462 WINE LAW culinary, harvesting and pruning activities, art22 and music events, lodging services23, food and wine tastings, golf, polo24, trekking, horseback rides, cricket and pato competitions25, with some wineries even being turned into museums. It is also worth mentioning the birth of “Events’ Tourism” in wineries and LGTBQ+ events with boutique travel agencies specialised in wine tourism. In this context, wine tourism in Argentina means more than 1300 permanent jobs, increasing 50% with seasonal jobs. More, 78% are women in the regular staff, and 11% of all employees in the wineries opened for tourists belong to this area. This is a young industry, as more than 50% wineries only opened to tourists in the last 15 years. Regarding the economic indices, it can be estimated that the tourists spend, on average, 30 US$ a day in the winery and almost 100 US$ in lodging. Meanwhile, the establishments’ tourism income represents about 26% of their invoicing26. The Ministry of Tourism of the Province of Mendoza reports that wine visitors spend 20% more than the average tourists who visit the city or only do outdoor activities, according to the time of the year27. It should be noted that the Mendoza Province – which annually produces at least ten million hectoliters of wine – was chosen by the UNWTO to become the prototype for the New World Wine28, which will be used as an application guideline for those destinations interested in working in wine tourism. This project is being consolidated worldwide as an attractive option for tourists when choosing a destination for their holidays, with an axis of experiences that may last from three to four days. Another special highlight is the distinction of Mendoza in the “Great Wine Capitals”, a network that concentrates wine-producing cities worldwide, and for a city to be featured, it must fulfil tourism and tourist quality standards. Mendoza shares the award with Adelaide (Australia), Bilbao/Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Casablanca/Valparaíso (Chile), Cape Town/Cape Wine-Growing 22 Fidel, G., op. cit., p. 53. 23 Source: https://ecocuyo.com/mendoza-presente-en-la-3a-conferencia-mundial-sobre-turismoenologico/. 24 Source: Observatorio de Caminos del vino. 25 Pato, also called the “game of the duck” (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxweɣo ðel ˈpato], is a game played on horses that combines certain elements of polo and baseball. It was developed from an old game practiced by the gauchos, and, therefore, of truly Argentine origin. It is Argentina’s national sport since 1953. 26 Source: https://observatoriova.com/2019/11/el-turismo-del-vino-crece-en-la-argentina/. 27 Fidel, G., op. cit. 28 Mendoza was chosen in 2017 by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a United Nations member, to develop the prototype of New World Wine Tourism, as well as La Rioja (Spain) led to the prototype of the Old World of wine in 2015/2016; more information available in: https://n9.cl/zdqt9.
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