In August Destinate will be five years old. That calls for bubbly, some reflection and new adventures!

When I embarked on this journey I thought I had a pretty clear vision of where it will take me and what I will be doing. What I love most about being a Destineer is the unexpected places it has taken me. It has challenged me, pushed my creativity to a different level and inspired me to continue learning and innovating every single day.

I said to Annareth, who joined Destinate in 2015 after almost 10 years as CEO of Stellenbosch Wine Routes, that our calling seems to lie in being pioneers, builders of brands, campaigns and new business concepts.

Destinate is not just another agency. We develop and help implement strategy, build brands, market destinations and connect these brands and destinations to the right people, often over good food and wine. We love good stories, we create thumb-stopping content and we have fun.

Over the past five years the agency has gained recognition globally for digital marketing campaigns like #Stellenblog for Stellenbosch, #72hrsSoweto for the Soweto Wine Festival, #WeOpenAfrica for Open Africa and #gotoReunion for Reunion Island.

We have carved out a niche in strategic wine tourism marketing, leading the development of South Africa’s first wine tourism strategy and launching the Joburg Wine Club to grow the local wine market.

Other projects we have worked on include:

• Stellenbosch Experience global campaign for Stellenbosch Wine Route
• Reunion Island Tourism: destination marketing strategy, digital marketing campaigns, trade engagement
• Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism: 5-year tourism marketing strategy, development of digital strategy & new blog site
• Soweto Wine Festival: event strategy and #72hrsSoweto campaign
• Franschhoek Wine Valley: new digital marketing strategy, digital campaigns and website development
• Wellington Wine Route: research, new wine route strategy with funding model and digital marketing strategy
• The City of George: new 3-year tourism marketing strategy, incorporating digital strategy with industry workshops & training
• Vergenoegd Wine Estate: brand review & development, new tourism marketing strategy & campaigns
• Walkerbay Xtreme: event marketing, digital marketing strategy, campaign & media management
• Open Africa: new marketing strategy, digital platform development & marketing campaigns
• Saldanha Bay Tourism Organisation: new 3-year tourism, marketing & development strategy, plan & regional website
• The Cape Collection: PR and marketing
• Nederburg Auction: PR, media management & private buyer programme
• Constantia Fresh: event management, marketing & communications
• Elgin Cool Wine and Country Food Festival: event management, marketing & communications
• President Hotel: strategic support, marketing & digital campaigns

So, where to from here? We are excited to continue the journey with renewed focus, dedicated to be extraordinary in our thinking and deliver tangible results.

There are exciting ideas brewing and we are ready to explore new opportunities in South Africa, Africa and abroad. We are geared up to take on more with representation in Joburg and an international PR office based in Germany.

Take a look at our new agency profile for a more detailed presentation of our services.