The overarching theme “Oil is Tourism” will be the focus of the third edition of the B2B event dedicated to extra virgin olive oil, scheduled for January 28–30, 2027, at the Fiera del Levante in Bari.
Italy’s inland regions are at risk of losing more than 1.3 million residents by 2050, while rural tourism continues to grow, and the South in particular remains one of the country’s most dynamic regions: in 2024, the number of agritourism guests in Italy reached 4.7 million, a 4.3% increase from the previous year, while the number of agritourism businesses grew most significantly in the South. These two trends highlight a shared challenge: transforming the regions’ agricultural, landscape, and productive heritage into new opportunities for economic growth, employment, and residency within local communities. It is within this context that “Oil is Tourism” takes shape, one of the three main themes of the third edition of EVOLIO Expo, the B2B trade show dedicated to extra virgin olive oil and the olive-growing and oil-producing supply chain, organized by Senaf on behalf of Nuova Fiera del Levante, scheduled for January 28–30, 2027, at the Fiera del Levante in Bari.
But what role can tourism play today in agricultural regions and, in particular, in inland areas?
It is precisely this interplay that is the focus of the reflections of Carmine Cicala, Councilor for Agricultural and Forestry Policies for the Basilicata Region, who is the guest on one of the episodes of the EVOLIO Podcast. According to Cicala, the challenge is to move beyond viewing agriculture as an isolated sector and to establish connections between production, tourism, economic development, and the retention of residents in these regions.
“Today we understand just how closely linked and interconnected aspects are that once seemed unrelated,” Cicala emphasizes. “We want to—and must—continue investing in tourism: we have the capabilities, and we have the places. Tourism means preserving inland areas; tourism means a circular economy, but it also means curbing depopulation.” This approach broadens the very meaning of olive oil tourism. It’s not just about visits to olive mills or tastings, but the opportunity to build an experience centered on olive oil that brings together the product, the landscape, culture, hospitality, and local identity, creating new opportunities for businesses and helping to make agricultural areas more attractive year-round.
This transformation is also reflected in the evolution of Italy’s agritourism offerings. In fact, an increasing number of farms are complementing their agricultural activities with services and experiences centered on exploring the local area: tastings, excursions, hiking, nature-based activities, educational farms, and courses. In 2024, more than half of Italian agritourism farms offered at least one complementary activity, confirming a demand increasingly focused not only on the stay itself but also on the opportunity to engage directly with the places, the local products, and the people who represent them.
This trend is even more evident in olive oil tourism. According to the Second Report on Olive Oil Tourism 2026, edited by Roberta Garibaldi, 70% of Italians are interested in tasting extra virgin olive oil (EVO) paired with local products, 71% in dining in olive groves, and 65% in visiting historic olive mills, underground cellars, or historic homes linked to olive-growing culture.
For olive-growing regions, this means being able to promote not only the product itself but everything surrounding it: olive groves, oil mills, cultivars, production techniques, gastronomy, the landscape, and local culture. Opening the introducing visitors to local businesses, offering tasting tours, explaining the production process, and creating experiences centered on olive oil means transforming extra-virgin olive oil into a true window into the region.
And how does the role of the agricultural business change in this scenario?
A transformation that, according to Cicala, also affects how we understand the agricultural business today and its relationship with the younger generations.
“Many young people have realized that being an entrepreneur in the agricultural sector is much more than that: it means tourism, but also well-being,” Cicala continues. “We need the ability to take a 360-degree view and to work together.” The growth of olive oil tourism, in fact, also depends on the ability to build relationships among farms, tour operators, restaurants, lodging facilities, institutions, and cultural heritage sites. This collaborative dimension is something Cicala emphasizes repeatedly in the podcast: “We need to work as a team. Only by working as a team can we achieve great results.”
And it is precisely this ability to create a cohesive system that EVOLIO Expo 2027 aims to highlight with the overarching theme “Oil is Tourism,” creating opportunities for dialogue among businesses, institutions, and operators to understand how to transform the olive-growing heritage into an increasingly structured and recognizable tourism offering. From promoting olive mills and olive groves to developing itineraries, and connecting these elements with gastronomy, hospitality, and cultural heritage, the goal is to strengthen the role of EVO oil as a means of showcasing and highlighting the appeal of the regions where it is produced.
The “Oil is Tourism” focus will be part of a broader program that, over the course of the three-day event, will also explore the fair’s other two main themes: “Oil is Health,” dedicated to the connection between extra virgin olive oil and well-being, and “Oil is Innovation,” focused on new technologies, advanced production models, and solutions to make the supply chain more competitive and sustainable.
The third edition will retain the event’s signature format, featuring B2B meetings, talks, conferences, guided tastings, masterclasses, tasting courses, cooking demonstrations, and in-depth discussions with producers, buyers, experts, chefs, doctors, researchers, and institutional representatives. Building on the success of the previous edition—6,720 visitors, 150 exhibiting companies, over 100 events including conferences, talks, tastings, masterclasses, and other activities, and 50 international buyers from 16 strategic countries —EVOLIO Expo returns to Bari with the goal of strengthening its role as a B2B platform for Italian and Mediterranean extra virgin olive oil, fostering dialogue between supply and demand, and helping to position extra virgin olive oil as a symbol of excellence in production, technology, and regional identity.
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