Identifying areas suitable for wine tourism through the use of multi-criteria and geographic information system: the method and its application in the countryside around Mount Etna (Sicily)

Submitted: 7 November 2016
Accepted: 10 February 2017
Published: 1 June 2017
Abstract Views: 2168
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Vineyards are among the crops that shape quality landscapes. Many places in the world are famous for their unique wine landscapes which play an important role in the development of tourism in the rural areas. Among these, the wine landscape surrounding mount Etna (Sicily) emerges due to its undisputed value, as it is an important component of the territory recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This work was conducted with that in mind, in order to identify the most suitable areas for wine tourism on the slopes of our volcano. The method used assigns a great importance to the quality of the landscape, an indispensable resource for encouraging wine tourism, and considers it to be of equal importance with the production of the wines themselves. The present work uses multi-criteria analysis in combination with geographic information system (GIS). Numerous indicators describing local resources were weighed and spatialized. The GIS analysis allowed for the development of various intermediate maps, which allowed to draw up the final suitability map for wine tourism, identifying areas larger than those of the actual vineyards. The value of these areas and the quality of their landscapes are closely connected to the production of the wines in the zone. It could be the target for specific plans and projects aimed at using the available resources, to develop wine tourism in rural areas. Although the study only covers a limited geographical area, the methodology used has general validity and could be used in other contexts.

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Lara Riguccio, Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania

Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione ed Ambiente

Full Professor:AGR/10 Building and Land Engineering

Board member ofAIIA
Giovanna Tomaselli, Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania

Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione ed Ambiente

Full Professor: AGR/10 Building and Land Engineering

Board member of AIIA
Laura Carullo, Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania

Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione ed Ambiente

Full Professor:AGR/10 Building and Land Engineering

Board member ofAIIA
Danilo Verde, Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania

Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione ed Ambiente

Full Professor:AGR/10 Building and Land Engineering

Board member ofAIIA
Patrizia Russo, Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania

Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione ed Ambiente

Full Professor:AGR/10 Building and Land Engineering

Board member ofAIIA

How to Cite

Riguccio, L., Tomaselli, G., Carullo, L., Verde, D. and Russo, P. (2017) “Identifying areas suitable for wine tourism through the use of multi-criteria and geographic information system: the method and its application in the countryside around Mount Etna (Sicily)”, Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 48(2), pp. 88–98. doi: 10.4081/jae.2017.624.