Interviews
Uruguay Wine Tours, name with which the Association of Oenologic Tourism in Uruguay is known, following its style and in an attempt to increase and foster one of the branches of the touristic industry that showed great development in recent times, adhered to the initiative of the College for Business Sciences of the Uruguayan Catholic University and the Kolping Institute in Uruguay, to organize the International Course on Wine Tourism. This project has also the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Uruguay.
The purpose of the course is to potentiate the value offered by the Uruguayan wineries and learn to acknowledge and exploit the wine culture as a touristic resource, and will be held from November 3 to 7, from 8 AM to 1 PM, at the Francisco Bauzá Conference Room in the Uruguayan Catholic University. The lecturer will be Luis Vicente Elías Pastor, PhD in Anthropology, and Miguel Martín Hernández, a Spanish photographer, communicator and landscape artist.
Luis Vicente Elías Pastor was born in Logroño, Spain, on August 14, 1949. He obtained his doctorate in Philosophy specialized in Anthropology in the University of Barcelona in 1984, after graduating as bachelor from the University of Navarra (1971), obtaining a Master in Ethnology from the University of Bordeaux, France (1975), and later finishing studies at the Institute for Educational Science in the University of Zaragoza (1977). He received several prizes and scholarships, wrote countless articles and books, and is summoned to speak at courses and conferences worldwide. Among other activities, Dr. Elías is currently Professor in the University Master in Oenologic Tourism at the University of La Rioja and works at a winery, López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, in charge of Documentation and Cultural Heritage.
Bodegas del Uruguay had the opportunity of talking in an exclusive interview with Dr. Elías Pastor after the press conference given upon the announcement of the International Course on Wine Tourism.
You have been developing similar academic activities in and out of Spain. Why do tourism professionals need this specialization in oenologic tourism?
The first idea we wish to convey is that we believe it is important that the professionals in tourism should have a specialization. Currently, theme tourism has began to develop, among which we can mention rural, cultural, religious, water resorts (either marine or thermal) and also wine tourism. Enologic tourism started in the world around the '80s, though in many places there were some initiatives before this date.
Uruguay has a large heritage in vineyards and has an ancient wine culture -we have visited today a winery founded in 1824-, those people who are enthusiastic on this theme should have a specialization in their professional career devoted specifically to wine, as related with said culture.
I have been engaged since some years ago in a specific and concrete Master devoted to Wine Tourism. There is plenty to learn, to teach and communicate, so that in the future these professionals can provide a service with the quality that they are giving today. We have visited a good number of wineries and our wish is to contribute with a plus to this formation.
Have you ever been in Uruguay before?
No, I have never been here before. At the same time, we are developing a Wine Tourism Guide for Latin America, but we had not visited Uruguay yet. We have been in Mexico, Argentina and Chile, and now we are researching on Uruguay, where we have found an incredible hospitality.
What information did you have about the country before coming here?
I knew something before coming thanks to the relationship I have with the Association of Oenologists of Uruguay, and with Uruguay Wine Tours, with whom I had been at Vinexpo fair. In Spain, I work in a winery where I perform all the research and touristic labor. This enables me to have contact with wineries worldwide.
What does Europe know, basically Spain, about the wine industry in Uruguay?
Very, very little... Perhaps because the European producing countries are excesivelly protectionists, they are lenient to provide information on foreign wines, this is not habitual. To the contrary, I think that the values of wine culture and the wine industry around the world has to be communicated, because only then we can defend our products against others. But mainly, the battle should be against beer and other alcoholic and distilled beverages, since they have a larger power of acceptance in the young people and the media.
However, there are some amateurs with a degree of specialization which feel gread admiration for products as interesting as your tannat. Tannat is a traditional variety in the south of France, very close to Spain, but wine amateurs link tannat to Uruguay. Besides, they are absolutely right in doing so, because we have been drinking exquisite tannat wines these days. And also other varieties little known in Europe such as Sauvignon Gris. Very interesting products. Our goal is to broadcast and make known to our fellow countrymen and wine lovers through magazines and websites the products of Uruguay as well.
Which is the growth projection regarding oenologic tourism in the world?
It has to be understood that this year the economic situation in Europe has changed dramatically. Despite this, the number of visitors to wineries has not fallen up to now. Maybe the sale of products in wineries went down a little, but the number of visitors kept growing. We think that, if we are capable of increasing activities and do not remain exclusively in the winery tour, we still have a niche to grow at least 8 to 10% in the next five years. As regards Uruguay, and in lieu of the statistics that we have been given access by the wineries, growth is steady, but logically the number of tourists coming to your country cannot be compared with those in Spain. But all the people in charge of wine tours in the wineries we have visited tell us about a sustained increase of 10 or 15% every year. Then, as far as general tourism keeps growing, a segment of these tourists will devote to theme tourism. And you have to be ready for that. Wineries have to add some minor facilities, and with minor I mean that they will not demand large investments, there must be skilfull personnel who speak several languages, and there has to be a joint effort between Government and the private sector: signalling, roads, the presence in international fairs... This is what has to be done.
More information on the course:
e-Mail: info@loscaminosdelvino.com.uy
Phone +598 99 149 662
Registration:
Universidad Católica
Avda. 8 de Octubre 2738
Tel: +5982 - 4872717
e-Mail: infoweb@ucu.edu.uy
Cost: 160 USD
Pre-registration until October 29: 130 USD
Students: 100 USD
Download Course Schedule -in Spanish- here>>
on wineries in Uruguay.
