Positioning / strategy

The actions taken by the « Languedoc Cœur d’Hérault »

The Pays Cœur d’Hérault, who is the project leader for the Vignobles et Découvertes label, along with the local tourist offices and the Steering Committee for Wine Tourism are responsible for promoting the destination via an action plan aimed at professionals. It is based around helping them towards improving the quality of their service so that they can meet the required standards. For example:

♦Encouraging them to apply for quality labels such as Qualité Sud de France, Bienvenue à la Ferme etc. 
♦Training courses specific to their sector (e.g. foreign languages) or for multiple sectors (e.g. knowledge of local wines, geography, terroir etc.)
♦Coming up with practical tools to help them become local ambassadors, using a common language 

Tourist professionals and wine professionals are the foremost ambassadors and influencers. They form a network of partners who:
♦Know each other and network amongst themselves (sending clients to other qualified service providers)
♦Promote local wines and produce as well as local know-how
♦Transmit the same message and are able to talk about the local area
♦ Are careful to preserve and highlight the local landscape and environment
♦Provide an authentic and warm welcome and offer quality products
♦Listen to their clients/visitors, share their knowledge and encourage responsible drinking

The plan also includes actions that are aimed at developing the territory’s notoriety and highlighting the four main pillars of the positioning strategy:
♦Promoting the participating professionals via existing and new forms of media
♦Educational tours and inter-professional meetups
♦Encouraging new ideas or services between providers
♦Commercializing tourist packages by qualified organizations

Through its actions, the Pays Cœur d’Hérault also tries to preserve and highlight the territory’s landscapes and heritage and encourages projects that value its winemaking identity.

What sort of wine tourism can you find in « Languedoc Cœur d’Hérault »?

A strong viticultural tradition, exceptional landscapes and a rich and varied cultural and viticultural heritage…

Wine tourism in the « Languedoc Cœur d’Hérault » is aimed at the highest quality in terms of authenticity, sustainable agriculture, natural and cultural heritage, local products and service providers. This strategy is based around four main areas, which constitute the territory’s identity:

♦The wine

♦The landscapes

♦The heritage

♦The people

The territory

The Pays Coeur d’Hérault is comprised of 77 communes and occupies a strategic position between the two principal cities of Montpellier and Béziers.

It is an authentic winegrowing area, distinguished by the quality of its appellations (AOC and IGP) whose notoriety continues to grow.

It is also privileged by its natural heritage (preserved, peaceful and emblematic landscapes), cultural heritage (which is varied and exceptional) and viticultural heritage.

All these are major advantages for developing wine tourism.

Hence since 2010, the Pays Coeur d’Hérault has been committed to developing a strategy in partnership with the 3 local tourist offices. This collective effort gained further momentum a few years later when the territory’s professionals came together to apply for the label Vignobles et Découvertes as “Languedoc Coeur d’Hérault”. The label was obtained at the end of December 2015.