"Yet here is a tourism segment of the type that the Balearics crave."

"Yet here is a tourism segment of the type that the Balearics crave." | MDB files

Andrew EdePalma28/09/2021 10:10
TW
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#Iloveenoturismo. This hashtag appears on the Wine Routes of Spain website. Oenological tourism isn’t about getting roaring drunk. Wine-tasting, the study of wine, the culture of wine - this tourism niche clearly falls within the category marked “quality tourism”. Food is an obvious additional niche to complement the drink.

So is natural tourism, an appreciation of the land. Enotourism is civilised tourism. It is sustainable tourism. It is tourism that comes with a bulging wallet of spending power.

In 2023, La Rioja will host the seventh UN World Tourism Organization’s Enotourism World Conference. The presentation for this was made at the end of last week. Spain’s tourism minister, Reyes Maroto, observed that holding this international event in La Rioja will be “great recognition for a region that has placed wine at the centre of its tourism”. “In La Rioja, wine is a culture, a way of life that tourists can experience during their visit.” Quite so, minister.

Spain has wine routes dotted around the mainland. In July, the routes were added to. Gran Canaria was incorporated into the Wine Routes of Spain. An island in the Canaries, but there are other islands that do not find themselves on the map. There is no #Iloveenoturismo in Mallorca and the Balearics.

Apart from the prestige of being part of this network, there is the promotion. Turespaña spreads the word globally. But the word does not include the Balearics. Yet here is a tourism segment of the type that the Balearics crave. Why no official association?