One Africa expert is urging agents to sell less in Africa, especially for first- time travellers in the destination, highlighting the advantages of a ‘well-paced’ itinerary.
Many clients will want the Serengeti, Cape Town and Victoria Falls in 10 days, and potentially gorillas as well, but Safari Guru founder Deon De Villiers says an itinerary built entirely from one-night stops, however scenic on paper, tends to have clients feeling rushed once in the destination.
“A trip that tries to include everything usually ends up truly experiencing very little, and that’s the review an advisor doesn’t want to read.” He says a well-paced eight- or nine-night itinerary with three genuine contrasts sells itself once a client understands why it’s built that way. Usually, De Villiers adds, it converts into a longer, more considered booking than a rushed 12-night version chasing every highlight.
He urges agents to have clients spend at least three nights at a camp, the time needed for a camp to reveal itself, though he notes two nights can still work for a secondary stop, given it is built around a single clear purpose. He also recommends selling contrast, not proximity, highlighting pairings such as the Okavango Delta with Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, or Zambia’s South Luangwa with Lower Zambezi.
It’s also worth matching trip length to client type. Recommend five to seven days for first-timers, eight to 12 days for contrast-seeking repeat travellers, and 12-plus days for those who want to see multiple countries. De Villiers’ final piece of advice for selling Africa is to get in quick, with permits and peak-season camps at the best-known properties often reserved nine to 18 months in advance.
“If a client mentions Rwanda or the migration, that’s not a conversation to leave for later in the year,” he says. “It’s the trigger to start locking in dates now.” See more HERE.
