4 March 2014
South Africa’s Stellenbosch Wine Routes will be making its debut at the 2014 International Tourism Bourse (ITB) Berlin on Wednesday as part of the global launch of its wine tourism marketing campaign, the “Stellenbosch Experience”.
Stellenbosch Wine Routes will join forces with South African Tourism, Western Cape tourism and investment agency Wesgro, and Tripadvisor in showcasing wine tourism in Stellenbosch and the broader Western Cape.
“The potential of wine tourism in South Africa is huge, and Stellenbosch and the Western Cape at large are perfectly placed to attract more wine tourists to our country, but then a far greater and more aligned effort is needed on a global scale,” Stellenbosch Wine Routes CEO Annareth Bolton said in a statement last week.
The Stellenbosch Wine Experience campaign is a partnership between Stellenbosch Wine Routes and Stellenbosch 360, a cultural tourist route encompassing Stellenbosch, Dwarsrivier and Franschhoek. By launching at the ITB, the campaign aims to expand the region’s wine tourism footprint abroad.
“We are thrilled about this collaboration and cannot wait to introduce Stellenbosch as the ultimate wine tourism destination in terms of quality, authenticity and value-for-money experiences to the world,” Bolton said.
“With this campaign, we aim for maximum international recognition, making use of primarily digital marketing to showcase the wealth of our wine tourism offering and our passion and pride to the world. ITB offers the perfect platform for us to share just why Stellenbosch is South Africa’s wine tourism capital and benefit from the leading think-tank of the global tourism industry.
“Recent research by Tourism New Zealand found that 13% of all international travellers visit wineries and embark on wine tourism related activities annually. These travellers spend more on average than other leisure travellers and stay longer,” Bolton said, adding: “It is no wonder that destinations like New Zealand are focusing a lot more on wine tourism promotions.”
Other campaign elements include an enhanced digital presence across all social media networks and an innovative wine tourism blogger campaign with top international and national travel, lifestyle and food bloggers, between April and September.
Stellenbosch Wine Routes, a co-ordinated network of wineries in the Stellenbosch area, was established in 1971, making it the oldest wine route in the country.
SAinfo reporter
