Wine tourism in an emerging viticultural country – benefits and challenges from the perspective of Polish winemakers

The article focuses on wine tourism in Polish vineyards, which has been developing very dynamically in recent years, and aims to look at this phenomenon from the perspective of winemakers. It seeks to explore the primary motivations of winemakers for initiating enotourism activities and to analyse potential factors that support or hinder the development of tourism functions. The study is based on quantitative and qualitative research which involved direct on-site observations, source analysis, and a diagnostic survey that included questionnaires and interviews with winemakers. The primary reasons for introducing tourism offerings by winemakers, often concurrently with the very inception of the vineyard and the commencement of wine production, are the desire to increase direct sales, promote the brand, and establish and maintain relationships with customers and the local community. Many winemakers plan to expand their tourism activities, particularly in terms of accommodation services. However, current obstacles include high investment costs (especially related to the introduction of accommodation and catering services), shortage of appropriate personnel, lack of time, and difficulties in balancing vineyard work with tourist services.