Co-founder of Responsible Travel, Harold Goodwin, makes organisations and businesses more aware of the hot topic of Responsible Tourism. Harold gives some clues on the business advantage of Responsible Tourism with specific reference to the wine and culinary tourism industry.
Your upcoming talk at IWINETC 2020 is titled The Business Advantage of Responsible Tourism. Can you define Responsible Tourism and give a couple of examples to clarify?
Responsible Tourism is about what we do as producers and consumers to use tourism to make better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit, in that order. Sustainable tourism is the objective, Responsible Tourism is what we do to achieve sustainability. Sustainability is the ambition; Responsible Tourism is about what we do as producers and consumers to realise the aspiration. Too often sustainable is used only in the abstract sense. Responsible Tourism is not the same as sustainable tourism. Responsibility requires that we say what we are doing to make tourism better and that we are transparent about what we achieve.
There is also a strong link between experiential and responsible tourism. I am no wine expert but I do understand the concept of terroir, “soil, topography, and climate”. I would argue that the cultural component is important too. I really enjoy Retsina with Greek food. in a Greek restaurant in Greece. It does not travel well. Three alcohol high highlights for me and one real let down. The highlights, Byrek and Raki at breakfast each day when I worked on tourism development in Albania; Ice Wine serviced over frozen grapes in Canada; and family vineyards in Slovenia. These three experiences were unforgettable for the taste of the wine but also because of the taste of the terroir and of the culture. All of these experiences were examples of the creation of shared value and the generation of great memories, the local economic benefit and the celebration of the local culture made for great experiences. In the Canadian vineyard we were shown around by the grower and I learnt a great deal.
I had long been sceptical of the wine route in South Africa, friends who had done were clearly not impressed. I have said already that I don’t know very much about wine and I was willing to be proved wrong. I was invited to lunch at one of the wine estates in the Cape and went with high expectations. There was a wine tasting and some cordon bleu food, the staff were not South African. I would rather have been at a wine taking in a wine shop in Canterbury – I would have learnt more about the wine there than I did in the vineyard.
Does a movement towards Responsible (wine and culinary) Tourism come with a hefty price tag for businesses operating in a grape escape destination?
Obviously the most expensive of the four experiences recounted above was the least satisfactory. The Responsible Tourism agenda is broad. In California wineries are reducing their water consumption. Drinking In moderation. – Art de Vivre is an international programme of the wine sector for a sustainable wine culture looking to inspire well-being and contribute to the reduction of alcohol related harm, and sustainable viticulture.
I co-founded Responsible; Travel with Justin Francis way back in 2001, I am no longer a shareholder, so there is no commercial gain for me. But take a look at these two experiences:
https://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/12429/food-and-wine-tour-in-croatia-and-slovenia
https://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/22267/georgia-wine-tour-small-group
Capital cities such as Barcelona, Budapest and Rome are having serious overtourism problems. How can tourist boards and business get people out of the city into the nearby wine regions?
I have been to some great restaurants and had some great food in Barcelona and Budapest and good wines with good food can be experiences in European cities. But the food and the grapes are grown in the countryside and to experience the culture and the terroir you really need to take your guests out of the cities. I had some great meals and wine in Tbilisi when I worked in Georgia – but the highlight of my Georgia experience was when having stopped in a village to talk with farmers and being taken to the kitchen to taste wine from the qvevri – that was unforgettable.
Meet Harold at IWINETC 2020 where he will be delving deeper in the topic of The Business Advantage of Responsible Tourism
The perfect peaks reaching skyward from the Friulian Dolomites and the Julian and Carnic Alps form the ideal frame for the lush green valleys. Acting as the region’s natural frontiers, the Alpine chains preserve pearls of rare beauty, such as Sauris, a symbol of the excellent food (Proscuitto Sauris) and wines of Friuli, or the Resia Valley, where the language and traditions of an ancient Slavic race have survived in an unspoilt environment since the 7th century. Or the Tarvisio area, where three natural and cultural borders meet and enclose startling summits that climbers from all over Europe long to conquer.
But if you descend from the mountains to the sea you will discover the Grado and Marano Lagoons. Friuli Venezia Giulia offers 3 Natural parks, as well as about twenty biotypes and 13 nature reserves. From a rushing, tumbling mountain stream to the unhurried thrill of a climb, there’s always a new emotion to stir you. There are many walking trails you can take to truly experience nature’s beauty, some popular trails include; Friulian Dolomites Circular Trail, 4 stages for 4 mountain huts, a trekking route to complete against the splendid backdrop of the Regional Friulian Dolomites Natural Park. Another route is the Alpin way, the yellow trail that starts from Trieste, crosses the Karst, the Carnic and the Julian Alps before finally reaching the German Alps. If not, you can try the Alta Via Forni di Sopra, five days’ trekking between mountain and refuge huts immersed in the wilderness of Forni di Sopra’s wide valley.
Alternatively, you can take one of the many biking routes that range from the coast to the mountains. Also keep an eye out for birds, seeing as the region has 320 different species of birds, a birdwatcher’s paradise! Therefore, if you’re a nature lover who enjoys hiking along the mountains, plains or coast and of course great food and wine – then Friuli Venezia Giulia is the place to go!
Throughout the countryside, the region has a special kind of hospitality. A wide range of alternative accommodation are available to dive into authentic rural life. This includes the “Albergo Diffuso” – an innovative concept of accommodation developed in Friuli Venezia Giulia – that combines the service of a hotel with the freedom of a holiday apartment. Typically staying in ancient houses in villages which have been restored, decorated and equipped in the typical mountain tradition.
Of course, the wonders of the region’s countryside can be witnessed along the new Friuli Venezia Giulia Wine and Food Route. A single road connecting the coast to the mountains, networking the region’s agri-food and wine-growing resources, together with cultural and environmental ones. There are many private houses of winemakers, where you can taste typical, local, home-grown dishes at certain times of the year whilst being surrounded by absolutely breath-taking views of the countryside.
Geographically, the region is rich and diverse in land, from the tall-mountainous region of the Alps to the vast plateau that lead toward an outstanding coastline that borders the southern area of Friuli Venezia Giulia. This hidden geographical treasure will amaze everyone due to its many different landscapes, intertwining cultures, and ancient traditions. This is all enriched by the number of historical homes, manors, villas, castles and ancient villages that are located throughout. Friuli Venezia Giulia truly a site to be seen! IWINETC 2020 in Trieste not to be missed!
The region’s seven golf clubs are as followed; Lignano Golf Club (6,345m, par 72), where lakes and bunkers appear, suitable for all. Grado Golf Club (5,746m, par 72), famous for the many water obstacles with the lagoon on the background. The club is situated in the splendid Primero Estate. Trieste Golf Club (5,810m, par 70), in a seemingly level but tricky green course with an unpredictable wind called bora. Castello di Spessa Golf Country Club (5,460m, par 71), deep in the rustic scenery of the Collio vineyards. Udine Golf Club (5,980m, par 72), for a course designed by the shade of the cherry trees and the gently rounded hills. Castel d’Aviano Golf Club (5,980m, par 72), in the nidst of centuries-old parkland. Lastly, Tarvisio Unlimited Golf Club (5,693m, par 70), designed by the well-known Canadian architect Graham Cooke, with wide fairways on the Alpine plateau, spacious greens and treacherous bunkers.
Food and wine lovers can sip and taste all of its flavours and experience its aromas by travelling the new Friuli Venezia Giulia Wine and Food Route with its 
In the region’s capital, Trieste, seafood dominates the city’s dishes as well as its Slavic-inspired dishes. There one can find Jota (hotpot dish that originated from Slovenia), Trieste-style salted cod, scampi alla busara (large prawns in tomato sauce). One can end a busy day by taking a break in one of the many osmizzas (wine-taverns).
In the city of Gorizia, its proximity to Slovenia is evident in its dishes, typically one finds potato gnocchi with plums drizzled with melted butter and many ham dishes. Towards the interior of the region, Udine and Pordenone’s dishes are influenced by the plateau’s agriculture – dishes with white asparagus, white truffle, raw ham that is slightly smoked and a wide variation of cheese.
Overall, the region’s culinary dishes can be mostly categorised in sea and mountain dishes. However, as mentioned, each city has its own style and unique flavours – utilizing its surrounding and historical ingredients, combined with local traditions to create dishes found nowhere else in Italy. Friuli Venezia Giulia is truly a hidden gem in the culinary world that can be found nowhere else!
