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Geisenheim University of Applied Sciences, in cooperation with the Caravaning Industrie Verband (CIVD) in Frankfurt, has published two studies on a new trend in wine tourism in Germany. It is about pitches for motorhomes, a sector that has noticeably gained in importance in recent years. Especially since the Corona pandemic, more and more tourists are looking for wineries where they can stay overnight with their motorhomes.
600 wineries took part in the first study. Of the wineries surveyed, 23 percent offer pitches, most of them one to three. Among the providers, there are mainly larger wineries with an area of more than 20 hectares. According to the Caravaning Industrie Verband, the investment for a pitch varies depending on the equipment and is currently between about 500 and 5,000 euros. Almost half of the surveyed businesses have only been offering pitches since 2020 or later. Most wineries charge a flat rate of between four and 35 euros per night on the pitch. More than 40 percent of the wineries that currently do not have a pitch are planning to offer pitches in the future or can imagine doing so.
In the second study, 800 tourists were interviewed in all 13 German wine-growing regions. According to the survey, motorhome travellers who were there came from North Rhine-Westphalia (18 %), Baden-Württemberg (16 %), Hesse (12 %), Rhineland-Palatinate (11 %) and Bavaria (9 %). 17 percent of the tourists surveyed came from abroad. The frontrunners were the Dutch with a share of almost 70 per cent.
Daniel Onggowinarso, Managing Director of the CIVD, emphasises the contribution of motorhome tourism to sustainability in wine regions. On the one hand, the CO2 footprint of the trip can be reduced if motorhome tourists spend several days at the winery. On the other hand, this type of tourism supports the direct sale of wine and contributes "significantly to the preservation of wine culture". Furthermore, it also supports social aspects of sustainability, for example in the conscious use of alcohol under the motto "Don't drink and drive".
Prof. Dr. Gergely Szolnoki, professor of market research at Geisenheim University of Applied Sciences and project leader, said that "both producers and tourists see great opportunities in the combination of RV and wine tourism. The mere fact that 600 wineries filled out the questionnaire completely, even though many of them do not offer a pitch, shows the great interest of producers.".
(ru / press release)