The Safari Industry’s Self-Made Growth Problem
Photo Credit: Safari tourism is arguably one of Africa's most popular products. Thompson Safaris
Skift Take
The same travelers who visit Tuscany five times and Tokyo three times treat Africa as a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list item. That's a marketing failure, not a market reality.
On Experience
Colin Nagy is a marketing strategist and writes on customer-centric experiences and innovation across the luxury sector, hotels, aviation, and beyond. You can read all of his writing here.Thankfully, Africa's tourism numbers are bouncing back after the pandemic. The UN World Tourism Organization says 74 million visitors hit the continent in 2024, 7% above 2019 levels. Morocco and South Africa are seeing strong rebounds.
But there's a disconnect happening. Conservation tourism, arguably Africa's most compelling product, isn't growing like it should. The demand is there, but the barriers are mostly self-inflicted.
Africa pros will be familiar with the problems I outline, but it is also useful for the broader industry to unpack and understand some of the headwinds.
The "Once in a Lifetime" TrapSafari marketing has created its own problem. It's positioned as a bucket list experience: the big honeymoon, retirement, or milestone birthday splurge. That narrative compresses demand into single visits during peak season.
The result? Overcrowding in key locations during migration while lesser-known conservancies and places scra
