August 17, 2020: SafariBookings.com, an online marketplace for African safari tours, recently ran its sixt monthly survey among 344 safari tour operators. The survey’s aim was to acquire a detailed understanding of the impact in the safari industry from the downturn in travel associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The results were in line with the previous five surveys – an overwhelming number of tour operators are suffering from a decline in bookings of at least 75%. This is a horrendous figure for an industry which so many people rely on in East and southern Africa.
As one operator told us, “The impact of the virus is global and has been devastating for many people. Of course, the safari business in Tanzania is no exception. We have seen a decrease of more than 90% in bookings and requests, and we have been closed for more than 4 months now.” And in Uganda one operator simply said, “This pandemic has affected the tourism sector to the extent that since February I have not received any quotes or bookings for safaris.”
For interactive charts and 60 quotes from individual operators, please see the full survey results.
Around 91% of operators said they had lost at least three quarters of the bookings they normally rely upon at this time of year. An extraordinary drop in business with many operators unable to afford to even hire local staff. A Namibian operator summed up the situation in Southern Africa, “In Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, our tourism is suffering badly without our usual international clients. Many places have closed until further notice, many people have lost their jobs. It’s really sad times for tourism.”
Seventy percent of operators who responded to our survey said that cancellations had increased by at least 75% on existing bookings. Less than 4% said it was business as usual. “Covid-19 has affected our business negatively, and caused us to lose some of our staff members as most of our clients have cancelled for this year,” an operator from Namibia told us.
As countries such as Kenya and Tanzania become beacons of hope for the safari industry, restarting international flights, there is also a more positive tone taking its first tentative steps from some tour operators. “There are signs that some recovery will begin, probably in the next month once the border between Tanzania and Kenya opens, and as more flights are starting – we believe that the chances are high that business will improve by at least 50%.”
This operator from Kenya even saw the pandemic as an opportunity for improvement, “The pandemic has definitely affected business in the negative. However, but on the other hand it has caused us to think deeper about our business model, which has resulted in us designing a more strategic model that will be able to remain viable even in a crisis.”