St Ives will soon have its own gift card to showcase its local and tourist offering – and businesses are being urged to sign up for free.
Set to launch in the coming weeks, the St Ives Gift Card will work through the Mastercard system, with no additional equipment required by the businesses to accept the card. All types and sizes of businesses are eligible to take part, from restaurants, bars and cafés to shops, services and attractions.
The new gift card initiative is being driven by St Ives Business Improvement District (BID) as a means to grow the visitor economy and keep spend local. Once available for sale, both physical and digital versions of the St Ives Gift Card will be available to buy online and in-person. The card will also be marketed to tourists through the St Ives Tourism Association (SITA).
Sarah Hooper, BID manager at St Ives BID said the card will provide a welcome boost for the town’s economy.
“St Ives is an iconic destination that benefits from strong local support and many repeat visitors,” she said.
“Having our own gift card means we can sell the gift of St Ives and will support tourism in the town on a number of levels. For one, it will be an easy way for accommodation providers to introduce visitors to a curated range of St Ives businesses through the gift card, in place of traditional welcome packs.”
She added: “This is an opportunity for businesses in St Ives to benefit from new customers, more money in the till and powerful data insights to further enhance their offering for both locals and tourists.”
St Ives businesses can register to accept the card free.
