How effective are trade familiarisation trips in a post-COVID age? Very effective, and necessary, believes Dragonfly Africa Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, Yolanda Woeke.
“Nothing can encourage and sell a product better than when a client experiences the food, the people, and the impact that this experience in Africa leaves with them for ever and ever,” she says.
“There are obviously still misconceptions about travelling to Africa and, once you’ve been, these aren’t concerns any longer. These trips provide the inbound trade with the opportunity to give their clients confidence about their experience on the ground.”
In the Q&A below, Woeke provides feedback and insights on this and what East Africa can offer incentive groups, having recently hosted seven US incentive buyers on a familiarisation trip to Kenya and Tanzania and 14 incentive buyers on a trip to Rwanda.
Q: Can you provide some of the highlights of the two trips?
A: Of course doing the gorilla trekking in Rwanda will remain one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of your life, but there is so much more to remarkable Rwanda. There is also the amazing humanitarian aspect and story about this country that, in my opinion has become the beacon of hope for Africa
A visit to the Genocide Museum was, for sure, a highlight and a very emotional, but inspiring activity for the clients, as well as the give-back opportunities that we have created as a result.
In Kenya, it was definitely the lodge offering and Maasai interaction at Angama Mara and then, of course, the superb safari game drives. The highlight must be the hot-air balloon safari over the Maasai Mara watching the sun rise as the animals woke up to another stunning day on the savannah plains.
In Tanzania, we were lucky enough to see the start of the great migration which of course, as it is described, is still the greatest spectacle on earth.
Q: What were the buyers’ overall impressions of what the three countries had to offer?
A: I think the overarching sentiment and game-changer in everybody’s mind was how safe, secure and COVID-ready and prepared the destinations and properties were. And, of course, how Africa as a continent takes a piece of your heart and never lets it go, and always makes you want to come back for more.
Q: What are some of the new tourism developments in these countries?
A: I’m going to focus on Rwanda for this point because of the way that they have embraced conferencing and association business with support from local government. Furthermore, how they have adapted infrastructure to cope with international demand is astonishing. The world-class Kigali Convention Centre and accompanying room inventory is a massive plus point for this sector.
Q: Were the guests comfortable with the health and safety protocols/travel restrictions/regulations in these countries?
A: They were. COVID tests at properties made it super easy to ensure test results and travel was made easy and seamless. It is, however, vital to manage client expectations as protocol and regulations are constantly changing. This is where an experienced and trusted DMC plays a vital role, especially when travelling to Southern and East Africa.
Q: What were the challenges regarding the above and how can they be addressed (costs of PCR test for example)?
A: The ever-changing and fluid situation of COVID, lockdown, entry and exit policies (airlines and countries) as well as the cost of the PCR tests, adds up to quite an additional and significant amount for travellers.
Q: Is there currently enough air access to East Africa from the US to these three countries? If not, what needs to be done?
There are a lot of airlift options to East Africa, unfortunately no direct flights at present from the US, but plenty of easy access.
Q: Have buyers’ (specifically from the US) needs changed in the post-COVID reality?
A: Yes definitely. The need for once-in-a-lifetime real and immersive travel experiences is more important than ever before. Wanderlust, motivation and rewarding people is vital after going through a global pandemic – especially for incentive buyers.
Q: Are there new trends around travel (from the US market) that buyers are exploring?
A: Avoiding big cities and offering smaller and more exclusive properties and experiences are the way forward.
Q: What is the EAC region doing right, in terms of tourism and growing tourism, that southern Africa can learn from?
A: Their vaccine roll-outs have been better than ours, especially Rwanda. When we travelled, the majority of the population have been vaccinated already. For Kenya and Tanzania, borders are open and there are good flight options and connections, while Southern Africa is still struggling to get COVID and the vaccine roll-out right, as well as sufficient airlift into our destinations.
