Before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in wine tourism. The case of the Beira Interior wine route

Costa, Adriano; Fernandes, Carlos; Rei, Constantino; Liberato, Dália; Antunes, Joaquim; Liberato, Pedro

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/23274

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In 2018, Portugal was distinguished for the second consecutive time as the best tourist destination in the world. In addition, Portugal has been taking over as an international reference country in the production of prestigious wines worldwide, such as Barca Velha, Pêra Manca, Principal, Carrocel, among others. Although not yet a destination of wine tourism of reference worldwide, in recent years it has been affirming itself as such, as result of a diversified offer that extends throughout the national territory, allowing brands creation of destination identity that must be preserved, highlighted and valued. Knowing that Portugal begins to be recognized as one of the best travel destinations for gastronomy & wines and this segment is one of the strategic assets suggested in successive strategic plans for Tourism, it is understood, therefore, that it is important to know and inventory the different wine routes existing in the national territory, as determining tools for the promotion and dissemination of wine tourism. However, as of 26 February 2020, with the emergence of the first suspected cases of people infected with COVID-19 in Portugal, it seems that all this has changed (DDS, 2020). People stopped traveling. Air transport and shipping have been suspended, restaurants have closed or changed the way of business, people's movement has been restricted, which has led to all activities directly or indirectly linked to tourism having closed, or in the process of closing its doors. For the moment, there is a war against Covid-19, which we all know what it is, but we cannot immediately identify and could be anywhere. There is a feeling of helplessness in fighting this virus as it may be just around the corner and we cannot uncover it. We do know that one of the main ways of spreading this virus is social contact. On the other hand, tourism in general and wine tourism in particular, is provided by people and to people. Social contact is one of the pillars of it. Hence the big questions that arise in the future are: how can the trust of wine-tourists be recovered; what kinds of experiences will be offered; which innovations will emerge regarding the tourism offer. For this, we will interview all members of the Beira Interior Wine Route.