Visitors to Stellenbosch have a second chance to be rewarded for visiting the town, with Support Stellenbosch 2.0 kicking off on 23rd October – this time inviting visitors to play, and stay, with a range of incredible overnight stays and exciting tourism experiences at discounted rates.
Support Stellenbosch is a campaign endorsed by the Cape Winelands District municipality, Stellenbosch Municipality, Stellenbosch University and Wesgro, which calls on residents to support local business, experience Stellenbosch as tourists, and inspire their networks to discover what Stellenbosch has to offer, in times of COVID-19 and beyond.
Generating close to R4 million in turnover in qualifying SnapScan transactions and rewarding R1.4 million Stellenbucks for Stellenbosch’s restaurants in September, the Support Stellenbosch campaign has reignited the town’s tourism economy, delivering a total investment of over R5 million.
So successful was the campaign that we have taken the decision to launch a phase 2 of the restaurant rewards campaign. This is perfect for the holidays as you can now book value-filled accommodation and experiences and pair this with your favourite restaurants to get more bang for your buck, says Jeanneret Momberg, CEO of Visit Stellenbosch.
For phase 2, participating accommodation has been discounted at 50% and can be enjoyed by visitors separately, but also in conjunction with holiday packages offered during the promotion period. In addition, visitors can enjoy discounts on a range of experiences such as pairings, guided wine tours, spa treatments and e-bike rides, among others.
“From stunning guest houses and hotels in the centre of Stellenbosch to stays on guest farms and in country homes, we’re inviting visitors to come and enjoy all Stellenbosch has to offer and be rewarded for their stay with special accommodation and activity discounts, as well as the ability to earn and burn Stellenbucks in the town’s restaurants,” says Momberg.
A key component of Support Stellenbosch, the Restaurant Rewards programme, sees patrons who dine in a participating restaurant and spend R200 or more on their SnapScan transaction receive a voucher to the value of 50% of what they spend, redeemable through SnapScan at any participating restaurant within the campaign period (capped at a maximum of R400).
“In phase 1, we saw visitors to Stellenbosch generate over 8,000 transactions totalling R3.86 million in the town’s restaurant economy, which resulted in R1.3 million Stellenbucks being issued, then redeemed at participating restaurants totalling an injection in our restaurant economy over R5 million.
“Favourites with visitors included The Fat Butcher, De Warenmarkt and Genki. In fact, at least three of the participating restaurants have confirmed that their turnover in September 2020 was higher than that in September 2019. This is an tremendous feat during such a challenging time for South Africa’s tourism and hospitality sector,” adds Momberg.
The initiative has benefits that extend far beyond the restaurants themselves, says Momberg. “When you bring a client to a business, you are really helping the business and immediately put the whole supply chain into action. When you bring money, you don’t guarantee that a client is going to come. If you have a client, you have to supply for that client and all the jobs supported within that supply chain then get given a chance.”
In addition to injecting cash into the town’s tourism economy, the programme is also helping to change consumer behaviour as people come back repetitively to earn and redeem the vouchers.
Stellenbosch has cleverly linked reward with readiness to ensure that residents and visitors are comfortable that all participating establishments and businesses are committed to their safety and wellbeing.
“It’s very logical that we cannot invite people to Stellenbosch unless we can assure that we are a safe and responsible destinations so the linkage between the two is very close. This campaign was also a way to get businesses that had yet to implement their protocols to get ‘Stellenbosch Ready’ because only establishments that have pledged to implement our stringent World Travel & Tourism Council-endorsed health and hygiene safety protocols are allowed to participate in the Support Stellenbosch campaign,” adds Momberg.
Beyond the rewards and reigniting of Stellenbosch’s tourism economy has been the rallying of support from locals and community spirit. “This is a town effort. Stellenbosch University came forth with money and amazing support.
“The Stellenbosch Municipality have been incredible in supporting us and communicating our message to our local residents. We have had extremely generous support from corporates, local business and even private individuals who have been contributing to the restaurant recovery fund that’s been financing Stellenbucks. Finally, the residents. The amount of positive energy that the campaign has created amongst the town’s residents is remarkable,” she concludes. To view all participating accommodation establishments, experiences and restaurants, visit https://support.visitstellenbosch.org/.
