Europe does not need fewer visitors. It needs visitors to discover more of Europe.
That is the message behind a new proposal from the Wine Intergroup of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), which is calling on the European Commission to include European Wine and Cultural Routes in its forthcoming Sustainable Tourism Strategy.
The initiative argues that better connecting Europe's most visited destinations with nearby wine-producing regions, cultural landscapes and rural communities would help create a more balanced distribution of tourism, while generating new opportunities for farmers, local businesses and regional economies.
The proposal has been transmitted to European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, as the Wine Intergroup's contribution to the Commission's ongoing work on a new EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy.
"The solution to Europe's challenge of creating a better balance in tourism may be closer than we think. In many cases, world-famous wine regions lie less than an hour away from the cities attracting the highest number of visitors. Rather than limiting travel, we should help visitors discover more of Europe and spread the benefits of tourism more widely."
said Pehr Granfalk, Member of the European Committee of the Regions and initiator of the proposal.
The proposal highlights how many of Europe's most famous destinations are located within easy reach of internationally recognised wine regions, including Rome and Frascati, Florence and Chianti, Venice and the Prosecco Hills, Barcelona and Penedès, Vienna and Burgenland, Porto and the Douro Valley, Paris and Champagne, and Madrid and La Mancha.
By encouraging visitors to extend their journeys beyond major cities, the initiative seeks to strengthen regional competitiveness, support local producers, promote gastronomy and cultural heritage, and create new income opportunities for rural communities, while helping tourism benefits reach a wider range of territories.
"Europe's wine regions are not only centres of agricultural production. They are also living cultural landscapes that preserve traditions, heritage and local identity. Strengthening the links between these regions and nearby tourism destinations can create lasting benefits for visitors, local communities and regional economies alike."
Robert Hergovich, Chair of the CoR Wine Intergroup
The proposal also underlines that European Wine and Cultural Routes would strengthen cooperation between tourism policy, regional development, transport policy and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Improved rail connections, regional public transport, cycling infrastructure and sustainable mobility solutions could make it easier for visitors to discover nearby destinations while supporting quality tourism, longer stays and higher local added value.
As a first step, the Wine Intergroup proposes launching pilot projects involving five to ten European regions to map tourism flows, develop integrated tourism packages and assess the economic, social and environmental impact of a more balanced distribution of visitors.
The initiative is intended as a practical contribution to the European Commission's Sustainable Tourism Strategy and reflects the growing importance of territorial cohesion, sustainable mobility and rural development in Europe's tourism policy.