Technologies for enhancing wine tourism experiences

The strategic adoption of new technologies in tourism is not new, but in recent years it has become an integral part of this industry revolutionizing the way the experiences are created and consumed. New technologies facilitate tourists to access information and to establish a direct contact with tourist suppliers, as well as contribute to create richer, more participatory and immersive experiences. And, as a result, to increase overall satisfaction. This chapter particularly focuses on the ways in which new technologies has enhanced the tourist experience by adding new values and contents. After a brief overview of scholarly research, as to outline the general context, a selection of international case studies related to wine tourism are presented. Actually, wine tourism is a growing tourism segment. It is intimately related to the identity of destination and comprise cultural and historical values. Wineries are no longer production sites but are turning into attractions for a wide audience of tourists. This has led local producers to enhance traditional services (e.g. visits and tastings) by integrating new technologies into the winery experience, as to overcome physical barriers (e.g. allowing tourists to experience the vineyard during all seasons), provide contents and increase visitor’s’ experience.