Mastercard has partnered with Vinpro to boost wine tourism in South Africa and start something priceless!
South Africa (January 2022) – Mastercard and Vinpro, a non-profit company representing close to 2,600 South African wine producers, cellars and industry stakeholders, have partnered to Start Something Priceless and boost domestic and international tourism to three major South African wine tourist destinations located in the heart of the Western Cape Province.
The partnership in collaboration with the South African tourism industry aims to provide Mastercard cardholders with an exclusive experience through a welcome of a picturesque terrace of mountains that the province has to offer, coupled with unique dining experiences at select restaurants, vineyard drives, top-class hotel accommodations, and a place of calm and dreams for travel enthusiasts waiting to delight their palates with different textures from the wine reserve selects, all this available to explore in Constantia, Franschhoek, and Stellenbosch.
The South African tourism industry has been adversely impacted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in lockdown and travel restrictions.
This created a need for business owners to start planning for the post-pandemic business environment and the ‘new normal’ while setting out recovery strategies to operate effectively during this new climate. Undoubtedly, the sector plays an important role in the South African economy. In 2018, the sector contributed 4,5% to the employment sector, affecting the direct contribution to the overall gross domestic product (GDP), according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). In 2019, wine tourism directly contributed R2,4 billion to the country‘s GDP, and projections indicate that in the 4th quarter of 2021, international travel to South Africa for various purposes, including leisure and tourism, will – increase, thereby positively contributing to the country‘s GDP.
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The industry needs support in the wake of the pandemic to grow and contribute to the economy. Mastercard is committed to strengthening small and micro-businesses financial resilience and growth. This partnership will assist these affected small businesses as they navigate their road to recovery and provide support and promote these businesses within the tourism ecosystem.
In line with its commitment, the partnership, which started on 1 November 2021, provides Mastercard cardholders with over 50 exclusive benefits and special offers at participating wineries, all available on the Priceless.com platform.
Cardholders can choose from a host of offers which range from relaxing and rejuvenating spa treatments, fine dining at selected restaurants, scenic vineyard drives and luxurious accommodation in the Constantia, Franschhoek, and Stellenbosch wine routes. In addition to this, when a Mastercard cardholder purchases wine to the value of R500 or more in a participating tasting room at one of these locations, they will receive the value of the wine tasting up to a maximum of R100 per paying cardholder, off the total price.
“We are excited about this partnership with Vinpro as it allows us to unlock potential and empower businesses to thrive by linking them to millions of new and existing customers. With this Priceless partnership we have opened a world of new possibilities, by connecting Mastercard cardholders to their passions and will continue to create opportunities to drive this. Priceless has always been about celebrating experiences over things. It’s at the heart of Mastercard’s positioning as a purpose-driven brand, and it truly resonates, ensuring that Mastercard remains relevant in the day to day lives of our customers,” says Kamini Redhi, Marketing and Communications Director at Mastercard, Southern Africa.
“Mastercard is committed to re-igniting international travel in the fourth quarter of 2021 as more countries open up for overseas visitors and vaccination rates around the world soar,” says Marisah Nieuwoudt, Vinpro Wine Tourism Manager. “To this end, they have identified wine tourism as an ideal partner for their campaign in Africa.”
For more information, please visit www.Priceless.com, Mastercard’s lifestyle experiential hub designed to inspire and create once-in-a-lifetime moments to be shared with family and friends — at home, online, and everywhere in between. These offers will be revised every three months to provide consumers with a new variety of experiences.
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