Wine Tourism and Regional Development in Nashik: Opportunities and Challenges

ABSTRACT: Wine tourism has been a major driver of the regional economy of Nashik, connecting agriculture, hospitality, and cultural experiences into a single economic system. In the last 20 years Nashik, so long coined the “Wine Capital of India”, has seen its viticultural foundation shifted to a tourism-based economy, driven in large part by vineyard visits, tasting sessions and other high profile events such as SulaFest. We report on how wine tourism helps the local economy of Nashik with income, rural employment, and infrastructural development in this research. It also assesses the branding strategies, policy contexts and community engagement that contribute to the wine-tourism ecosystem in the district. Methodologically, this study uses field surveys, stakeholder interviews and tourists’ perspectives to understand quantitative and qualitative facets of the phenomenon. The results underscore wine tourism as an important vehicle for local development, but also reflect challenges in sustainability, cultural sensitivity and the fair distribution of benefits. Key words: Wine-tourism, SulaFest, Viticultural.