Republic of Moldova was represented at the largest international wine tourism conference, held in Catania, Sicily
From 28 to 29 of March 2017, representatives of the Center for Promotion of the Wine Tourism in Moldova, attended the largest international wine tourism conference, held in Catania, Sicily.
IWINETC is an annual event attended by over 300 wine and cultural tourism professionals from all over the world. The conference aims to share experiences, practices and ideas in the field of wine tourism, meet professionals and identify new business partners.
Veronica Tomescu, the president of the Center for Promotion of the Wine Tourism in Moldova and the co-founder of winetours.md, attended the conference as a speaker.
“I am very honored to represent the Republic of Moldova for the second time at this notorious event. I first attended the conference in 2014. Then I presented Moldova as an emerging wine tourism destination. Many participants were surprised to learn first about world’s largest cellars, the wine collection included in the Guinness World Records Book, the millenary traditions of Moldovan wine production, but also about the generous and warm hospitality of our people. This year I delivered a speech on unique events that are organized in Moldova: National Wine Day, Cricova WineRun, Wine & Music Fest Underland, White Nights and Open Doors Days at wineries, Must Fest, Wine Vernissage etc. Some events are truly unique in the world and show interest for foreign travelers.
Festivals bring excellent contribution to the public image of a destination. Such events attract tourists and increase the popularity of a destination in a shorter time. When tourists visit a destination for the purpose of attending an event, they tend to stay before and after the event, this way foreign purchase locally produced products and support local service, helping to develop local businesses (hotels, restaurants, rural pensions, inbound travel agencies, wineries, artisans, transporters etc.)
Events can have a significant effect on the formation the image of a tourist destination and help to promote it. The more recognizable events the destination has, the more it is attractive for the tourists.
Moldova has modest budgets for promotion, that is why participation in such specialized conferences allows us to better promote our country as a wine tourism destination, “said Veronica Tomescu, the president of the Center for Promotion of the Wine Tourism in Moldova.