September, Month of Wine

 

 
NDUBI MVULA, Lusaka.

THE World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has just sounded a gong on the forthcoming global conference to be held in Argentina and it is being held in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism in Argentina.

This is global conference is all about wine. Yes, wine. It is called the Wine Tourism and is scheduled for September 29 and 30^th 2017.

It comes in the wake of the success of the 1st edition of the Wine Tourism conference which took place in the Kakheti region of Georgia, in September 2016, but this upcoming edition will be held in the Province of Mendoza, Argentina.

The region, known as the heart of Argentine winemaking, accounts for 70 percent of the national production of wine and about 85 percent of the bottled wine sales.

The identity of Mendoza is strongly linked to wine and it is an ideal venue offering participants the opportunity to experience firsthand a variety of wine tourism projects, linking both the public and private actors of the tourism and wine sectors.

Zambia may not be a producer of wine but certainly its citizens do participate in the enjoyment of this sector of tourism, knowingly or unknowingly.

Furthermore, as this second edition falls within the framework of the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the former will be the core overarching theme of the conference.

According to the UNWTO, the International Year aims to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer behaviour towards a more sustainable tourism sector that can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

One would ask as to what is the link between tourism wine and the SDGs. Well it is noted that the link between wine tourism and sustainability also aligns with the 2030 Universal Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs.

Therefore, the Conference will be dedicated to strengthening the relationship between sustainability and wine tourism, highlighting the valuable role of wine tourism on the sustainable development of tourism destinations.

The Conference will include working sessions taking place in wine tourism venues throughout the province, giving all participants the opportunity to further explore the topics addressed in the sessions and interactively share and exchange ideas.

It is understood that the 1^st event convened over 200 participants including representatives from the Ministries, Destination Management Organizations (DMOS), National Tourism Organizations (NTOS), and tourism experts from nearly 50 countries. 

And it is expected the Zambia’s Ministry of Tourism and Arts will be in attendance of the conference since the country is a full member of the global body the UNWTO at senior level of governance.

Mindful of this, is the realisation that the UNWTO has developed the UNWTO Wine Tourism Prototype that introduces an innovative methodology to identify the existing correlative relationship of the wineries and their surroundings, including their influences on local and regional history, socio-economics and culture.

This relationship created the framework for a product to experience a region through its wineries and the environment in which they have developed.

The wine tourism prototype includes an analysis and diagnostic assessment of the current situation with regard to wine tourism, in comparison with other markets and in the technical design of the tourism model.

In the last decade, wine tourism, has become a key component of gastronomy tourism until being recognized today as an essential segment of the tourism industry.

Many wine regions and tourism destinations have realized that the benefits of wine tourism extend well beyond the cellar door to all areas of the regional economy.

Wine, food, tourism and the arts collectively comprise the core elements of the wine tourism product and provide the lifestyle package that wine tourists seek to experience.

If efficiently developed, wine tourism represents an excellent opportunity for destinations to diversify and enhance consumer´s value.

Back home, a number of wine testing events are conducted on selected places or resorts such as Chaminuka, the Royal Livingstone and a number of pleasure resorts dotted in the country while in South Africa it is almost the norm especially in Cape Town, home to the many vine yards.

Despite Zambia not being a wine producing country, the product is readily available and to a large extent does provide sustainable jobs.