Wine tourism generates more than 700 million euros in Portugal, and will be the target of special Abreu trips
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The greater demand for travel that stimulates the national market led Agência Abreu to launch an extra program, starting in 2024. The operator had already set up its main program at the end of last year, as is customary in the market, but decided that the positive signs of increased travel consumption give rise to a broader offer throughout the year.
The special operation that Agência Abreu launches for the first time focuses on wine tourism, one of the fastest growing segments, on author trips that take place in partnership with Apeno (Portuguese Wine Tourism Association), and are accompanied by its president , Maria João Almeida (former Expresso journalist).
“This is a very interesting niche market, with growing demand at national and international level, and our objective is to connect the pleasure of traveling with the pleasure of drinking wine, learning about the stories of the different origins where it is produced”, he explains. Pedro Quintela, marketing and sales director at Abreu.
Winemaker Maria João Almeida, president of the Portuguese Wine Tourism Association (Apeno), accompanies all trips
Pedro Ferreira
According to estimates by Apeno (which represents around 80% of national wine production), wine tourism generates an annual turnover in Portugal of at least 700 million euros, involving 60 thousand economic agents and 100 thousand jobs, direct and indirect, and constituting a segment that will register significant growth in terms of demand, especially in 2024.
Abreu’s new wine tourism trips take place in 17 different destinations, inside and outside Portugal, in a first edition set for 2024 and 2025 – which, according to Abreu’s sales director, will be a bet to continue and be expanded with more regions and wineries.
The first trips will take place in Portuguese lands, and dates have already been set, starting with Dão (from June 29th to July 1st), Alentejo (from July 29th to 31st) and Douro (from September 27th to 29th). This year, trips to Tuscany or Bordeaux are also planned.
“In Portugal, we will take trips to the Douro, Dão, Alentejo, the Lisbon region, Madeira or the Azores”, says the person in charge. “But we will also go to the French regions of Alsace and Champagne, the Mosel in Germany, and even further afield, like Mendoza in Argentina, Stellenbosch in South Africa, or even Australia.”
The idea is to launch these trips for small groups, with a maximum of 25 people, and create “a nucleus of travelers interested in getting to know places in the world where fantastic wines are produced, in a more immersive way”.
“Increasingly, people are eager to learn about wines, and the objective is also to show that wine tourism can be developed in Portugal at a high standard,” Maria João Almeida, the wine consultant who will accompany the trips, told Expresso with author from Abreu.
Wine tourism is a fast-growing segment, and Abreu’s goal is to extend this travel schedule beyond 2024 and 2025
T photography
“The aim is to make unlikely trips, visiting the main wineries in each of the destinations, where there is a lot to explore in terms of experiences, and placing people in special hotels”, exemplifies Pedro Quintela, remembering that “in places where there is good wine , there are always good stories to tell, and we count on Maria João’s knowledge for trips that will leave an impression on people.”
Prices are still being finalized, and will be announced by Abreu at events taking place this week in Lisbon and Porto.
The sales director of the agency, which has a network of 110 stores from north to south of the country, including the islands of Madeira and the Azores, is confident in demand levels, despite the late launch of the special travel operation, already for 2024. .
“This is a type of niche product, which is experiencing great growth, has a different character and helps us bring something new to the market”, summarizes Pedro Quintela. “Abreu both goes on big trips and charters or cruises, in essence, sells the world. If, with our 184 years of history, we didn’t have the capacity to have new things, we wouldn’t be here anymore.”
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