Doreen Reinstein
While the price of African safari has increased significantly, so has the demand.according to 2023 Safari State of Travel Reportpublished in April by safari experts travel to africaGlobal interest in African safari has more than doubled compared to 2022, as evidenced by a surge in Google searches. Interest is still rising despite a significant 25% increase in the average tourist spending on hunting trips, now between $5,500 and $6,500. (Go2Africa considers direct Google searches and queries received when determining demand.)
Raza Visram of Africa Mecca Safaris said expanding internet access in Africa itself could lead to a surge in searches, with more locals exploring safari destinations online. But other travel agencies across the U.S. say they are also seeing a significant increase in bookings.
Teresa Panel McCombs of TP McCombs Travel said: “In the past, I only had sporadic travel requests, but suddenly my interest increased dramatically and I actually booked three trips this year.”
Lindy Rousseau, Chief Strategist SingitaRousseau said a similar trend is emerging, with bookings for 2023 up significantly from 2022 and bookings for 2024 also up significantly. Demand in 2025 also looks very strong.
What’s behind the surge?
Jim Holden, president of Holden Safaris, attributed the high demand to a post-pandemic travel recovery. The rise in retirees setting aside savings to celebrate the holidays is also a contributing factor. However, Horton said what was unusual was that the current booking window showed no signs of returning to typical pre-COVID demand patterns. “The booking window is still very short and the mood in America seems to be one of carpe diem and ‘let’s not risk a vacation by waiting for the right time,'” he said.
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While demand for African safaris has soared, rising costs have begun to cause concern among some travelers and industry experts.
“We have reports from our trade partners that guests are beginning to question the price of $2,500 to $3,000 a night,” said hotel owner Don Scott. Tandatura Safari camps in South Africa. However, he added, “The affluent traveler market is also increasingly aware that hunting products are more expensive than urban or rural accommodation due to lower density of hunting products and higher costs of maintaining reserves.”
Nicole Mazza, chief marketing officer at Travelsavers, said she believed the price increase was mainly due to “suppliers positioning their products more firmly in the luxury category. High demand in countries such as South Africa and Kenya also contributed to the price increase ”
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She added: “Our high-end and luxury sales are growing faster overall. We are also seeing strong demand for must-see destinations, which tend to be more expensive, including in exotic locations such as Africa.”
For Africa Safari’s Mefi Pishori Alapat, rising prices are a big part of the safari industry.
“We’ve been in business for 20 years and prices have been rising almost every year,” Alapat noted. “This was expected when we quoted prices for future trips; it was not a major surprise for us as our partners have experienced similar growth year after year. The only time prices have remained linear is during To encourage guests to come during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Is the turning point coming?
However, Holden warned that travelers may start to become wary of the increased number of flights.
“In my experience, few travelers, regardless of wealth, are willing to spend more on vacation,” Holden said. “Wealthy travelers may be able to afford the high prices and pay them reluctantly, but other travelers will turn to other products… Suppliers would be wise not to try to recoup losses from the coronavirus pandemic with a one-time, large price increase.”
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