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Wine tourism is often talked about in terms of romance, rolling vineyards, long lunches, a glass of something excellent at golden hour. And behind that romance lies the real commercial opportunity: food and wine experiences are among the most powerful drivers of high-value visitation in the world today. Nowhere is that clearer than in Hawke\u2019s Bay<\/a>, New Zealand\u2019s oldest wine region and one of the prestigious members of the Great Wine Capitals<\/a> Global Network.<\/p>\n Food and wine isn\u2019t a niche \u2013 it\u2019s the mainstream ask<\/strong><\/p>\n For years, wine tourism operators have had to make the case that food and wine deserve a central place in destination marketing, rather than sitting on the periphery as a nice add-on. The data settles that argument. Tourism New Zealand\u2019s Active Considerer Monitor shows that 61% of people actively considering a trip to New Zealand say quality local food and wine experiences are part of the appeal, and 71% would like to visit a vineyard or winery while they\u2019re here.<\/p>\n As Hawke\u2019s Bay Tourism GM, Tania Burt, puts it: \u201cThat\u2019s not a niche interest \u2013 it\u2019s mainstream, and it\u2019s exactly what we do best.\u201d<\/p>\n For a region built around wine, that statistic is more than encouraging \u2013 it\u2019s a mandate.<\/p>\n The pull factor: wine visitors choose Hawke\u2019s Bay<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s one thing to know that visitors want wine experiences. It\u2019s another to know they\u2019re willing to travel further to get them. This is where Hawke\u2019s Bay\u2019s numbers get particularly interesting.<\/p>\n Among international visitors who take part in a brewery, gin, vineyard or wine trail experience anywhere in New Zealand, 8.4% visit Hawke\u2019s Bay \u2013 compared with an average of just 5.8% across all international visitors. In other words, wine-and-brewery travelers are around 45% more likely to visit Hawke\u2019s Bay than the typical tourist.<\/p>\n That gap matters. It shows a genuine pull effect: visitors with a specific interest in wine are actively choosing to route themselves off the well-worn Auckland\u2013Rotorua\u2013Queenstown circuit and into Hawke\u2019s Bay specifically. This isn\u2019t passive discovery, it\u2019s a destination earning its place on the itinerary.<\/p>\n The value equation: why wine tourists are worth chasing<\/strong><\/p>\n The commercial case is just as compelling. Internationally, visitors who take part in brewery, gin, vineyard or wine trail activities spend an average of $5,382 per person on their New Zealand trip, around $996 more than the average international visitor.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not a marginal uplift. It\u2019s a clear signal that wine and food tourism isn\u2019t simply about visitor numbers \u2013 it\u2019s about visitor value. For regions competing for a finite tourism marketing budget, this is the kind of data that should shape where investment goes.<\/p>\n What it actually takes to convert interest into visitation<\/strong><\/p>\n Knowing that demand exists is only half the equation. Converting that interest into an actual detour requires deliberate work. According to Ms Burt, it comes down to two things: a compelling, differentiated story, and making that story visible before visitors arrive.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means clear, connected messaging about what makes our wine and food scene distinctive \u2013 not just that we have vineyards, but that we offer an intimate, walkable, boutique wine experience unlike the bigger, more established circuits,\u201d Burt explains. Membership in the Great Wine Capitals Global Network plays a direct role here, providing a credibility marker that matters enormously to international trade partners and visitors weighing up unfamiliar destinations.<\/p>\n The other half is distribution: working with trade and travel partners so that Hawke\u2019s Bay is built into itineraries in the planning stage, not discovered as an afterthought once visitors are already in the country.<\/p>\n A compact region punching above its weight<\/strong><\/p>\n What sets Hawke\u2019s Bay apart isn\u2019t scale \u2013 it\u2019s accessibility. Visitors can move between historic producers and boutique cellar doors within a compact, easy to navigate region, often combining wine with exceptional food, Art Deco heritage, cycling trails, wildlife experiences and coastline in a single day. It\u2019s a markedly different experience from larger, more dispersed wine regions elsewhere in the world, and one that plays directly into the growing visitor preference for immersive, easily digestible experiences over sprawling, logistically complex itineraries.<\/p>\n The opportunity ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n Hawke\u2019s Bay\u2019s data makes a broader point that applies well beyond one region: wine tourism is not a lifestyle add-on to a destination\u2019s tourism offer, it is a legitimate economic strategy, backed by measurable demand, above-average conversion, and materially higher visitor spend.<\/p>\n That\u2019s precisely the conversation the Great Wine Capitals network exists to advance, and it\u2019s one Hawke\u2019s Bay is looking forward to exploring further when it welcomes the international Great Wine Capitals community, business and trade delegates for its conference this October. As Ms Burt notes, hosting the event is \u201ca real opportunity to showcase what Hawke\u2019s Bay offers to an influential international audience\u201d and a chance for the whole network to compare notes on turning wine tourism\u2019s undeniable demand into durable regional value.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n