Last week I had the privilege of being a keynote speaker at the International Conference on Sustainability in Food & Wine Tourism, held in the beautiful city of Pamplona, Navarra. It was one of those experiences that remind you why you do what you do.
Here's what happened, what I shared, and what I took away.
Speaking to Spanish Wine Tourism Operators: Real Data, Real Strategies
During an intense morning session, I had my talk, "From Table to Tech — How Digital Tools Boost Sales in Food & Wine Tourism."
My goal was simple: give them actionable strategies backed by real data — not abstract theory. Drawing from Winedering's dataset of thousands of bookings, +9,000 verified reviews, and a network of 4,000+ experience suppliers across Europe, I walked through the concrete steps that wine and food tourism operators can take to grow their online sales.
The Key Messages
The shift is real and accelerating. According to the Arival State of Experiences Report 2025, OTAs now capture 37% of all experience bookings worldwide — up from 28% just two years ago. Meanwhile, direct operator websites have declined to 25%. If operators are not present where travelers search, they are losing revenue every day.
Technology enables, but humans connect. Our sentiment analysis of nearly 10,000 reviews reveals that 82% of wine and food travelers mention the host as a key element of the experience — and in 63% of reviews, the host is the single most praised element, above wine, food, and location. This is the competitive advantage no algorithm can replicate.
Focus where you win. Using the AARRR growth framework, I explained why operators should stop fighting OTAs on acquisition — that's their battlefield — and instead invest their energy where they have an unfair advantage: retention, referral, and the human connection that drives the viral loop of great experience, glowing review, more bookings.
The response from the audience was incredible. The Q&A session turned into a genuine conversation about pricing strategies, the role of booking engines, and the importance of preparing hospitality managers who don't recite scripts but truly live the experience they deliver.
World-Class Panels and Roundtables
Beyond my own session, I had the chance to attend panels and roundtables of the highest caliber. The conference brought together an extraordinary lineup of speakers and industry experts — academics, destination managers, wine route coordinators, tourism technology innovators, and sustainability advocates — all sharing knowledge and debating the future of food and wine tourism with remarkable depth and passion.
What struck me most was the quality of the dialogue. These weren't surface-level presentations. Every panel pushed the conversation forward with practical insights and honest assessments of the challenges ahead.
An Afternoon at Bodega Otazu: Where Conference Meets Terroir
The second part of the conference moved to Bodega Otazu, one of Navarra's most stunning wineries. If you've never visited, imagine a centuries-old estate surrounded by vineyards, where art, wine, and history converge in a setting that feels almost cinematic.
Hosting the afternoon sessions in a working winery was a brilliant choice by the organizers. It brought the conference's themes to life: sustainability, authenticity, and the irreplaceable power of place. The discussions on terroir-driven tourism, regional identity, and sustainable viticulture felt entirely different when you could literally see the vineyards through the windows.
The People and the Passion for Navarra
If I had to name one thing that made this conference exceptional, it would be the people. The speakers and experts I met were not just knowledgeable — they were genuinely passionate about their work, their regions, and the future of wine and food tourism.
But the real standout was the organizing team. Their love for Navarra — for its wines, its gastronomy, its landscapes, its culture — was woven into every detail of the event. From the choice of venue to the curated experiences around the conference, everything communicated a deep, authentic pride in their territory. It was a masterclass in how a region can use events to showcase its identity.
Navarra deserves far more international attention as a wine and food tourism destination. With its D.O. wines, its world-class pintxos culture, and its position along the Camino de Santiago, it has all the ingredients to become a leading destination for the kind of traveler who values authenticity above all else.
Key Takeaways for Wine and Food Tourism Operators
For those who weren't in the room, here are the most important lessons from the conference:
Invest in a booking engine. Real-time availability on your website and on OTAs is no longer optional. Travelers expect instant confirmation. If you still require email or phone bookings, you're losing customers to competitors who offer one-click booking.
Use OTAs as a performance marketing channel. They bring you customers you would never reach on your own. Pay the commission, fill your calendar, and then use the experience itself — your host, your wine, your story — to earn retention and referrals.
Don't underestimate your pricing. Real wine and food travelers are not bargain hunters. Price signals quality. Test your pricing on OTAs where you get concentrated traffic and fast feedback.
Prepare your hospitality team. 82% of travelers write about the human connection. The experience should be delivered by someone who truly feels what they're saying — not someone reciting a script.
Embrace sustainability as a strategy, not a checkbox. Digital tools enable deseasonalization, bring visitors to lesser-known regions, reduce waste through capacity planning, and preserve cultural heritage through storytelling.
Looking Ahead
Conferences like this one remind me that the wine and food tourism industry is at a pivotal moment. The tools are available, the market is growing, and the travelers are ready. The operators who will thrive are those who embrace technology to amplify what makes them unique — not to replace it.
Thank you to the organizers of the International Conference on Sustainability in Food & Wine Tourism for an unforgettable event. Thank you to Navarra for the warmth, the wines, and the pintxos. And thank you to every speaker, panelist, and attendee who made those two days in Pamplona so rich.
Let OTAs and your booking engine bring travelers to the door. You make them remember why they came.
¡Salud!
Denis Seghetti is the Co-founder and CTO of Winedering, the world's largest online marketplace dedicated to wine and food tourism. Winedering connects over 4,000 experience suppliers with travelers and travel professionals across Europe. For partnership inquiries, contact us.