Positive results for visitor numbers in 2023 - and a committed road map in place for 2024

2024-01-17

The Cité du Vin welcomed 385.000 visitors from nearly 100 different nationalities in 2023. These numbers are representative of very positive visit-levels, very close to those in 2022, even though the site was closed for an entire month for the renewal of the Permanent exhibition. By the end of 2023, the Cité du Vin had welcomed more than 2.7 million visitors since it opened, boosted its appeal to foreign visitors - who account for more than half of the total number - and attracted a steady stream of locals to its cultural events. The new range of cultural events offered over the past 12 months has met with a very receptive audience. Bolstered by this success, the Cité du Vin now wants to strengthen its CSR policy to offer visitors an activity that is just as popular, but even more sustainable and responsible.

2023 visitor figures

Between February and December 2023, the Cité du Vin welcomed 385.000 general public visitors from nearly 100 different nationalities, bringing the total number of visitors since its opening to more than 2.7 million.

After a spring disrupted by strikes and demonstrations, the excellent summer season (97.000 visitors in July/August 2023) continued into the autumn, with more than 42.000 visitors in October (the highest number registered in the month of October since the Cité du Vin opened). These good results are due in particular to the ever-increasing number of foreign visitors, who accounted for 51% of the total number for the year. Spanish, British and American visitors were the most numerous, followed by Germans and Italians. The rest of the visitors break down as follows: 29% French tourists, 9% day-trippers and 11% Bordeaux Métropole residents.

More than 356.000 visitors came to see the new Permanent exhibition, inaugurated on 4 February, and almost 24.000 experienced the Via Sensoria Sensory tasting journey, on offer from early April to early November. The daytime tasting workshops attracted almost 11.000 individual participants. The evening cultural programme, specifically targeting locals and Bordeaux Métropole residents in particular, was also very popular, with more than 2.500 people taking part in the after-work wine tasting workshops on world wines and food & wine pairing, and 4.000 attending the conferences, meetings, screenings, keynote interviews and Gourmet Cinema evenings organised in 2023.

On the BtoB side, the Cité du Vin hosted 535 corporate events (including 300 events, 103 guided tours and 132 privatised workshops), thus making it possible to combine business and cultural experiences through the privatisation of activities. A total of 5.900 professionals thus took part in a cultural activity during a corporate event, including more than 3.400 at a tasting workshop and 2.100 on the Essential Guided Tour, enabling them to discover the Permanent exhibition and the Belvedere. In grand total, therefore, almost 391.000 people visited the Cité du Vin in 2023.

Attraction and appeal of the new cultural offer

2023 was the year of renewal for the Cité du Vin. For the first time since its opening, the Permanent exhibition was extensively redesigned, with new multimedia productions, new equipment, and new staging. Two tasting offers have also been added to the range of cultural activities: the Via Sensoria Sensory tasting journey, inaugurated in the spring, and the Bordeaux 360° tasting workshop. “These new offers immediately won over the hearts of our visitors. Their many positive comments and ever-increasing satisfaction recognise the hard work carried out by our teams. Renewing our cultural offering was a gamble. We are delighted to say that it paid off!” says Philippe Massol, Managing Director.

Today, more than 90% of visitors recommend the visit to their friends and family, and the average score given to the Permanent exhibition is almost 8.75/10, up 0.75 points compared to 2022. These results are in line with the goal to achieve Very High Satisfaction by offering an exceptional experience to every visitor in the Cité du Vin.

In 2024, ever-more responsible and committed

On the strength of this trust shown by visitors from all over the world (73% of whom consider that the subjects covered in the Permanent exhibition raise their awareness of sustainable development), the Foundation for Wine Culture and Civilisations wishes to strengthen the commitment to sustainable, responsible and inclusive tourism at the Cité du Vin. A Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy based on three pillars (sustainable development, employee well-being and visitor satisfaction) is now deployed across all its activities, making the Cité du Vin a player in future changes.

Already certified “NF environment - Visitor sites” , “Tourism & Handicap” , and “Sustainable Entertainment: responsible emotion” at Experienced level, in summer 2023 the Foundation also joined CEC NA – Convention des Entreprises pour le Climat (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) – a movement that places companies at the heart of the transition. In autumn 2023, a carbon audit and consumption studies were launched to ensure that our practices are increasingly environmentally friendly.

Photo: ©Anaka/Cité du Vin/XTU architects