Italy is the most desirable destination in the world for a “reward vacation”: food, wine, and authenticity are the keys to its timeless appeal. But tastes are changing: at BTO 2025, Ipsos Doxa and Wine Tourism Hub reveal that positive sentiment toward food and wine has reached 86%, with 75% of young people consuming more consciously. Wine is sharing (64%) and conviviality (65%), but 58% of Gen Z want shorter, more visual and engaging experiences.
At BTO 2025, one of the most authoritative observatories on tourism trends, currently underway at the Stazione Leopolda in Florence, news arrives confirming Italy’s primacy: our country is the most desired destination in the world for a “reward vacation,” ahead of the United States and Australia. This result is also consolidated among those who already know Italy: even regular visitors continue to include it among their dream destinations, a sign of a charm that is renewed and strengthened over time.
This was revealed by Ipsos Doxa, present together with Wine Tourism Hub in the panel “Ponti di Gusto – How food and wine connect generations on the move”. However, there is a need to renew language and vision in order to communicate with the younger generations when talking about food & wine.
On the web, positive sentiment toward this topic reaches 86%, surpassing that linked to tourism (81%), Made in Italy (83%), and culture (84%). Among the sectors of excellence, wine ranks first (cited by 56% of the upper classes), followed by tourism (50%) and fashion (46%): a triptych that intertwines economy, lifestyle, and identity value.
Wine Tourism Hub 2025 reveals that for Generation Z, wine is first and foremost about sharing (64%), conviviality (65%) and connection with the territory (51%). However, almost 4 out of 10 young people (38%) say they “don’t understand much” and almost 6 out of 10 (58%) admit to being “afraid of saying the wrong thing.” Fifty-one percent perceive it as a world that is “too technical” and reserved for experts.
As analysts explain, this is more a language barrier than a content barrier: young people are happy to approach wine, but they are looking for more direct, visual, and participatory narrative and experiential methods.
“Generation Z is not uninterested, but it does not identify with the way wine is presented,” explains Lavinia Furlani, president of Wine People. “It doesn’t want to be educated, it wants to be involved. It prefers a spontaneous, visual, and accessible narrative, where wine becomes a pretext for enjoying a moment together.”
Generation Z drinks less, but chooses better. This is not disinterest, but rather a new form of awareness. According to data from the Wine Tourism Hub, 75% of young people who consume alcohol say they actively moderate their consumption, opting for lighter or non-alcoholic alternatives. There are several reasons for this change. The first concerns health and personal image, which are now closely linked to well-being and the influence of social media.
The economic factor also counts: the ideal price range for a bottle is between €10 and €25, a choice that reflects young people’s focus on value rather than luxury. Finally, the importance of digital socializing emerges, which on the one hand reduces opportunities for traditional consumption, but on the other hand amplifies the desire for authentic experiences to share.
This sobriety does not mark a distance from the world of wine, but rather a search for consistency and authenticity: the same that, according to Ipsos Global Trends 2024, leads 82% of Italian consumers to believe that a brand can “make a profit and support a good cause at the same time”, and 68% to say they are willing to pay more for sustainable and responsible products.
For young people, wine tourism is the most natural way to approach wine. However, according to Wine Tourism Hub, 39% of winery experiences are considered “all the same and too long,” 38% “boring,” and 37% “too technical.” A change is needed: shorter, more dynamic, and immersive experiences. Picnics among the vines, tastings at sunset, music, art, and socializing are becoming the new keys to access for a generation that experiences the winery not as a “classroom” but as a “stage.”
Ipsos Future4Tourism data confirms that over the next five years, interest in authentic local experiences will grow by +7% and interest in food and wine experiences by +6%, driven precisely by younger people. According to Ipsos research for the Symbola Foundation, 58% of Italians associate wine sustainability with higher quality, especially when it translates into goodness and taste (48%), corporate ethics (33%), and attention to employees and the community (30%). In the eyes of citizens, the most crucial phase for a sustainable production cycle is cultivation (55%), followed by packaging and disposal (over 40%). Sustainability is therefore perceived as an indicator of value, not cost: a message that particularly resonates with young consumers.
” Wine is the grammar of new tourism,“ says Roberta Milano, scientific coordinator of BTO. ”It is the language with which Italy can convey authenticity, landscape, and innovation, speaking to generations with a shared vocabulary. Ipsos data shows us that value today is no longer just in the product, but in the relationship: between people, businesses, and territories. Food and wine is the bridge that can unite these worlds. “
The convergence of Ipsos Doxa and Wine Tourism Hub data reveals an economic fact: food and wine is no longer a segment, but a system. An ecosystem that drives supply chains, enhances territories, and redefines experiential tourism as an engine of sustainable development. In 2025, taste will become not only an attraction, but the cultural and economic infrastructure of the country.
