Exploring how Wine Tourism tackles Seasonality on the example of Moldova’s Wine Region ’Codru’ : A Qualitative Analysis

This paper aims to explore how wine tourism is used as a tool to address the off-season in Moldova’s Codru wine region to mitigate seasonality. In emerging destinations, such as Moldova, seasonality interrupts the stable tourist flow and economic stability of the region. Wine tourism presents unique opportunities for year-round tourist engagement through experiential, cultural, and partnership-led strategies. Based on qualitative research involving interviews with key wine tourism representatives from the Codru region, this study investigates the strategies used to address the off-season. It also investigates the ongoing challenges faced by the wineries in the region. The findings show that immersive experiences, cultural appeal, and cross-sector partnerships enhance off-season appeal for tourists. However, broader challenges such as underdeveloped infrastructure, harsh weather, and limited international visibility continue to hinder the potential of the area. This paper contributes to the under-researched literature on Eastern European wine tourism and accentuates the potential of wine tourism as a tool for mitigating seasonality, if used, funded, and coordinated correctly.