New Zealand Wine Tourism Figures Soar

Wine tourism in New Zealand has grown strongly and one in four visitors now go to a vineyard or winery during their visit, according to new figures published by trade body NZ Winegrowers.

The organisation said that 24 per cent of the country’s international tourists visit vineyards and wineries, versus 13 per cent four years ago, citing data from Tourism New Zealand.

New Zealand has already welcomed nearly 3.65 million tourists in 2017, up by 10 per cent on 2016, according to government figures.

To cater for the growing interest, NZ Winegrowers has launched a website, which will serve as a directory of wineries to visit. “Wine tourism provides an exciting opportunity for us to showcase our wines in the unique locations where they are grown and produced,” NZ Winegrowers global marketing director Chris Yorke said.

The site features profiles of more than 450 places, which can by filtered by regions and four types of wine experience: tastings, dining, vineyards offering accommodation and also tours.

Original article by Andrzej Binkiewicz, Decanter, August 24, 2017.