Stellenbosch mingled with trade and
media; meeting with the likes of Falstaff gourmet magazine, Reisen Exklusiv,
Südafrika Magazin, Reisefieber, Genießen & reisen magazine, and Berliner
Morgenpost.
In addition,
an exclusive wine evening for top international bloggers, media and trade was
hosted by Stellenbosch at which Kleine Zalze wines and Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel
were served. Guests included Slow Travel Berlin, Tripadvisor, iAmbassador,
Traveldudes, Harpers Bazaar Germany and Die WELT magazine.
Annemarie Ferns,
CEO of Stellenbosch 360 attended ITB Berlin and shares: “ITB Berlin is one of
the biggest tourism trade shows in the world, making it the perfect platform
from which to share our region’s offerings with trade and media. Of particular
importance this year was promoting our authentic experiences, such as dining
with locals, cycling and hiking through the vineyards or Jonkershoek, as well
as the town’s café culture.”
Annareth Bolton, CEO of Stellenbosch
Wine Routes also comments; “ITB Berlin was very good, with a lot of hard work
going into the planning of our attendance of the trade show. It is difficult to
stand out, as there are so many wonderful destinations to choose from around
the world. It was important to follow-up with the connections we made last year
and to see the results of our hard work in 2014, but it was also great to see
that our campaign is right on track when one looks at global travel trends. We
are light years ahead of most other international wine regions. The need for
individualized, tailor-made travel is big, and that is exactly what we
specialize in - connecting travellers with locals and giving them the
opportunity to immerse themselves in our region and culture.”
This year’s annual ITB World Travel
Trends Report revealed that Stellenbosch is indeed heading in the right direction
with the Stellenbosch Experience initiative, sharing the food and wine
capital’s offerings with the world through the eyes of locals and international
explorers, using primarily digital marketing.
- The
number of travellers increased in 2014 and long-haul travel grew faster
than short-haul, which is great news for destinations like South Africa.
- One
third of the world’s travellers come from five top countries – Germany
(maintained its position as the world’s largest outbound travel market in
2014), the USA, UK, China and France. German travellers still account for
25% of the travellers to Stellenbosch.
- Forecast
data for 2015 confirms that this should be another great year in travel
with a 4% global increase in international trips.
- Beach
and relaxation holidays grew by 18% over the last five years and while it
remains the biggest travel category in terms of market share, travel to
cities was the fastest-growing market segment in 2014, with a 72% increase
over the past five years.
- Online
bookings continue to make up the larger share of travel bookings. 66% of
travel bookings are made via the internet, particularly with the use of
smart phones, and only 26% of bookings are now made through travel agents.
- Online
bookings continued to increase in 2014 with the use of smartphones. China,
the USA and Japan took the top three spots for booking travel via
smartphones. In addition, blogs and social media channels are being used
more intensively by travellers across the globe to plan trips. 92% of
social media users have been influenced by travel blogs and ratings in
2014 with up to 72% willing to change their destination choice based on
the opinion of friends and networks on social media. In China, up to 95%
of travellers use travel blogs as a source of travel information.
Comparatively, 86% Indian travellers and 66% of European travellers are
influenced by the content of travel blogs.
- Millennials
are driving the growth in travel and are rigorous users of technology and
social media.
Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, owner of
Destinate and the driving force of the Stellenbosch Experience campaign
says; “Travel is changing. It’s all about authentic experiences and immersing
yourself in the local culture. This change has largely been driven by
Millennials and so will continue to be the case for some time, even intruding
into the more traditional travel methods of older generations. Stellenbosch’s
wine and tourism offerings are certainly on trend when it comes to providing
travellers with a unique experience and the approach we take on sharing
information and stories about the town and its offerings via digital and social
media channels are spot on too.”
Ahead of winter, the Stellenbosch
Experience is launching a Winter in the Winelands campaign with a focus on
the town as a family-friendly and affordable destination for all seasons. This
campaign will see value-added Stay & Play winter packages on offer that
check all the right boxes in terms of ultimate bucket-list encounters in
Stellenbosch from budget to luxury, but all with great value for money at the
core.
The Stellenbosch Experience campaign
is made possible by partners like Kleine Zalze, Spier, Stellenbosch Vineyards,
Tokara, Lourensford and Jordan Wines.