Yerevan Wine Days #178
Yerevan Wine Days: A Pinnacle in Armenia's Tourism Showcase
The “Yerevan Wine Days” festival acts as the ambassador of tourism for the Republic of Armenia. Various government branches that showcase the country’s tourism potential to international partners give special attention to materials highlighting the festival. The event is seamlessly integrated into promotional materials distributed by organizations such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Economy, and the Tourism Federation. The Public TV Company of Armenia and several other state and private media outlets have extensively covered the “Yerevan Wine Days,” and numerous short clips about Armenia on the internet have provided extensive coverage of the festival.
It is important to note that “Yerevan Wine Days” is featured in all tourist materials and strategically positioned to attract tourists, particularly those interested in wine tourism. Throughout the festival and its aftermath, the pages of tourism organizations, influencers, renowned bloggers, and thousands of visitors are filled with photos vividly capturing the atmosphere of “Yerevan Wine Days.” Every image and publication conveys a singular message: to truly become acquainted with Armenia, participation in “Yerevan Wine Days” is essential.
3-Day Extravaganza
The festival stands out for its unique format, attracting a significant number of visitors and hosting tourists for a short period of 3 days. Following the principle of geometric progression, from year to year, there is an increase in the flow of festival visitors, which is facilitated by the departure of satisfied and impressed tourists. As the festival increases the flow of visitors and attracts more partners, it plays a vital role in promoting wine and winemaking. This contributes to establishing event tourism as a separate industry, promoting the development of enotourism and gastronomic tourism, and stabilizing all sectors of the economy related to tourism.
The Phenomenon of Yerevan Wine Days — Unveiling Armenia's Enogastronomy and Tourism Marvel
This festival stands out as a unique initiative that attracts over 30,000 tourists to a small country like Armenia. Both global and local tour operators intentionally include a visit to the “Yerevan Wine Days” festival in their packages for tourists exploring Armenia. Winemakers eagerly participate in this project to showcase their established and new products, with particular enthusiasm for presenting innovations on this platform. The festival allows them to test new products before entering the international market and increase sales of existing offerings.
In these seven years, only Armenian wines were eligible to participate, aligning with the festival’s goal of promoting Armenian wines. With the mission accomplished, it was decided to introduce international wines and attract international sommeliers starting this year, thereby expanding the festival’s market reach.
The “Yerevan Wine Days” is an annual three-day event that takes place on the first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of June in the heart of Yerevan. Specifically, the event unfolds on the streets of Moskovyan, Saryan, and Tumanyan. The Yerevan Municipality grants exclusive permission to close these streets to the “Yerevan Wine Days” organizers, emphasizing their anticipation and evaluation of expected and previously reported results. The festival covers an area of approximately 16,000 square meters.
This year, “Wine Days in Yerevan” will be held for the eighth time. Being one of the most awaited events of the year and an inseparable part of Yerevan for the residents and compatriots from different regions of Armenia, the impression was that the beginning of the festival was set much earlier than eight years ago. At the same time, for thousands of tourists, the festival is a magnet to the region.
By patiently queuing during the festival and purchasing the coveted signature glass of wine, visitors each year can explore and taste more than 700 varieties of Armenian wine in one place, pair it with suitable cuisine, and enjoy various entertainment shows.
The “Yerevan Wine Days” festival significantly impacts two strategically important sectors for the Republic of Armenia: winemaking and event tourism. In 2023, the total turnover of all participants over three days suppressed to more than 1 million dollars. Moreover, thanks to “Yerevan Wine Days”, tourists visiting during three festival days and the subsequent ten days indirectly invest about $30 million in small and medium-sized enterprises related to tourism in Armenia. This heightened economic activity is so pronounced that, in monthly economic analyses, the results for June markedly differ from those of its surrounding months.
In 2022, the “Yerevan Wine Days” festival participated in the “Wine Travel Awards” and received the coveted “Event of the Year 2022” award.
Starting in 2025, “Yerevan Wine Days” will expand its awards by hosting a wine awards ceremony with the participation of an international jury.
Empowering Armenia: Eventtoura Agency's Dynamic Impact on Tourism Development
The festival organizer, “EventToura: Event Tourism Developing Agency”, operates as a limited liability company and achieves remarkable results thanks to its dedicated team of eight women. The company’s founders, Nune Manukyan and Mary Badalyan, bring distinct professional experiences to the table, establishing a robust and continually evolving organization. Nune Manukyan, with over 25 years in tourism and marketing with local and international companies, co-founded the agency with Mary Badalyan, who specializes in international trade and contractual relations. From its inception, the company’s singular and clear goal was to position Armenia as one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in the region through event tourism.
Eight Years of Impact: Eventtoura's Success in Boosting Armenia's Tourism and Economy
With over eight years of experience, the organization has successfully designed and implemented numerous projects that contribute to the vitality of different regions in Armenia, attract tourists, garner attention from international media and tour operators, and promote tourism and the economy. Despite operating independently from state auspices, the organization is entrusted with significant state projects, such as the Republic of Armenia’s independence holidays.
Philosophy and Format
“EventToura: Event Tourism Developing Agency”, in conceptualizing the structure and format of the “Yerevan Wine Days” festival, meticulously studied the market and comprehended the expectations and requirements of both consumers and producers, initiating a groundbreaking tradition. Because of this annual festival, Armenia takes center stage in capturing the attention of international business people and media.
The festival serves as a potent catalyst to position Armenia as a compelling force, ensuring that the itineraries of tourist groups within the region and combined tours with neighboring countries inevitably include Armenia or vice versa.
Visitors are allowed to savor products from various winemakers, selecting those most suited to their palate, potentially evolving from customers to partners. Crucially, visitors engage in direct interaction with winemakers, becoming acquainted with who the face of the wine is, hearing firsthand from the winemakers themselves, and delving into the history and journey of each wine. Within the festival’s framework, attendees enjoy a delightful experience and gain insights into new histories, cultures, tastes, and hues of wine at every step.
Preparations for the festival commence nine months in advance, ensuring meticulous planning to achieve the best results, discovering new wines, presenting old ones innovatively, and exploring emerging trends in wine tourism. It is noteworthy that participants include not only organizations with previous involvement but also newly established companies whose work receives a significant boost through the “Yerevan Wine Days” festival, contributing to the recognition and development of domestic products. The event showcases a mix of newly created wines as well as rediscovered classics.
Survey results conducted immediately after the festival highlight the positive impact on participating organizations, with approximately 70% expressing immediate willingness to join the following year’s event.
Recognizing the significance of this large-scale event for the country’s economy and tourism, the Yerevan Municipality granted permission to close three central streets for three days solely for the “Yerevan Wine Days” organized by the “EventToura” company. The festival spans an area of about 16,000 square meters. In addition, it is worth noting that while the “Yerevan Wine Days” festival is not an initiative of any state structure, it maintains a close collaboration with state bodies.
The festival area is meticulously divided into three parts and features corresponding stages, two of which are dedicated to partner and sponsor announcements, and the third is reserved for winemakers and master classes conducted by both Armenian and international experts in the field. Live performances by popular, well-established, and newly discovered bands and musicians take place to enhance the festive atmosphere throughout the day.
During “Yerevan Wine Days”, embassies in Armenia play a crucial role by facilitating and inviting international bands from their respective countries to perform on the stages. This includes participants such as the Black Alley band, invited by the US Embassy, and Blue Apple, by the Czech Embassy.
Throughout the festival, technically equipped stages host master classes featuring renowned Armenian chefs and acquaint visitors with the art of pairing wine and food. Attendees have the opportunity to taste different wines with various dishes, gaining insights and advice from industry experts.
Very close to each other but at different stands, organizations from different fields present their products with distinctive external designs, captivating visitors with their innovative brand presentations. The festival actively supports the endeavors of restaurant and tourism organizations through its engaging activities. Specially curated packages labeled “Yerevan Wine Days” are offered during this period
The festival serves as an educational platform, not only for promoting the culture of wine but also for fostering a culture of museum visits. Collaborating with museums in the area, including the Wine History Museum and the National Gallery of Armenia, the festival designates a special area for the Museum of Wine History on the “Yerevan Wine Days” festival grounds. Here, artifacts spanning 6,100 years of history are displayed under security officers’ supervision.
Introducing a new program, the “YereWine” audio performance, in the past year, the festival has brought a fresh style to the wine education platform. Through this program, guests listen to captivating stories while tasting presented wines, experiencing the significance of pairing food and the formula of harmony. The stories are trilingual, making the platform accessible to international visitors, special guests, and tourists. Professional specialists and sommeliers participated in creating stories, and experienced specialists performed translations. Recently, the Public TV Company of Armenia featured a report on this project, highlighting the significance of this initiative (you can view the report from the Public TV Company attached: https://fb.watch/qkkH9UKZWM/).
The festival significantly contributes to the promotion and growth of domestic products, fostering stability in event tourism while creating lasting and memorable experiences for all visitors throughout the year.