LIFE in the
Tell us about the USP of the brand.
The Africa Experience focuses on conservation tourism. Experienced travellers not only undergo a complete luxury safari experience but also get the opportunity to get involved and observe what it means to conserve nature in the broadest sense of the word, participate in leopard research projects, turtle research projects, protection of endangered species, expansion of protected areas, track elephants and hyenas or lions not only from our game view vehicles but on foot with the top guides in southern Africa, etc. It adds a complete new dimension to sustainable travelling.
Furthermore, our accommodations are high-end luxury, small in setup, and very private but very important in remote wilderness areas where one will not easily find other travellers or in unique locations where no other accommodations can be found. Nothing is mandatory on our safaris but almost everything is possible due to the personalised approach we offer to our guests.
What kind of clients do you receive?
We get experienced travellers who have been on safari and beach vacations often, but now want to immerse themselves in the environment, experience different adventures, and want to be treated as individuals who are interested in their surroundings; travellers who want to understand the environment they’re in and experience the different aspects of it, or those who want to go out at night to find rare nocturnal predators or rare birds. Not bound by pre-determined safari timings, these travellers want to go out and explore whenever they wish. At our beach villa, travellers can ask the staff to go fishing with them to help them catch their own meal or have a dedicated cooking course.
How important is the Indian market for you?
The Indian market is a very important one, as India has many similarities and challenges in terms of wildlife and nature conservation. It has rhinos and elephants like we have, and tigers where we have leopards and lions. These species are under similar threats, but in completely different settings.
We would also like to emphasise the historic relations the two continents have. Centuries ago, we were trading partners and remains from that time can still be found in our remote wilderness areas. We are therefore looking for those Indian guests who would like to walk in the footsteps of their ancestors and see the same, almost unchanged landscape that they did. India is also a BRICS country and these emerging markets are very important for tourism.
What initiatives are you taking to promote tourism from India?
We have appointed a respected agent (Explorer) whose founder has a wealth of experience in the travel and hospitality industry. We are currently setting up special packages for the Indian market, aimed at Indian guests, whereby we carefully take into consideration Indian traditions to make sure they feel at home at our locations. Furthermore, we are investigating the possibilities of entering into joint nature conservation programmes allowing our international (non-Indian) guests to visit rhinos on both continents but in one vacation.
What kind of challenges do you face?
When introducing a new concept and a relatively new destination, it always takes time to make travel agents and operators aware of the product you have as they are accustomed to selling known ones. India is a large continent, so the biggest challenge is to find all these travel specialists and introduce them to our experiences. The best way is to get them to Botswana and Mozambique.
Jurgen Elbertse, Director, The Africa Experience, shares details about this unique travel proposition that offers those interested an immersive experience in Africa’s mighty wilderness.