Is Africa A Millionaire’s Playground?
February 1, 2010 by Johan Knols
Filed under Safari options
The billionaire
An online friend of mine who is the proud owner of a company that specializes in upmarket-safaris, recently made an entry on one of the social media sites about a billionaire coming to see her for his next trip. Her entry made me start to think (yes, sometimes even I do that!).
Why did she make that entry?
Since I know her as a lady with the right safari-heart, I knew that she was not trying to impress anybody or that she wanted to use the billionaire to reflect some light onto herself. It had to be something else and after some thinking the only conclusion could be: the guy is loaded, so selling him an expensive trip should be less difficult than selling a trip to Joe Block.
Knowing how dedicated and honest she is, I do hope that she succeeds in pulling this safari off. The idea for a new blog post was however born.
High prices, poor continent
I used to work for an upmarket-safari specialist myself and it is amazing how, when working in the safari industry, you get used to large sums of money. It is absolutely normal to hear, without blinking an eye, of prices between $ 5000-7000 per person for a 10-day safari holiday. Without international flights that is!
How on earth is it possible to spend that kind of money on one of the poorest continents of the planet? Let’s face it, tourists flying to, let’s say Thailand, know that they will actually safe money spending a month abroad compared to staying at home. Five star hotels cost next to nothing, food and drinks are 50% of the prices at home and the service is impeccable. And oh, I forget airline prices. Those are also a lot cheaper than flying to Africa.
The other week I saw a billboard in a travel agency in my hometown. It read: “8 days Egypt, 4 star hotel, all meals and airfare included” from….€ 595,- p.p.. I just couldn’t believe it.
So does this mean that Joe Block is being price-banned from safari Africa and that only the rich and famous (so to speak) can and are allowed to enjoy the beauty that Africa harbors? It certainly starts to look like it.
Questions remain
So what is the reason for African safaris being so expensive?
Remoteness is certainly a valid aspect, as it makes operating a lodge in the middle of nowhere an expensive hobby. But still.
Yes, park entry fees are not cheap. But 10 days times $ 50,- is still ‘only’ $ 500,-.
Staff costs are comparable to those in the far-east, so that can also not be the decisive factor. Agreed, proper 4×4’s are needed to make game-drives are not cheap. However, if looked after properly, the vehicles will perform for about 5 years on average. In that period of time they will have transported many a tourist that paid between $ 500 and $ 700 a night.
Or is it that you as the tourist are being taken for a ride? Are the profit margins too high, resulting in only the happy few being able to make a safari?
I strongly believe in the laws of economics and if a product gets too expensive the consumer will automatically stop buying it. Also, with most lodges having a typical number of eight rooms, one can say that we are dealing with a scarce product and scarce products are expensive. No problem so far. But what does irritate me is the fact that natural beauty belong to everybody and that making a safari for Joe Block is not an option unless he wins the lottery. So the question for me remains: Is an African safari rightfully very expensive or is it a hype and we all except the fact that it is expensive?
I am afraid that the anser to your question is becoming YES, in particular in Botswana. There you would be very hard pressed to find anything under $1,000 pppn let alone $500-$700.
It certainly is not “rightfully expensive”, running costs including staff (usually very poorly paid but at least fed),food (even if transport from SA is expensive) and concession costs are a lot lower than most people think. The trouble with most lodges is the fact that the money you pay never gets to them a gigantic slice is deducted by the Travel Agents. This can be up to 40% and is certainly rarely below 25%, quite why these lodges do not go to direct sale is beyond me!
Luckily I think the bubble is about to burst!
I think you need to differentiate between guests being flown in to lodges and guests being put “on the ground” by overland safari operators. And “Yes” – some of the overland operators also make use of lodges as “in between stops” as breathers for their guests, but this is included as part and parcel of the day tariff. I’ve taken overseas guests (including millionaires) overland at less than the daily price that you quoted in your article – and still gave them a 5-star treatment in the bundu. It all depends on how it is sold/marketed and if they see it as value for money (especially your quality of service, knowledge of the area, ability to get on with all kinds of guests, etc, etc) they will continue to come to Africa – especially the far off and lesser visited places. You must be able to avoid the type of safari’s known as the “been there, done that” response to what you deliver.
Hi Jean,
Thanks for commenting. I agree with you of course that there are many price-levels within the safari industry. Fact remains that an African safari, no matter what type, is an expensive undertaking compared to many other tourism destinations. Or am I missing something?
Hi Johan,
I totally agree that an “African Safari” is way more expensive than quite a few other destinations. But what people consider as “An African Safari” can differ quite a lot from person to person – one will see driving from Windhoek to Etosha and back, or just going to the Kruger National Park as a safari. The other by going deep into the Kaokoveld, or into the Angola section of the Namib, or going to the Liuwa Plains in north western Zambia, or going into the Ruwenzori mountains and beyond as a proper safari.
However, also take into consideration for overlanding the expenses for all the appropriate quality equipment (and you can’t go into Africa with anything less than good QUALITY), prices of vehicles over here, distances you have to travel to get to “The Bundu”, etc. Also to remember the available infrastructure and support structures available in most of the African countries – which are franly non-existant most of the time – whereas in countries like Egypt and Thailand they are absolutely geared for tourism.
I quite agree that quite a number of the lodges (that I’ve been too as well) to are over-priced in terms of what it is actually costing them for what you get.
But then you get lodges like Serra Cafema and Skeleton Coast Camp – consider what it cost them to set it up, operating it in an eco-friendly manner, getting fresh produce flown in as you can’t plant it there, the quality of their staff, involving and educating the local population, etc – and considering the price you pay there which I see as fully justifiable.
The film industry also helped in setting up Africa as an exotic, mystic type destination (e.g. Out of Africa and other films) – the land of Monomotapa – which in itself is a very strong marketing point and people are prepared to pay for something like that.
Overall I agree with you that quite a number of these lodges (and safari’s) are over-priced – but give credit where it is due.
Regards & safe travelling!
Good timing on this subject. Last week I decided to build a spreadsheet to understand my cost in 2007 and in 2009 for 9 day trips to Chobe each time. For both trips, i rented a vehicle (Toyota Hilux/Nissan Hardbody), drove from Jo’berg and stayed at a nice place in Kasane. Both times we had only 2 people per vehicle and each chalet had only 2 people. All in cost, including meals, park fees, etc. was around US$200 per person per day not including airfare. I struggle with why the package deals are $400 a day more. I know they don’t see any more game than me. I know the daily cost of a guide or a boat. I know the cost of charter airfares to remote areas.
Sure they have a little more luxury. I have to assume that the money is mostly in the layers – guide, safari company, perhaps concession area owners/government, travel agent, and, with photographers, often a photo expert on the trip.
To understand this subject, i tried to create a flow chart of who is connected and how much money goes to each party. For me, there are still gaps that says somebody is making a pretty good profit. Maybe the 40% noted by Ken Watkins above. I would love to have a better understanding.
BTW, within the US, most quality photo safaris are selling out a year in advance even with $1,000/day price tags.
Hello Jean,
It was my aim to highlight the GENERAL price of a safari compared to a making a holiday at other destinations, like those in Asia. Of course I understand that lodges like Serra Cafema can not operate on a price of $ 200,- pppn and I am not saying they should not get credit for the way they operate. There are national parks in Asia as well, people providing similar service and wages that are on par with those in Africa, but still Africa is a lot more expensive. Does it maybe also have to do with the fact that few black Africans are involved (as owners) in the industry and that because foreigners CAN provide a certain service, they charge a lot because there is little or no choice if you want quality? Did I now open a can of worms?
Hi Johan,
It is an interesting topic and I am sure some of the answers to high prices are questionable! One thing you neglected to mention, and I believe is an important consideration, is the length of our high season of five months or so. This is half the year that carries operators annually. Low season rates are perhaps more in line with the rest of African safaris but I do believe the demand for Botswana’s pristine wildlife areas is the determining factor of price, oh and good selling!
I really do believe agents/promoters etc ought to stop concentrating on selling Botswana high season only. The rest of the year in Botswana is stunning in so many ways and the Okavango is magical all year round, the Kalahari comes alive! Just two days ago in Sua Pan I watched hundreds of thousands of flamingoes just a kilometre away from us at Nata Sanctuary. Tens of thousands of zebra and wildebeest are concentrated in their breeding grounds at Nxai and Ntwetwe Pans. In fact generally throughout Botswana we are experiencing better wildlife viewing during our ‘off’ season than most African countries do in their ‘high’ season!!!
At the end of the day, we are responsible for sustainable tourism and so would agree with limiting the numbers of visitors at a price, if thats what it takes. Having said that, we must not kill the goose…! We are open all year round so I encourage operators and agents to advise their clients to experience Botswana’s 12 month long high season!!!
A lot more is needed to be done to manage and maintain the development of tourism in Africa for the long term. Ultimately, it is the citizens of Africa who ought to be encouraged more with increased opportunities otherwise we risk losing it to less sustainable land use activities.
How about we turn this around and ask the following questions:
How much does a 5 star room cost in London, Paris, New York, Tokyo?
How much will 3 quality meals a day cost you in these places?
How much for the “free” drinks you get on safari?
How much to hire a guide who ACTUALLY knows a lot about the place and is with you for at least 7-8 hours of the day to take care of your needs?
Then how much for a taxi to drive you around for this time?
How much for the personal attention you get on safari in luxury camps with staff to guests ratios the reverse of what you can expect in these hotels.
Finally these cities are the centres of production, filled with competing hotels, hotels have hundreds of beds each, with massive, city wide, economies of scale, almost non-seasonal demand and yet they are ALL much more expensive than a safari for the comparable experience.
With respect to the Asian beach comparisons – compare these with the mass tourism beach holidays in Kenya and the Egyptian coast – not a wilderness based guided safari. You cannot compare the price of a car with an aeroplane yet they are both transport.
Summary you get what you pay for no matter where you go.
Hi Kevin,
You wanted to turn the question around. Cool. Let me tell you why I still don’t agree with your reasoning.
I agree that a 5* room in London, Paris or Tokyo is as expensive as some accommodations in Africa. BUT, the cost price per square meter is ’slightly’ different in those cities. The meals are not more expensive in those cities, as there are numerous accommodations in Africa that easily charge an additional $25-40 for an extra lunch, in Africa!! And of course there are no ‘free’ drinks on safari: Operators know very well what the average guest consumes and that price is embedded in the total safari price.
The guide who is with guests 7-8 hours a day still gets the same salary as when having no guests at all, but the salary he gets can not be compared to the taxi driver in London. A taxi driver who pays at least twice the price for fuel and many additional (road) taxes. When the taxi breaks, the guy pays at least 40 pounds per hour at the garage and can not have his car fixed by a mechanic that costs $ 300 a month. Let me also briefly comment on staff to guest ratio. Personal attention you get from your guide, maybe a waiter and most certainly at some point by management. All other staff one never sees on safari. If it were for the lodges, they would all love to work with less staff than they do at the moment, but African circumstances (illness, extended families with many problems and distances) prevent this. It is in the interest of the lodge to have all this staff to keep the wagon rolling, and not because all that staff was taken on to pamper the guests.
I do agree with you that I should have compared the Egyptian Holiday with a beach holiday in Kenya. And I will start to look into this.
Thanks for commenting!
What’s exciting for me is that some of these clients actually give back, very generously, to the people they come into contact with. Some of them are starting Foundations, and I know the person who owns Pamushana does just that – he feeds 30,000 children a day. Incredible. I only hope that more people give back the way some people do, it would be a huge chance for us all to improve the lives of others. In my case, my dream is to some day open a school in a remote, impoverished area of Zimbabwe.
Hi Sally,
Thanks for your comment. Have you ever heard about this lady?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFABdPOpr2A
Kind regards.
Thanks Johan, you’ve created quite a stir here. Proud of you! Yes I have heard of her and actually we are working on her ideas for our Foundation. Thank you for this. It is important to make sure that the aid or the help that goes into the African countries, is used to make sure that you provide a foundation but you also make sure that the African people are taught how to look after themselves. Thank you!
I fully agree to what Ken has to say. Travel agents comissions are unfortunately a huge chunk of the rack rates …….. are they many honest agents? Sure there are …… but, there are lots of really bad apples that unfortunately, “stereo-types” the whole lot of them ……..
I too think that this is as High as the prices have risen ……… think about for example what was at Zibalianja to what is now Zarafa? Do I need to go on?????
How is the game viewing today compared to before?
The experience? Is it the same?
I’m not talking of the camp itself …… but, are the drives conducted as they used to in the past?
You’ll can answer this question yourselves……..
I do agree with Kevin that you get all inclusive. Yes, the service in Africa is much much better than anywhere in the world, especially USA and Europe. I think Asia still has high service standards as I think the people make it happen in either case!
But, I must say that a lot of the lodge food isn’t very good I’m afraid …….
Service in Botswana is great, but the service workers aren’t pocketing large chunks of money. The money is going to others.
I do think the low guest count at remote lodges and the short season dictates that companies have to charge a lot in the high season to make enough cash for the full year. this is probably the two items that drive the cost up … and maybe the two things that make the trips so special.
Short season? Aren’t lodges open 12 months thesedays? Think about the Selinda concession that was closed completely during the green season not so long ago (That was in the dry years, when the game viewing was so much better).
High Season has extended on and on over the years. Now-a-days a certain operator (WS) is charging High Season prices in June and November, which in my opinion is ridiculous and nothing but pure greed ……. I guess if the marketing is right, there are always the gullible around. Ofcourse, in recent times they too feel the crunch I guess with all the freebies being given out – extra free night etc etc.,
If the so called price is right – how come camps rely so heavily on “last minute” walk in rates in Maun? especially, in recent times of the credit crunch and the current state of the global economy?
Many interesting comments but strangely nothing much about Travel Agents commissions
Jean de Villiers mentions flying costs; these are obviously not cheap and can add a lot to your travel expenses especially for those who choose to change camps every two days, these costs are of course in addition to the extremely high rates for accommodation. We once paid $600 for a one way flight from Kafue to Kasane, which took 3 ½ hours yet in Botswana even “puddle jumps” cost around $150 per person.
She then draws interesting comparisons regarding remoteness perhaps adding to costs, but this hardly applies to the Delta, the furthest camp by road from Maun is probably Kwando Lagoon this takes roughly a day and a half by tractor, not remote at all..
Liuwa Plains is remote but the accommodation is amongst the cheapest in Zambia, getting there maybe expensive but packages do not work out at $1,000 pppn Comparisons to Skeleton Coast or Serra Cafema are frankly irrelevant both of these camps are run by a monopoly (which actually explains the extremely high prices by Namibian standards) and are easily accessed from Windhoek.
David Dugmore refers to the typical Botswanan excuse for high prices being LOW VOLUME. This is not supported by the simple fact that Lodge and Bed numbers have more than doubled in the past ten year. I do agree with the comments regarding promotion of low season but as Hari has said the High season has until recently increased regularly the “High Season” is in any case largely a myth and is, when it is not for game viewing purposes but the fact that the majority of guests come from the Northern Hemisphere as this is their holiday season.
Kevin Leo-Smith tries to compare Botswana to other destinations, I can see no relevance in this comparison but rather than inferring that Botswana is cheaper, let’s look at what most people would consider to be luxury accommodation Four Seasons Hotels in London standard rates are £240 per room add a reasonable cost for food and you may get up to£500 per night for two this equates to roughly $800 which to my mind is a lot cheaper than $2,000 for two per night.
Based on my many visits to Botswana the food is largely uninspiring and the guiding has deteriorated so fast it is easy for a regular traveler to know a lot more than the guide.
Not to sure what Sandy Salle’s comments have to do with this, Pamushana is without doubt the most expensive way of visiting Zimbabwe. The guy who owns it is at least very rich if not a billionaire the fact that he contributes to the local populace is nice but has nothing to do with the cost of safaris.
Hari says “Yes, the service in Africa is much much better than anywhere in the world, especially USA and Europe”. Although I am a good friend of Hari I could not agree with this in anyway.
Thank you everybody for commenting! This is obviously amongst people working in the safari industry a hot topic! Tell your buddies about this discussion and we might get more interesting views!
Johan.
Hi Johan,
Ken and I aren’t in the industry at all.
Ken,
I do not refer to the quality of food, or the guiding standards as mentioned in your post – I simply emphasize a smile and the warmth of the people in Botswana. Something that does not come naturally in the Northern Hemisphere, except in places like the 4 seasons or the restaurants of the Iron Chef.
Hari,
You really must go to Zimbabwe where the smiles and warmth of the people are infinitely superior!
Although the order of posts appears a bit incorrect I could not help myself but to comment om your post
Does it maybe also have to do with the fact that few black Africans are involved (as owners) in the industry and that because foreigners CAN provide a certain service, they charge a lot because there is little or no choice if you want quality? Did I now open a can of worms?
The answer to that is most certainly YES, as for the can of worms probably! But it is nice to have some truth now and again.
As to Sandy Salle’s comment
“It is important to make sure that the aid or the help that goes into the African countries, is used to make sure that you provide a foundation but you also make sure that the African people are taught how to look after themselves. Thank you!”
How condescending can you get Africa does not need your charity it needs your investment.
Thank you Ken. I am actually Zimbabwean and all that I give to Africa is charity, I’m proud of who I am and what I give, so take it or leave it. I know that my heart is very big and everything that I give is important. How I see that “giving” is my choice, but I feel I can’t just give without helping them to make a different to themselves. But I appreciate your comments condescending or not.
@Ken,
Ken I removed your last comment, as it did not contribute to the article above. I also don’t except direct ‘attacks’ on people. Heated debate is valuable and healthy, but I insist on respect. Anybody’s comment not following this rule, will get deleted.
I hope you understand my position.
Kind regards,
Not really, given the fact that the comments by Sandy hardly contribute to the topic either, but its your blog!
Hi Johan
An interesting subject and perhaps a lesson in economics?
Look at those high prices this way. Let’s say one day you invent a “widget”. It is something that everyone in the world would like to have, but they can live without it. Since you are the only one producing widgets, you can set your own price. You can’t make it too high, otherwise people will change their mind about needing a widget. Or too low, as the widget has a manufacturing cost. Anyway, you come up with a median price that keeps everyone happy, and your widgets are flying out the door.
However, widgets are not that difficult to make, and soon you get competition. So you have a choice – adjust the price down, or sell your widgets as “luxury widgets”, “ecofriendly widgets”, “green widgets”, “exclusive widgets”, whatever. You can keep your prices high for a while, but soon people start realizing that your high-priced widgets are actually no better than similar widgets at a lower price. Undaunted, you now turn to your marketing department and order them to come up with a new theme for your widgets. The best they can come up with is “five star widgets”. Unlike Michelin-rated restaurants, nobody independently rates your star system, so you go for it.
You get my point, just substitute the word “safari” for “widget”.
Contrary to the belief of the safari providers, I think there is a clever market out there. In Egypt (that has had tourism for about 4,000 years or so) and in Asia, prices needed to come down, there is much competition for the same product. It will happen in Botswana as well – can you imagine the impact of Zimbabwe coming on stream again? Or Zambia developing infrastructure, operators in Mozambique organizing safaris to Niassa, Tanzania offering “last remaining wilderness” widgets?
Consumers have a choice on how to spend their money. But they want value and the internet provides alternatives. As for the agents? I’m sure companies busily try to negotiate agent rates while agents are busily trying to keep their rates as high as possible. But this is a one way street. I can now book my air travel online, take advantage of offers, research what other competing online booking companies have to offer, book my seat, get my boarding pass printed — who needs an agent? Why not make your bookings direct with an actual safari operator and save 40%? It will come and is already happening.
It’s just economics and maybe, 5 years from now, you will pass that same desperate travel agent window and see a sign offering a 10 day safari to the “eco-friendly, 5 star, last remaining wilderness” lodges of Botswana for 500 euros per day for 2? Discounts for parties of 6?
One last point for your consideration and this comes back to your earlier post about the glitz promised on websites versus delivered on the ground. With the Michelin star system, I know that I will get a good meal. Maybe above average expense and my plate irritatingly decorated with a mousse made from seaweed only found in Okinawa, but Michelin rates the restaurants regularly. So how about an independent rating system for safari operators? Lonely Planet for example, has something in place, but this rating system would depend on trusted professionals?
Hello Pieter,
A rating system would be a very good idea. Shall we start drawing up a list with requirements for being ‘luxury’, ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘green’?
As always thanks for your valuable input!
Hi everyone,
I am joining this discussion a bit late but here are some of my thoughts about the pricing in Botswana:
If you look at comparable lodges outside Botswana, you could see a wide price gap in rack rates. Is this because the costs differ significantly? Not really …
Or you got a superior experience??? Don’t think so.
The operation costs are more or less the same (the ones in Botswana are slightly higher but not to justify the difference in rack rates).
If you look at the owners/marketeers of the permanent camps in Botswana, it’s easy to see that an oligopoly was probably formed. Which means less competition – higher prices. In Europe, we have competition laws and in recent years several companies got heavily fined because of price deals they made in the past. Prices for mobile safaris have also risen but not to the same extent as the competition is much tougher in that segment of the market.
Some examples:
In 2005 I could go to Chief’s camp in green season for less than 250 USD a night, nowadays they are asking 750 USD a night.
Wilderness safaris used to have three types of camps: vintage camps/classic camps/
premium camps. At a certain point, they just decided to rebrand the vintage camps as classic camps. But as a client, you couldn’t see the difference as on the ground everything was still the same. Only prices were higher.
So all in all, profits were widening for ground operators. The reason behind it … they were charging what they thought the market was prepared to accept and in my humble opinion clients didn’t get a better experience for it.
Another reason for the price hikes are the huge commission fees paid to travel agents. The dominant operator in Botswana started this and the rest had to follow or otherwise travel agents wouldn’t encourage clients to go their camps anymore. So don’t tell me most TA’s aren’t thinking about themselves first. As commissions are mainly percentage based and not fixed, you could see TA’s were/are having a free ride here. Let’s say if they get 30% of the rack rate:
So instead of earning 75 USD a night they are now getting 225 USD a night (in my example above for Chief’s camp).
The selective distribution channel (TA-ground operator) is especially a burden for repeat clients as they don’t need the advice of a TA to know which camps they want to go but still they have to pay him/her those outrageous commissions.
It will be interesting to see what’s going to happen in the future: now companies just try to give a couple of free nights at certain camps but aren’t prepared yet to lower their rack rates. By choosing the last option, you actually tell your clientele you took advantage of them during the recent years.
Pricing in the high season has mainly to do with the holiday season in the northern hemisphere. Especially now as Southern Africa is going through a wetter cycle and game viewing is not on par with safaris conducted in previous years. Also in the Okavango delta, flood levels are at their highest level in winter. For example Mombo & Chief’s camp are better visited at other times of year I would say …
Another myth: camps are fully booked during high season … you should read: camps are fully blockbooked during high season.
What also really disturbs me is the money tour leaders (photographers/wildlife biologists, …) are asking for their services. They earn at least 20 times more than a guide working in the camps but still these so-called professionals rely heavily on the local guys and add mostly cost instead of value to the trip. But maybe it sounds chic to tell on a cocktail party you have been on safari with person X or Y?
Hi Johan,
Thanks for your comment, it is a nice addition to the discussion!
Hi
I’m also joining in a bit late. I have two things to add.
Firstly – my family owned a game lodge on a private game reserve in South Africa. We set our rates as entry level based on the what our expenses are, what the competition was charging and what we felt would attract guests to a new lodge. It took us five years to make a bottom line profit of R300 at the end of the year! YAY!
Our rates covered the following expenses:
Cost of the occupied room (i.e. linen to be washed, coffee station to be replenished etc)
Loan for the building of the load (and we did it in far less than is the industry standard)
Loan for the purchase of vehicles (4 vehicles – 2 x game viewers (one spare) and two lodge vehicles for staff transport)
Maintenance of the reserve (fence repairs, anti poaching units etc)
Animal management (purchasing new animals, vetinarary care of injured animals such as lions, cheetahs etc)
Food expense (we pay up to 50% more to have it delivered in a “remote” area which is 1 hour from town)
Staff salaries (including medical benefits)
Marketing & Adveritising material (do you know how much we have to pay to be listed on websites, in magazines, print brochures etc)
Beverages (once again, all those bottles of waters, wine etc have to be covered)
And various other extras that we have to buy and replace (such as game drive blankets, ponchos, binoculars etc that always seem to have legs)
Water, electricity and gas (not only for the lodge, but for the staff accommodation)
So there are a lot of expenses which our rate has to cover. During our quiet season, we decided to stay open. However, everyone knows we’re quiet and the local market won’t pay more than R1000 all inclusive, per person to stay with us. So we run at a loss. But the experience is exactly the same. We hope that word of mouth will fill us up later on.
Did I mention the Tour Operators who insist on a 30% discount? It’s the standard and it’s expected. If you don’t offer this, they won’t book you. If you don’t take them treats and give them special attention, they won’t book you. Get travellers to book direct through the online website? Give away about 20%. It all adds up. Tour operators hardly support a lodge, instead, they keep the rich ones richer.
That’s from my lodge owner point of view
Secondly, I’m involved in a new business with an desperately needed idea. We’re going to independantly rate and review game lodges in Southern Africa. We’ll be looking at the entire experience – what they offer, the game drives, the social involvement – everything. We’ll launch a few websites and travellers can see our unbiased, not paid for, non journalist point of view. For what it’s worth.
I’d like to end of by saying – be nice to camp rangers and camp staff. They usually work for a small wage and do it for their love of the bush. I don’t know any game rangers who can afford a house based on their salary (the big lodges, their staff make the big tips so they might be able to).
At then end of the say – travel! And negotiate a good deal. Often dealing direct, gets you a better deal
Thanks for letting me add my two cents
Hi Charlie,
Thanks for adding a lot more than two cents! Could you provide me with more info about the ‘rate and review’ initiative? You can fill in the contact form on the blog or email me directly at johan@planyoursafari.com.
Cheers
Hi Charlie,
Some good information here.
How is your website going to differ from those that exist? Remember there are already plenty of travel websites out there where travellers write and share experiences. Atleast, there are tons of reviews amongst the more popular destinations. For example., Wilderness, Kwando, Camps in the Masai Mara, Tanzania, Mala Mala, Shenton safaris etc etc.,
Some of what I talk about is by regular clients, some by travel agents, some by yearly safari goers, some by new safari goers etc etc.,
Hari
PS: Just one more thing to add on the travel agent front. Any one notice, how many new travel agents pop up in recent years? Some of them who’ve previously not been in the travel trade? What’s their motivation? Surely not saving Africa/Africans/the wildlife …… much more than that!
Hi Hari
Thanks for the reply. Our website will offer a few unique functions that I cannot reveal yet. But it’s going to be very different. We’ve been hard at work for 12months and it’s almost launch time. We’re protecting ourselves from someone stealing our idea at the last minute so I have to be a little hush hush. We’ve spent time on market research and tried to develop what the industry wants – both sides – agents/operators and lodges. We’re not going to be another Tripadvisor.com or similar. Hours and hours spent on the internet have not revealed anything like this….watch this space i guess!
Charlie
Hi again Charlie,
Good luck on the website and look forward to seeing it when it’s up and ready. Please keep us all posted.
RE Tripadvisor – it’s only good to see what the local Holiday Inn in Disnyeland is in close proximity of …….. the safari forums there are mostly a joke.
http://www.ngamitimes.com
See the article in the latest edition of the Ngami Times, “Poverty strikes the Okavango”
Mind boggling stat – 79% of the income leaves the country.
Hari,
Good spot, this sort of level does not surprise me at all!