Moldova Wine Road included in Council of Europe Cultural Routes

Chisinau, 9 March /MOLDPRES/- The wine route - Moldova Wine Road became the first tourist itinerary of Moldova registered in ITER VITIS-Les chemins de la vigne, a cultural route certified by the Council of Europe.

The Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe comprise over 30 certified itineraries under the auspices of the international forum and aim to promote trips to discover Europe's diverse heritage and to embody global values such as human rights, intercultural diversity, cross-border intercultural dialogue and sustainable tourism development. ITER VITIS - Les chemins de la vigne is the pan-European wine route that integrates landscapes and wine heritage of 18 states, promoted by the European Federation IterVitis, being certified according to the standards of the Council of Europe in 2009.

"The affiliation of the Moldovan Wine Road to the European network of cultural routes is a success of the Moldovan wine and tourism industry, the reputation of which has been affirmed, and the millennial heritage, the diversity of wine traditions, the uniqueness of the underground galleries and the authenticity of wines are the assets of the Moldovan tourism product. It will be promoted through the IterVitis network, as part of the European cultural heritage, being useful to tourists in search of new wine tourism discoveries, "said Emanuela Pranke, IterVitis program manager, who will visit the Republic of Moldova to participate in the wine cellar integration, wineries and wine tourism experiences in the IterVitis route.

Ambassador Corina Călugăru, permanent representative of Moldova to the Council of Europe, congratulated the National Association for Domestic and inbound Tourism and the wine industry for this achievement. "Moldovan wine is a symbol of European identity, built on a great culture, a valuable wine heritage and centuries of evolution, to which the wines from the region of our country have been connected since ancient times. The old cellars, the popular wine culture and local varieties that offer international quality and recognition are testified. With experiences of discovering the cultural heritage, the gastronomy, the rural life, as well as the hospitality of the Moldovans, the Wine Road becomes a competitive product, which will manage to preserve the authenticity of the tourist offer and increase the flow of tourists to our country, and the certification of the Council of Europe imposes excellence and rallying to the fundamental values ​​of modern society ”, she said.

“The development of tourism is an engine of regional development, promoting agri-food production and sustainable use of the environment and natural resources, with benefits of economic growth for the population. Foreign tourists spent in Moldova in 2019 over 500 million dollars, and the Wine Road is our country's business card. International recognition and integration of the wine route into European cultural routes encourages us to develop agro-tourism and regional development programs, ” Minister of Agriculture and Regional Development Ion Perju said.

The tourism industry and the wine industry of Moldova have developed in positive dynamics during the last 5 years, demonstrating synergies and mutual benefits.

Moldova is included in the top 10 wine tourism destinations recommended in 2020 by the publication Winerist.com.

The European affiliation was promoted by the National Association for Inbound and Domestic Tourism, with the support of the Competitiveness Project in Moldova, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Sweden and the UK aid, being formalized by the certificate of membership of 28 February 2020.