It is very likely we are in for another bumper number for the upcoming summer season. Are you ready with world-class service?
According to Western Cape premier, Alan Winde, Cape Town International Airport saw 215 direct flights arriving weekly during December 2023.
"2023 was a year where we shattered all expectations," reflected Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism. "Our visitor numbers soared to new heights, laying a robust foundation for the exciting journey ahead. Our city is already seen as a global destination of choice. In fact, Cape Town was just named the Second Best City in the World by Time Out Magazine, so 2024 is off to a great start!”
South Africa Wine also espouses heightened interest in wine tourism.
With this kind of season behind us, we need to be gearing up for a massive tourism influx for December 2024 and the summer months.
Are you ready?
- Is your winery ready for the influx of tourists, both local and international?
- Is your staff trained?
- Are you able to engage and offer the best possible service?
- Do you know what kind of service your guests are experiencing?
How can wine.co.za help you?
wine.co.za's DTC Academy offers a number of services which will help you identify gaps and assist to ensure your staff are trained and ready for the influx:
Mystery guest visits
Mystery guest visits is such a powerful way to assess things, as we look at all aspects of the visitor experience.
- Signage
- Cleanliness
- Friendliness of staff
- Visibility of Management
- Responsible Alcohol Consumption / Recommendation
- Guest wifi - Do you offer it and if you do - do you capture data and market effectively post visit?
- Wine knowledge
- Are staff able to upsell?
and much more
Ideally these visits should be done on a regular basis, so that any improvements implemented can be managed and can also help to motivate staff.
Staff training
Give your staff the benefit of being trained in wine knowledge and hospitality, giving them the confidence to make the difference.
LEVEL 1
- Wine advisor - 7 hours
Alcohol awareness, history and culture, wine in South Africa, basics of wine-making, guest experience, understanding needs, sales and up-selling
- Wine sales - 4 hours
Guest experience, understanding needs, sales and up-selling
LEVEL 2
- Wine advisor - 7 hours
Climate & soils, wine-making 2, key regions of SA & wines of the world, know your guests, intermediate selling, the Wow! factor
- Wine sales - 4 hours
Know your guests, Intermediate selling, effective up-selling, the Wow! factor
ALL LEVELS
- Professional wine tasting - 2 hours
Tasting theory, systematic tasting, evaluating wine, talking about wine, understanding wine
These services are all part of wine.co.za's DTC Academy, and we are fortunate to have Neil Tabraham, (who has probably trained more hospitality staff in South Africa than anyone else) providing these professional services for us.
Guest wifi - communicate better
If you are not already saving your visitors' details to your mail list management system (like MailChimp), then let us set this up for you with an effective drip campaign post visit. And a long-term DTC email sales strategy.
If you are interested in any of the above, please contact Neil Tabraham at academy@wine.co.za, or Judy Brower at judy@wine.co.za.