Springbok Atlas Tours & Safaris, a leading inbound southern African tour operator, has been offering a wide range of products and services to travellers from around the world for many decades.
It all started in 1946 with the Kempton Park Bus Service offering a bus service for commuters, and later, tours to the Kruger National Park for school children during the weekends and school holidays. Years later the business was sold and the company continued operating under the name of Atlas Tours.
About the same time, Springbok Safaris started up, offering luxury coach tours of South Africa. This company was sold to the Tollgate Group in 1968, which then went on to acquire Atlas Tours in 1973, with the merger resulting in Springbok Atlas Safaris. Springbok Atlas was purchased by Imperial in 1992 and finally in 2013 was bought by Cullinan Holdings, one of South Africa’s leading Tourism and Leisure Groups.
Cullinan Holdings owns some of the premier tourism, travel and leisure brands in South Africa and Namibia, including coach charter and game drive companies, inbound and outbound tour operators, retail travel agents, and conference, incentive and events planners.
Now, as a division of this group, Springbok Atlas Tours & Safaris enjoys the benefits and advantages of the group relationships and most competitive rates, not only from the Cullinan Transport world-class fleet, but also from other suppliers based on group volumes and a strong purchasing power. There is also the reassurance from the group’s comprehensive insurance cover.
“The key ingredient for our remarkable longevity and success in such a competitive industry is our long-term, strong relationships with clients. Close and loyal relationships have built up over the years and in many cases have even developed into personal friendships,” says Glenn McKeag, CEO, who has been with Springbok Atlas Tours & Safaris for over 30 years.
The other very important factor is that they have kept and grown their staff over the years. The company has remarkably low staff turnover, with many people having been with them for over 15 years.