Wineries and wine routes as a tool for the development of agritourism in Serbia

Abstract

Over the last five years, the wine production in the Republic of Serbia has had a positive trend. The structure of wine import and export indicates the need for better branding of Serbian wines to increase their visibility in the market. Today, small and family vineyards as well as wineries in the rural areas of Serbia prevail. All sorts of vines are grown there, and the products are often very high-quality wines. Representation of wineries in tourism industry is insufficiently developed and sporadic, with no clear strategy at a national and local level. Their involvement in development of tourism should be encouraged primarily through the development of wine routes. By improving hospitality facilities in wineries, all the preconditions would be met for the successful development, not only of wine industry, but also of agritourism since during their stay, tourists could try out and experience vineyard farm life at firsthand.

Keywords

• wine tourism
• wineries
• wine routes
• branding
• development
• agritourism