Welcome to CWTC26

Worms University of Applied Sciences is hosting the 7th Culinary and Wine Tourism Conference.

In addition to in-depth academic discussion of current issues relating to wine and cuisine, the programme will also address practical perspectives and applications. Another component is participation in the Worms Wine Mile, an established wine tourism event in the city of Worms.

The 7th CWTC is being organised in cooperation with the Wine Tourism and Culinary Arts Commission of the German Society for Tourism Studies (DGT), namely Harz University of Applied Sciences, IU International University and the University of Applied Sciences Vienna.

Back in 2012, the Department of Tourism/Transport held the 2nd Symposium of the DGT's Wine Tourism and Culinary Arts Commission at the DLR Oppenheim. The conference proceedings were published by EUL-Verlag (ISBN: 9783844102307).

Agenda

Wednesday, 22 April 2026

Arrival in Worms, from 7 p.m. Get-together at the Worms wine bar with "Weck, Worscht un Woi"

 

Thursday, 23 April 2026

from 08.00 Check in
09.30 
  • Welcome by the Vice-President of Worms University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Hans Rück
  • Welcome address by Minister of Economic Affairs Daniela Schmitt (MWVLW)
  • Welcome address by the spokesperson for the DGT's Wine Tourism and Culinary Arts Commission, Prof. Dr. Axel Dreyer
10.00 - 12.15 

Keynote speeches (in German)

  • Kulinarischer Tourismus – ich kam, sah und probierte (Beelitz – Hochschule Worms))
  • Kooperative Zusammenarbeit als Basis für die Positionierung von Destinationen (Scherhag – Hochschule Worms)
  • Mehr als Verkaufen: die Vinothek als zentraler Touchpoint im Weintourimsus (Dreyer – Hochschule Harz)

Wine bars and their significance in wine tourism (in German)

  • Rheinessen ausgezeichnet (Ellen Maria Kneib, Rheinhessen Touristik GmbH)
  • Die Vinothek als Katalysator im Weintourismus: Evidenz aus dem australischen Weinmarkt (Hirche – Hochschule Harz)
  • Das Konzept der Wineflights als Erlebnisformat am Beispiel des Wein-Tourismus-Clusters für die Region Neckar-Zaber (Ehm et al. – Weincampus Neustadt)
12.15 - 13.15 Lunch break
13.15 - 15.00 

Practical examples of cooperative collaboration (in German)

  • Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismuspreis 2025 „Probier mal Ahrtal – Eine kulinarische Entdeckungstour“ (n.n.)
  • Faszination Mittelmosel – Wein- und Genusserlebnisse als Motor regionaler Entwicklung (Röhr – Regionalinitiative „Faszination Mosel“)
  • Weinmarketing und Weintourismus in Rheinhessen (Silberbach/Wechsler – Kompetenzzentrum Weinmarkt & Weinmarkting Rheinland-Pfalz)
15.00 - 15.30Coffee break
15.30 - 17.00

Customer approach and marketing 

  • Kulinarischer Tourismus auf TikTok: Eine Untersuchung der vorherrschenden Beitragsformen (German - Rüdiger – IU Internationale Hochschule)
  • Mehr als nur Käse, Fleisch und Eier? Der Beitrag von Lebensmittelautomaten zur kulinarischen Landschaft der Region Allgäu (German - Stengel – Hochschule Kempten)
  • Weinerlebnisführer, Wein- und Kulturbotschafter, Wein Guides – Nutzen für den deutschen Weintourismus (German - Wagner – my winelands)
  • From Wine Tasting to Wine Experience: Insights from a Student Project in Goriška Brda (English – Petek – Universität Maribor, Slovenien) 
17.00Recap of the day
Approx. 17.30Departure to Abenheim for the evening event 
Approx. 23.00End of the official programme

 

Friday, 23 April 2026 

from 08.00 Check in
09.00 - 10.30 

Culinary delights and positioning of regions

  • From consumption to resonance? A cross-cultural perspective on foodrelated heritage practices in Wine and Tea Tourism in Germany and Japan (English - Schmidt – Universität Trier)
  • Destination Marketing? Marketing-Strategien für japanischen Sake in Europa und für deutschen Wein in Japan (German - Moerke – Hochschule Worms)
  • The role of Vienna's sausage stands in the city's culinary landscape (English - Wagner – FH Wien der WKW, Österreich)
10.30 - 11.00 Coffee break
11.00 - 13.00 

International perspectives (in English)

  • The relationship between self-transcendence, self-enhancement, and organic wine purchase intentions in Ireland (Vergara Galan – TU Dublin, Irland)
  • Geopolitics of Wine: Armenian Wine Tourism at the Crossroads of Regional and Global (Aleksanyan/Suvaryan – Universität Yerivan, Armenien)
  • Targeting the Highly Involved Wine Tourists: Trade Customers (Kottmann/Hanf – Hochschule Geisenheim)
13.00 - 14.00Lunch break
14.00 - 16.00

Wine tourism and special interest (in German)

  • Weintouristische Angebote im Flusskreuzfahrtenmarkt (Rüdiger/Spiegel – IU Internationale Hochschule)
  • Hiking and Tasting - Exploring tourism synergies in between hiking and culinary experiences - Revisited and finalized (Harms et al. – FH Westküste, Hochschule Stralsund, Deutsches Institut für Tourismusforschung)
  • Kulinarik und Motorradtourismus (Beelitz/Scherhag – Hochschule Worms)
  • Im Rausch der Romantik: Eine syndemische Analyse struktureller und sexueller Vulnerabilitäten im Weintourismus (Disselnmeyer – Hochschule Worms)
16.00 - 16.30Recap of the day
From 17.00Themed city tours in Worms – separate registration required
From approx. 18.30Snack with Rheinhessen tapas at the Wine bar VALX at the "Elefantenhöfe" (requested) followed by a visit to the Worms Wine Mile

 

Worms conference venue: historic ambience meets wine tourism experiences

Worms, one of Germany's oldest cities, is located approximately one hour from Frankfurt am Main and Frankfurt Airport and is easily accessible by Deutsche Bahn.

With the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe, ‘Heiliger Sand’, a Jewish quarter with a synagogue, ritual bath (mikveh) and Rashi House with Jewish Museum on a historic site, Worms is home to parts of the UNESCO World Heritage Site SchUM Sites Speyer, Worms, Mainz. In addition, Worms owes its excellent reputation as a festival city to the specially produced performances of the annual Nibelungen Festival.

In Worms, wine is deeply rooted in the regional identity and has shaped both culture and landscape for centuries. The city is part of Germany's largest wine-growing region, Rheinhessen, and is itself considered the third-largest wine-growing community. 

Der Jüdische Friedhof in Worms ist Teil des UNESCO Welterbes SchUM.
Jüdischer Friedhof – UNESCO Welterbe SchUM, Foto / Paul Michael
Die Nibelungenfestspiele vor dem in der Dämmerung liegenden Wormser Dom.
Nibelungenfestspiele vor dem Wormser Dom, Foto / Bernward Bertram

In cooperation with