At the inaugural The Business of Wine and Food Tourism Conference, which commenced at the Spier Conference Centre yesterday, Destinate MD Mariette du Toit Helmbold presented trends and insights into global travel and wine tourism, and presented a strategy for local Wine Tourism. 

Mrs Helmbold introduced her topic by defining tourism as being all about experiences, and that our role is to move people to experience the country we know, being the ‘real’ South Africa.  Trust is everything, she said, being the most important commodity in travel. Travelers have become our country’s most important ambassadors, and their friends, family, and Social Media audiences trust the travel advice they offer. Every tourism business should invest in wifi, to facilitate the spreading of the tourism message via Social Media.

There is currently no single message that communicates the message of ‘we are open for business‘. Instead our regions’ stories are diverse and ‘messy‘, according to her.  There is a deep need for travelers to connect emotionally to the places visited. They want to see the chef, want to hear the story behind the food, and meet the local people. The experiences must be meaningful. They want to experience the real people. They appreciate the benefit of sitting and eating a meal together, really connecting. She said that local and international Social Media guests invited by her company have been hosted at top restaurants, but eating at the table of a local family is a highlight for them.

She spoke about Millennials wanting this experience. This group is younger, and travels more (4,2 times per year), and travels in small groups with friends. ‘They are our front line marketers’, socially conscious, caring, and committed, and want to experience the authentic daily life. They spend money on adventures, not on buying souvenirs. 

She said that it is all about food, tourists ‘eating and sipping through the destinations‘. They want to do more than eat at a nice restaurant. They also want to see how the food is grown, and how it is eaten by locals. They want to get involved in the cooking, and especially local dishes. Travelers do not want to lie next to the pool.  It’s about biking and hiking and running, to get to know the destination. ‘Cycling is the new golf’, she said, with travelers now spending more money on cycling than on golf. 

The tourists want real accommodation experience too. They book AirBnB in local neighbourhoods, living with the locals, wanting to explore a town or city beyond the tourist strip. They want to explore routes and different regions. She suggested that Destination Marketing Organisations must market regions, and connect them. She challenged the marketing bodies to package offerings in a more unique way. Experiences must be linked, it no longer being about a single destination. ‘We have an interesting story, we are real‘, she said, and this is of interest to visitors. 

Mrs Helmbold said that Wine Tourism is a vehicle to drive Tourism forward, after months of negotiations with key stakeholders, including VinPro and the Department of Tourism and SA Tourism. Globally tourism is one of the most important stimulants of economic growth. There are few barriers to entry to Tourism. The industry and training must continuously be stimulated.

Wine tourism is about delivery and experiencing a variety of experiences and activities in wine-growing areas. It is not a wine strategy, it’s a tourism and hospitality strategy. Many wine estates make more money out of tourism than out of wines, she stated. She suggested that the regulatory information at the top of a wine bottle be effectively utilized to communicate the website details of a collaborative promotion of wine tourism, given that 1 million bottles are sold daily locally. 

Mrs Helmbold said that travelers should be attracted to experience the lesser known destinations, hence stimulating the economy of those regions too. Barriers of entry to enterprising entrepreneurs-to-be should be lifted. Tourists should meet the  women who get up at 4h00 at accommodation establishments, and the staff who greet visitors at tasting rooms. ‘A million opportunities per day‘ would be the focus. She suggested that wine estates should move beyond pouring glasses of wine, in telling the story. They should be told where the wine comes from, how it is made, and who made it. The Tourism and Wine industries must connect and collaborate. 

Wine Tourism must be about destinations, culture, and the people, while having wine. The local wine tourism industry is well-developed, with 19 wine routes, and industry bodies such as VinPro, Wesgro, SA Tourism, etc. It would be a benefit for all to collaborate. It will become a national asset for South Africa. All should unite behind a common asset and goal, therefore stimulating the economy. ‘Recognize and celebrate it‘, she urged. The Wine Tourism Strategy must be developed as a dynamic and practical plan.

Mrs Helmbold said that they have been encouraged by the messages of commitment and support which they have received. They are working with VinPro to prepare and present the strategic targets to stakeholders, coupled with a 3-year action plan and its budget. It would be aligned with the SA Tourism marketing plan. They would work with the Wine Route Forum. A digital tourism policy is envisaged, and wine bottles would be used to communicate the web address. Cross marketing is planned, and they plan to document stories of wine makers and food creators, managing the first dedicated wine and food tourism campaign. In question time, Mrs Helmbold shared that the initial bridging finance to create the Wine Tourism strategy is R700000. 

A Wine Tourism marketing toolkit will be developed and distributed, to better sell our wines. Wine stories should be added to wine lists. Research is to be done, and linked to research conducted by Wesgro and SA Tourism. Working with government, Wine Tourism staff initiatives, and training must be implemented. Innovation is vital too, to build on increasing Wine Tourism. 

Mrs Helmbold concluded her talk by defining the Wine Tourism goals:

#.  To increase the number of tourists by 25% by 2025 

#   To grow the contribution of Wine Tourism from R6 billion currently to R16 billion by 2025.

#   To create 20000 new tourism job opportunities by 2025. 

#   To equip and up-skill existing staff. 

The Business of Wine & Food Tourism Conference, Spier Conference Centre, Stellenbosch. 1 and 2 November. www.wineandfood.co.za Twitter: @WineFoodConf

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: click here Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein