Champagne has drawn a decidedly positive interim assessment on the 10th anniversary of its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The 2nd Conference on Wine Tourism in Champagne provided concrete data on this matter. The event was organized on March 11th in Troyes by the UNESCO Mission, involving all regional tourism stakeholders and the industry association.
As reported by the trade magazine 'Champagne Viticole', three aspects particularly stood out from a survey conducted by the Reims Region Urban Planning, Development, and Foresight Agency ('AUDRR') in early 2025 among 600 participants (residents, elected officials, and professionals). The first concerned the region's image and level of recognition. Here, 82% of residents believe that the inclusion in the World Heritage list has improved the region's image over the past ten years. 86% of respondents stated they were proud of the inclusion.
The economic consequences were particularly significant, driven by the increase in tourist numbers and their direct impact on the tourism, accommodation, and gastronomy sectors. For instance, the number of overnight stays in Reims increased by more than 60% between 2016 and 2023, reaching 1.8m. The top 3 countries of origin for tourists were cited as Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The number of employees in the tourism sector also rose by 33% in recent years, reaching 8,240 jobs by the end of 2023. Finally, 84% of respondents have also noted since the listing that the condition of the cultural heritage is better maintained and preserved than before.
In a video message, France's Economy Minister Nathalie Delattre emphasized that the success of wine tourism depends on all stakeholders working together, urging "the mosaic of very diverse local actors" to collaborate even more intensively. The Director of the UNESCO Mission, Amandine Crépin, used the conference to introduce the new Champagne tourism platform 'explore-grandest.com'. Notably, the platform provides information to visitors not only in French and English but also in German, Dutch, and Italian.
Champagne ranks number 3 in wine tourism
A recently presented study by 'Atout France', an organization under the Ministry of Tourism and reported by the magazine 'Revue du vin de France', shows how well wine tourism has developed overall in France. According to the study, the number of visitors to wine-growing regions increased by 20% between 2016 and 2023, rising from 10m to 12m visitors. Of these visitors, 5.4m (45%) are foreigners, a share that increased by 29% during the same period, with guests from the United Kingdom leading, followed by Belgians and Americans. This growth in numbers is particularly noteworthy considering the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which tourism practically collapsed.
Regarding the popularity of France's wine tourism regions in 2023, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, particularly Bordeaux, led with 2.5m visitors alone. The Occitanie region and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region tied for second place, each receiving 2.3m visitors. Champagne followed with 2m visitors. SP
