Com_St_2012_03_21_Enoturismo_ENG.pdf
In 2011 approximately 11,000 people visited the Sicilian winery, demonstrating how wine & food tourism evolves when the territory works the system
In 2011 Donnafugata was visited by nearly 11,000 people (10,834 to be exact). That’s the number of wine-lovers who decided to personally tour the winery’s historic Marsala cellars or its Contessa Entellina and Pantelleria estates. There were good inflows for the annual events, “Cantine Aperte” (“Open Cellars”), “Calici di Stelle (“Goblets of Stars”) and “San Martino”, with more than 2,000 people attending. Also good was ordinary wine tourism, which attracted more than 5,000 Italian and nearly 3,000 foreign visitors, despite the decreasing number of flights at Trapani airport operated by Ryanair.
People continue to choose Sicily as a tourism destination and consider wines and typical food products an integral part of local culture. And Sicily also ranks high in terms of emerging themes for tourists seeking quality: the environment, beauty and wellbeing. Donnafugata embraces these values and offers a cultural as well as multisensory experience in the welcoming of wine tourists.
Its historic cellars in Marsala are located in the province of Trapani, which in the past 10 years (2001 to 2010) registered a heavy increase in tourists. According to a recent study[1], arrivals and sojourns during this period doubled, thanks also to an agreement with Ryanair (table). Donnafugata opted for quality tours – in 9 different languages – to make a visit memorable and turn wine-lovers the world over into natural brand ambassadors. While maintaining their functional purpose, the winery’s 19th century cellars have become a meeting-place for people exchanging information and tips about their trips and what the territory has to offer. And here the new media play their part.
In addition to promoting winery tours on its website, at Vinitaly Donnafugata will be launching its own DonnafugataWine page on Facebook. An informal space devoted to visitor photos and posts, furthering the pleasure of experience-sharing: already, in fact, there are dedications to be found on the winery’s website as well as thousands of comments in its paper guestbook, a source of pride for a company that has invested so much in transmitting passion, enthusiasm and the sunny character of the island.
We look forward to seeing you in Marsala for “Cantine Aperte” on Sunday, May 27, for “Calici di Stelle” on August 10, as well as for “San Martino” on Saturday, November 10.
Bookings: [email protected]. Tel. +39 0923 724245/63
[1] Source: Prof. Matteo G. Caroli, Luiss University, Trapani Chamber of Commerce, 2011
Public Relations:
Baldo M. Palermo [email protected] tel. 0039 0923 7242267
Laura Ellwanger [email protected] te. 0039 0923 724258
