Marcy Gordon of the wine and travel blog, Come for the Wine, spent years exploring the world as a travel writer and marketing professional. In addition to her published travel works, the self-proclaimed reader, writer, eater and traveler, likes to share her experiences with wine and cultures around the world.
A returning speaker at the 2013 International Wine Tourism Conference in Croatia and a member of the Blogger/Media Fam Trip, we asked her about her talk topic, recommendations, and why she believes the IWINETC is not to be missed.
Your workshop topic is about connecting wineries and their corresponding regions with professional food, wine, and travel writers to help promote tourism in that region. It’s great idea and a big idea; there are a lot of wineries and a lot of professionals.
What is one thing a winery could do today to make themselves more visible to wine professionals, and vice versa?
I’m a firm believer in the merits of using social media tools to reach out and connect with people, but I still think the number one way to make an impression is in person. Networking at wine events, festivals and conferences is the best way to be visible for both wineries and wine professionals. Another important way is through writing, be it a column in an industry publication or a blog on a winery site, a well written and informative point of view is an excellent way to increase visibility to a large audience.
What are some things you’d recommend including in a wine tourism guidebook?
Good maps! Clear overview maps of a region and detailed wine trail maps are essential. Also, an index is very important and many guides skip it because it is time consuming to produce, but it’s very useful to the reader.
Do you think there is a greater preference for digital format over hard copy?
For travel guides in particular the portability factor of digital is key. But for now, print media is still the preference of the majority of readers. Many publishers provide content in all formats and smart phone apps are becoming the preferred option for travel. I ‘d like to see publishers offer titles bundled with all the formats for one price. That way readers can access the material any way they choose.
On your blog, Come For The Wine, you mentioned this will be your second visit to Croatia. Would you recommend people come to Croatia for the wine? Why?
Sometimes I think I should re-name my blog to “Come to Croatia, Stay for the Wine” as I’ve written more about Croatia on my blog than any other destination. Croatia has it all. Excellent wine, cuisine, natural beauty, tourist destinations such as the elaphite islands, and passionate people working to preserve the traditions of the past in concert with the challenges of the future. I live in California, in the middle of Napa and Sonoma wine country so one could say I might be jaded when it comes to food and wine, but if I could only have wine, cheese (Paski Sir) , olive oil, (and Ajvar!) from Croatia I’d be very happy.
We’re happy to have you back at the IWINETC! What’s the one reason you’d tell someone else not to miss the conference?
I’d say–Come for the wine, stay for the people!–IWINETC is an excellent way to immerse yourself in the wine culture of a particular region and meet like minded individuals interested in wine tourism. The guided tastings and opportunities to sample so many wines is one draw, but it’s the great contacts I’ve developed and the lasting friendships with attendees I’ve met at conferences in Portugal and Italy, that make it worthwhile.
Marcy Gordan’s talk, Impacting Regional Tourism with Customized Wine, Food & Travel Guides will be held on Friday March 15th as part of Session 1.2 in the Istanbul Suite from 12:30 to 13:20.
Register to attend the Conference here>>
