Wine tourists a valued opening for vineyards
New Zealand’s wine industry should be doing more to cater for the growing number of wine tourists visiting the country, a new survey reveals.
The 2017 annual wine industry benchmarking and insights survey, Ripening Opportunities, showed that although the viticulture sector had already done much to ride the tourism wave, there was scope for more growth.
Some suggestions included tailor-made wine, creating ‘‘lasting authentic experiences’’, and joint ventures with food and accommodation providers.
Wine tourists spend an average of $4500 per visitors in New Zealand, which is $1300 higher than the average tourist.
Wine tourism was a key growth market for the industry, the survey said.
ANZ Commercial and Agri general manager John Bennett said the ‘‘synergistic relationship’’ between the wine and tourism industries was ‘‘exciting and rapidly evolving’’.
‘‘Wine tourism (both domestic and international) remains a key growth market for Kiwi wineries and is particularly accessible to smaller producers.
‘‘And the tourism outlook is bright on a number of fronts including airline arrivals and spend, notably with China becoming our most important tourist market.’’
Overall, the solid financial performance of the New Zealand industry paved the way for wine businesses of all sizes to take advantage of opportunities for growth, including through new and emerging export markets, growth in wine tourism, and other opportunities presented by digital channels, Bennett said.
The survey also shows there is scope for more growth from consumers looking for sophisticated foods and beverages, a new generation of younger consumers, or millennials, as well as the trend to ‘‘premiumisation’’.
In total, 254 million litres of wine were exported in 2017, accounting for $1.66 billion in export revenue.
Export volumes of New Zealand wine to the ‘‘big three’’ markets (Australia, the UK and US) grew 19 per cent during the previous year to top 200 million litres for the first time in 2017.
Meanwhile, other offshore markets also grew in volume while experiencing a 34 per cent higher price point than the ‘‘big three’’ markets.
The survey, a joint venture between Deloitte and ANZ, tracks the financial results of wineries accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the industry’s total wine production by volume.