Roberta Garibaldi in collaboration with Vinitaly Tourism. The session will provide an updated analysis of international wine tourism dynamics with a focus on the United States—one of Italy’s most strategic markets. Results of original research conducted during Vinitaly will outline the profile of the American tourist interested in wine and gastronomy experiences. Speakers include Roberta Garibaldi (University of Bergamo), Matthew J. Stone (California State University – Chico) and Angelo A. Camillo (Sonoma State University Wine Business Institute).
On Tuesday, 14 April (10:30 am – 12:00 pm), the Unicredit-Nomisma Wine Monitor research, in collaboration with the National Association of Wine Cities, will present “The Role of Wine Tourism in the Development of Italian Wine Companies: Values, Evolving Scenarios and Future Prospects.” In a context of market uncertainty for the wine sector, wine tourism represents a growing phenomenon and a development opportunity. The Nomisma–Unicredit Report analyses the value generated by wine tourism in Italy and its contribution to the resilience of the national wine supply chain, based on original research involving wineries and Consortia increasingly active in promoting wine and PDO tourism. The workshop will also feature leading entrepreneurs sharing best practices in successfully capturing wine tourism demand.
The programme concludes on Wednesday, 15 April (10:30 am – 12:00 pm) with “MetodoContemporaneo. Observatory on Arts and the Wine Landscape,” curated by the University of Verona and BAM! Strategie Culturali in collaboration with ArtVerona. The session will present data from the first national research project on the interaction between wine culture and contemporary arts, launched in 2025. Speakers include Monica Molteni, Luca Bochicchio and Costanza Vilizzi (University of Verona), Giuditta Vegro (BAM! Strategie Culturali), Nemo Monti (Nemo Monti Comunicazione), Alessio Planeta (Planeta), Olimpia Eberspacher (Frescobaldi), Susanna Gristina (Iter Vitis) and Camillo Privitera (Italian Sommelier Association).