Greece Taps into Wine Tourism as New Sustainable Segment

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni (right) sampling Greek wine at the Oenorama 2024 expo. Photo source: Tourism Ministry

The Greek Tourism Ministry is prioritizing the development of wine tourism as part of its strategy to tap into sustainable options, said Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni during this year’s Oenorama wine show.

Kefalogianni attended the country’s largest wine exhibition which celebrated its 30-year anniversary over the weekend welcoming more over 250 exhibitors and featuring some 2,500 wines at the Zappeion Megaron. The minister had the chance to visit the show and sample some of the country’s finest products.

Kefalogianni said that further developing and promoting wine tourism topped the ministry agenda, as it was a special interest tourism segment which enriches the traveler experience, brings them closer to the people, the land and the culture.

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni (center). Photo source: Tourism Ministry

Kefalogianni also highlighted the importance of the segment as it combined tourism with the primary sector which is also the goal of the visitable wineries initiative. Wineries open for visitation are awarded special certification. The new specialized seals for destinations and enterprises also apply to breweries and cheese factories.

The ministry is aiming through certification to interconnect the primary sector and Greek production with the hospitality industry, strengthen the tourist product, and extend the tourist season, giving impetus to special forms of tourism all year round.

According to a recent study by Tourix, Greece is becoming a popular wine tourism destination with the total number of searches for “wine tours” and “wine tasting” in Greece up by 41 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year. The most searched for regions for wine tours and wine tasting in Greece for 2023 were Santorini, Crete, Athens, and Nemea.