Wine Tourism up close at the Loisium wine world

In addition to the core curriculum, MU students have a number of interesting Enrichment Courses to choose from, which focus on a specific topic in field such as tourism, sustainability and business. For the first time this semester, Wine Tourism and Marketing was offered in the undergraduate programs, where students develop an understanding of marketing practices in the wine industry in order to manage wine tourism flows.

Additionally, they critically analyze the economic, social, and cultural issues related to wine tourism marketing practices in national and international wine tourism marketers, and examine case studies to see the various opportunities wine tourism offers for destination development.

Taught by Researcher and Lecturer Lidija Lalicic, the course also featured various guest speakers from the wine industry who were invited to speak at MU. Since Austria is a world class wine growing region, the course wouldn’t be complete without some hands-on experience with wine tourism! On a lovely sunny April friday, Lidija planned an exciting field trip to the nearby wine experience world "Loisium" as part of the course.

Located in the Wachau wine growing region of Lower Austria in the town of Langenlois, the Loisium represents an outstanding example of wine tourism. The multimedia presentation is heavily invested in experience design, where all senses of the tourist are triggered. The tour includes videos, water fountains, re-creations, information, and a visit to a wine cellar, all with an esoteric touch which sets it apart from your typical wine tour.

Furthermore, students had a meet and greet with Loisium's CEO Ms. Kühmayer, who discussed innovative wine tourism projects in Austria. 

"The experience Wine Tourism & Marketing class brought us, being exchange students, was invaluable,’’ says Bachelor student Nina Henry. ‘’It was enlightening to be able to learn another up and coming sector of Tourism alongside MODUL students, finally coming full circle with an excursion to the Loisium!‘’

Peter Frank, Bachelor student and President of the MU Wine Society, joined the excursion which well suited his interests: ‘’the whole tour was very well organized and easy to understand how the wine making process works. We discovered the different types of skilled crafts and trades that are needed for the winemaking process and ended our tour with a small wine tasting.’’