Stellenbosch to host bloggers again

The #Stellenblog international bloggers campaign takes place from 1-8 May 2015, during which seven international and domestic bloggers will stay at an undisclosed location on a working wine farm in the heart of the Winelands. It is a joint-production between stakeholders and partners, entailing a week-long itinerary for the bloggers, a tweet-up and launch party.

During the week, bloggers will be given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the 'Stellenbosch way of life'. Tailor-made itineraries are being designed around each blogger and his readership, and each day will involve a few surprise elements, challenging the traditional perceptions of Stellenbosch.

The campaign will go live with a tweet-up in the heart of Stellenbosch from 2pm to 4pm on 4 May before moving on to the secret location of the #Stellenblog villa for an evening of the best of Stellenbosch's food and wine, in the company of local personalities, industry stakeholders and top online influencers.

The iambassador core team of bloggers includes some of the best-known travel, lifestyle and food bloggers in the world. Between the seven bloggers spending the week in Stellenbosch, is a combined following of 200,000 unique readers per month, 356,000 Twitter followers, 51,000 Instagram followers and 95,000 Facebook fans.

The international bloggers

International bloggers include: Melvin Boecher of Traveldudes, based in Germany; Rachelle Lucas from The Travel Bite, based in the US; Sarah Lee of Live Share Travel, based in the UK; and Michael Turtle from Time Travel Turtle, also based in the UK. These international bloggers will be joined by local South African travel, lifestyle and food bloggers: Anna-Belle Mulder from She Said (Joburg), Emma-Jane Harbour from EmmaJaneNation (Cape Town) and Natalie Roos from Tailsofamermaid, Cape Town.

"Why a digital bloggers campaign?" probed Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, the driving force behind the Stellenbosch Experience campaign: "Because bloggers are influencers and this, combined with the power of word of mouth and recommendations by friends and followers, now drive most travel decisions."

Annareth Bolton, CEO of Stellenbosch Wine Routes added: "For many people, to 'escape' no longer means a relaxing beach holiday experience, but rather immersing themselves in a destination that showcases its gritty everyday life where the people of the destination are the real storytellers. There is so much more to Stellenbosch than history, good food and wine - this campaign uncovers the real Stellenbosch that locals know and love."

Annemarie Ferns, CEO of Stellenbosch 360, the town's tourism agency agreed: "The Web and social media have made it possible for smaller destinations like Stellenbosch to take advantage of a global network of future travellers who respond to and share our stories with the world. Word of mouth through social media is a very powerful tool for destination marketers. We look forward to hosting our latest Stellenbosch ambassadors in one of the most beautiful and inspirational cities in South Africa."

For more, go to stellenboschexperience.co.za