Dorin Range
Ask Safari Lodge if the best guests are coming back. You will always say that it is not always a new wellness retreat or a bucket list. In fact, Jim Holden, an American expert in Holden Safaris, pointed out:
It is about trust and familiarity for most return travelers.
SUZANNE BAYLY of Classic Portfolio, an independent lodge group, said, “Familiarity is a draw.” In Safari, they often ask for the same guide to meet the same team.
Of course, wild animals still remain as a lottery card. Repeated guests are not tired of tracking leopards with guides who see elephants at sunset or know all footprints. But the feeling of returning home actually makes a reservation again.
Caroline Lucas at MOSETLHA BUSHH CAMP in MadikWe in South Africa was seen in person. About 60%of her guests are repeated visitors and have not changed for five years. Her guide has been part of Mosetlha for decades. Definition of Jonny and 17 years old for 22 years. There is also a friend of MOSETLHA Facebook Group, where loyal fans continue to contact.
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It is deeper than knowing the staff in the name. Repeated travelers want their favorite rooms or tents. Lawrence Abura in Mara Bushtops in Kenya says: “There is an advantage that repeated guests can customize expectations depending on the previous experience. These expectations vary from the recognition of the best location to request a different tent product line as before.”
Holden shows how strong this bond is. One guest said, “Knowing the leopard with the name, insisting on the same guide, and being promoted to the general manager, but now you have to guide this repetitive customer. Otherwise, she will not go.” Holden said, “If you stay in a small boutique lodge when you experience authentic safari, you are nervous to try something new that doesn’t match your first safari experience.”
Meet expectations
But it is not always easy to meet such expectations. Ed Beukes, a marketing and communication director of TSWALU, explains: “The first traveler arrives without fixed expectations, while the repeated guests expect the same experience as the previous stay. For example, everything can be changed when team members moved or renovated.”
The difference in the way of thinking between beginners and repeated guests is impressive.
Jann Kingsley of SEOLO AFRICA said, “The first safari guests often arrive with expectations for big game witnesses and symbolic ‘bucket lists’.” But the guest usually craves something deeper. The slow magic that tracked on foot was aware of the seasonal shift, returned to the most favorite sunset point, or saw the pride of the lion I first saw. They focus more on immersion and connection than ticking boxes. “
The operators say that the key is to balance the familiarity of innovation. Andrew Kitema of African Adventures explains that repeated customers want “predictable excellence (reliable service/guide), regular novelty, new paths, and special experiences. Sweet spots are ‘familiar comfort + one new surprise’.
I agree with Lara Vancans of A & K Sanctuary. “We maintain a new perspective of the guide, the seasonal changes in the wildlife or the subtle floors of the preservation initiative, making each return trip comfortable and rewarding.”
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Dave Van Semeerdijk, a natural starter (operated throughout Namibia, Botswana and South Africa), traveled 8 times through a report on 1/3 and recommended guests. He explains how expectations have developed. “There’s a much bigger expectation for camp experience. Optional additions, such as food, services and gymnasiums, spa treatments are now as important to see when you leave the camp.”
Natural choices strategically responded. “The new product contains a comfortable menu. If you use a nice food, you get tired. In a longer safari, something simple options such as gourmet burgers and spaghetti bolonia are very welcome.” The SKYBED STARGAZING platform is another hit. “It’s not a special effect for many people to visit the platform overnight, but it’s a great wildlife area.”
Kingsley said Seolo Africa saw the sleep of Mosquito Nets as the winner. “This has become one of our most talked experiences,” she said. She said that other trends between the returning guests stayed longer and brought their friends or family next time.
Little things
Sometimes the most effective innovation is a subtle touch. For example, A & K Sanctuary teams up with Leica, allowing customers to have high -quality binoculars. Vancans said, “It may look like a small gesture, but it eliminates the frustration of the equipment sharing and improves the discovery of wild animals.
According to Bayly’s classic portfolio, repeated guests experiment according to multiple seasons. “The difference in the season of seeing the same place between drying and the rainy season and the tide and tide is a big draw for repeated guests.”
Bayly summarizes why the operator likes loyal customers so much. “Repeated customers tend to book and stay longer.” SEOLO’s Kingsley is the point that agrees with the following: She saw that the couple brought their brothers and sisters or parents until the couple had 3 nights, 5 o’clock, 7, and eventually two weeks.
Therefore, travel advisors who want to make Safaris a larger part of the business are not always looking for “new.” Sometimes I feel like a real estate coming home, and I know what kind of familiar face will wait when the customer comes back.
