Abstract

Tourism is one of the most significant sectors of the world economy and a catalyst to the development of the economy of both local and international markets. World Travel and Tourism Councils reported that travel and tourism made up 10.4 % of global GDP. Wine tourism has become one of the popular tourism markets for the last few decades. This article depicts the definition of wine tourism and its relation with other types of tourism. Moreover, the article analyzes statistics on world wine production and top 10 countries on wine tourism and discusses the implementation of their experiences to develop wine tourism in Samarkand region.

People travel around the world to discover new places, to learn various nations and cultures, to explore worldwide destinations and, of course for professional purposes. As stated by the United Nations World Tourism Organization “Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes” [1, p.1]. In the last few decades, the number of people travelling around the world has been increasing. According to the statistics, the number of total international tourist arrivals reached 1.4 billion in 2018 and showed 5 % growth compared with previous year [2, p.2]. Tourism is one of the most significant sectors of the world economy and a catalyst to the development of the economy of both local and international markets. World Travel and Tourism Councils reported that travel and tourism made up 10.4 % of global GDP.

Tourism is divided into different types including ecology tourism, sport tourism, sustainable tourism, extreme tourism, adventure tourism, gastronomy tourism, halal tourism and others, according to tourists wants. Today, more and more tourists are interested in wine tourism. Wine tourism defined as “visitation to vineyards, wineries, wine festivals and wine shows for which grape wine tasting and/or experiencing the attributes of a grape wine region are the prime motivating factors for visitors” [3, p.1]. Wine tourism is linked with other niche markets of tourism such as agritourism, ecotourism, sustainable tourism, culinary or gastronomy tourism.

Figure 1 . Wine tourism web

Winemaking is considered one of the main branches of agricultural industry in many countries. According to the statistics, Europe is a leader in wine producing with three countries, namely Italy, France and Spain which produced 51 % of global wine production in 2018. USA, Argentina, Chile, Australia, and Germanyaccount for 25% of world production.

Today, most countries are paying great attentions to the development of wine tourism, as this type of tourism does not require huge fund and benefits local community. The list of 10 best wine tours destinations in the world is provided below .

1. Bordeaux, France
2. The Douro Valley, Portugal
3. Santorini, Greece
4. Tuscany, Italy
5. Mendoza, Argentina
6. Yarra Valley, Australia
7. Cape Town, South Africa
8. Marlborough, New Zealand
9. Casablanca Valley, Chili
10. Napa Valley, USA

Bordeaux, France. Bordeaux is a unique French city which gave its name to the color of its wines and to a special wine style known all over the world. The city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 [6]. The perception of various wine regions of France by a wine tourist is different. Bordeaux is the most symbolic, iconic and ambivalent region in terms of its image and attractiveness. The cultural and rational dimensions are more prevalent dimensions in the perception of Bordeaux by wine tourists (Figure 2).

Figure 2 . Reasons and motivations of wine tourists in Bordeaux region [7, p. 9]

The Douro Valley, Portugal.The Douro valley could be easily called the enchanted valley, as its landscapes offer the beauty and magic. The production of wine and existence of vineyards in the region connected with a long history, since the region was occupied by Roman [8, p.13]. Today, the Douro region is the top-visited place according to wine tourists. In Peso da Regua, the Douro museum will provide a various perspective on the region and wine growing.

Marlborough, New Zealand. Marlborough is a suburb in New Zealand’s Auckland urban area. This wine tourism destination is famous with its unique vineyards’ architecture and attractive landscape. Moreover, the special taste of wine of the suburb has won numerous awards in various events. The region plays a significant role in New Zealand wine production, as Marlborough provide about 75 percent of overall wine production of the country. In the region, wine tourists are provided with all facilities regarding to their tours, including accommodation, food and beverage, trail maps around the region where tourists have an opportunity to see vineyards and wineries and even they can taste the popular Marlborough wine.

Figure 3 . The Marlborough wine trail map

To conclude, taking into consideration all aforementioned experiences in can be said that there are endless opportunities to develop wine tourism in Samarkand region. Today, wine tourists visit only Hovrenko Wine Factory, which has been producing wines here since 1868. We are offering 4-day tour for wine tourist who want to explore wine tourism potential of Samarkand region.

References

1. International reccommandations for tourism statistics 2008, New York 2010. Page 1
2. UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2019 Edition. Page 2.
3. Jack Carlsen, Stephen Charters. Global wine tourism: Research, Management and Marketing. 2006. Page 1.
4. World wine production reaches record level in 2018, consumption is stable, by Per Karlsson on April 14, 2019 https://www.bkwine.com/features/more/world-wine-production-reaches-record-level-2018-consumption-stable/
5. Top destinations for wine tasting around the world. Posted on May 24, 2018 by Hannah Lane. https://www.onthegotours.com/blog/2018/05/best-wine-tasting-destinations/
6. Twenty-two new sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and one deleted during Committee meeting in Christchurch, Friday, 29 June 2007, https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/365
7. Tatiana Bouzdine-Chameeva, Christophe Faugère, Pierre Mora, Wine tourism in Bordeaux. January 2016, page 9
8. Rui Falcão, Douro wine tourism. Page 13