Changes in client behaviour and increased environmental consciousness are factors causing subtle changes in Africa’s leading safari destinations. By Michelle Colman.

Wilderness Safaris’ US Sales Manager, Simon Stobbs, says demand for both Southern and East Africa is growing, not only because of an incredible range of experiential travel options, but also as a result of global macro-economic factors.

“Due to the favourable exchange rate, business to rand-based products has increased with both Namibia and South Africa growing in popularity. This is also due to the variety of travel options available, from unique desert adventures in Namibia’s north-west to hot-air ballooning at Sossusvlei, and the range of safari adventures in South Africa, including walking safaris and rhino tracking.”

A trend of travellers exploring the wild, ‘out’ of the confines of a safari vehicle, such as hot-air ballooning, walking and photographic safaris, sleep-outs and general flexibility to choose their own tempo to the day, is in evidence, says Stobbs.

“Safari activities other than game drives are asked for more often than before,” comments Henk Graaff, MD of SW Africa Destination Management, also pointing to the appeal of bikes, horses and walks and sleep-outs.

Rob Dixon, Senior Marketing & Digital Manager at Sanctuary Retreats, has also noticed a rise in the number of guests who’d rather not be in a Jeep all day, preferring to relax around a pool, spa, bar or restaurant, and watch animals come to them. “We are fortunate in that we have properties in the best locations in South Luangwa in Zambia, Okavango Delta in Botswana and Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, for example, where this happens.”

On a similar note, Suzanne Benadie, Sales & Marketing Director at Your Africa and SST, says a requirement among European and UK travellers is safari vehicles that seat a maximum of six guests only.  “More and more lodges are accommodating these requests, guaranteeing that each guest gets a ‘window seat’.”

Demand for exclusive use of lodges and camps is another trend stakeholders such as Dixon and Graaff have noticed.  Booking an entire facility comes with the advantages of special rates, tailor-made activities and additional experiences. This demand is perhaps tied in with the increasing amount of extended families taking safaris together. Multi-generational family travel is still trending, says Stobbs, as entire families seek to ‘disconnect and reconnect’.

Luxury remains a significant aspect of customers’ requirements, and Dixon refers to the “rise of the über luxury suite” with increased space and its own dedicated staff.  The introduction of such a facility at Sanctuary Chief’s Camp in Botswana has been so successful, availability is an issue.

But a word of caution comes from Craig Glatthaar, Sales Manager for Wilderness Safaris: “Even though the demand for luxury product is continually evolving as travellers’ expectations continue to rise and suppliers continue to rebuild or modernise camps, it is important to emphasise the luxury of the safari experience itself, and to remain authentic and sustainable.”

All round, ‘conscious’ travel continues to be prominent with responsible travellers seeking safaris that give back to both conservation and communities. “We have just started to roll out our new ‘Living the 4Cs’ campaign to entrench our sustainability ethos of commerce, community, culture and conservation, and showcase these great projects to our guests,” says Stobbs.

Additionally, there is more awareness of animal interactions like lion cub feeding and petting, and elephant-back safaris. Graaff says opinions are split – for a growing number of tourists these activities are an absolute ‘no-no’, while for others they are a ‘must-do’.  Dixon says clients are increasingly interested in the company’s hunting and game management policies. “At Sanctuary Retreats we do not offer animal petting or hunting and we are proud of our ‘shoot with the camera not the gun’ ethos that we have had in place from the very beginning,” he says.

He also expresses unease about the ongoing rhino poaching problem. “Although poaching figures are slightly lower in South Africa this year compared with last, it is still a huge concern,” he says.

Many lodges and camps are on a path to eco-friendly self-sustainability, such as the aforementioned Sanctuary Retreat’s Chief’s Camp, which through the construction of its own solar farm is completely off-grid, with 100% renewable energy. Glatthaar points out that Wilderness Safaris currently has 13 fully solar-powered camps.

Some other trends noted by our respondents include:

• Guests’ increased use of Instagram to transmit images and video clips to friends and family.  “Their Instagram pages become their de facto online audio-visual diary of the holiday,” says Dixon.
• “We are also seeing growth opportunities from our non-traditional markets such as Asia, with more discerning and independent travellers interested in experiencing an authentic African safari,” says Glatthaar.
• Evolving online booking platforms continue to be key in canvassing new buyers.  Glatthaar says this has led to numerous cross-bookings from, for example, America to the UK. Increased mobility has also made the promotion of special offers more spontaneous, allowing companies to showcase attractive pricing almost immediately, leading to strong sales.

Stobbs concludes with this warning: “As an industry we need to be mindful not to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. As the demand for safaris increases, we are tempted to develop more beds and, by doing this, the industry could run the risk of diluting the sense of wilderness that is vital to ensure the sustainability of authentic ecotourism.”