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The long weekend in December is the perfect time to escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city, discover new destinations and get your strength back before Christmas. Now that the holidays are over, we take stock and are pleased to see that our region is in excellent health in terms of tourism. According to the Directorate General of Tourism of the Government of La Rioja, in statements to Cadena Ser, these holidays have been close to full, with between 80-90% occupancy in accommodation in La Rioja.
Very positive figures throughout the territory, and even more so in the case of our partners of the Rioja Alta Wine Route. As they tell us, they have exceeded 90%, reaching 100% occupancy in some cases. Practically all of them corresponded to national tourism and were from Madrid, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Basque Country, Galicia, Extremadura, Andalusia?
Visits to wineries have also been in great demand over the long weekend in December, with many of the tours reaching full capacity. It also points to an improvement compared to last year’s data 2022, an increase that translates both in number of visitors, income obtained and number of visits made.
In response to this demand, over the long weekend our partners of the Rioja Alta Wine Route have offered juicy proposals, such as, for example, the VI-BA market of ceramics, wine and clay, organised by Bodegas F&A at its facilities in Navarrete, which attracted dozens of attendees. Another highlight was the irresistible wine and chocolate tasting organised by Bodegas Tobelos, in Briñas; or the Christmas route through the wine bars of the wineries in the Barrio de la Estación in Haro, where visitors were treated to a free tapa at each stop, which was a real success.
These evaluations from our partners once again corroborate the data provided by the new Spanish Wine Routes Tourism Observatory Report, which confirms the full recovery of wine tourism after the pandemic. In the case of the operators of the Rioja Alta Wine Route, they have added 313,974 tourists, making it the second most visited route by wine tourists in Spain. These figures are even more favourable if we add the figures harvested by the three Wine Routes operating in the Rioja Designation of Origin: together they reach 549,737 visitors and crown our region for the first time as the main wine tourism destination in the country*.
The report, which covers the period from the second half of 2022 to the first half of 2023, reveals that wine tourism has fully recovered from the challenges caused by the pandemic in the last two years. This recovery has not only been rapid, but has also driven a significant increase in wine tourists’ spending at the destination, greater awareness of the Wine Routes of Spain brand and positive changes in the way people travel related to wine tourism.
With your friends, with the family, as a couple… on the Rioja Alta Wine Route you will find temples of wine, centuries-old wineries, museums, routes of architectural interest, places for learning and fun… and, most importantly, a friendly and friendly service. Always, close to you.
* Data extracted from the 15th Report on visitors to Wineries and Wine Museums. Observatorio Turístico Rutas del Vino de España (Spanish Wine Routes Tourism Observatory). https://wineroutesofspain.com
