Africa boasts an array of iconic and diverse wildlife species such as elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos, zebras, and giraffes, among others. Explorers can revel in up-close interactions with these animals in their natural habitats, which are incomparable and indelible experiences. Furthermore, the continent is a melting pot of vibrant and distinctive cultures, each with unique traditions, languages, and customs. Tourists can delve into local cultures through indulging in their cuisine, music, dance, and art forms.
Anywhere in Africa Safaris is an independent, owner-run tour operator based in the stunning city of Cape Town, South Africa. The mission is to provide travelers with a one-of-a-kind travel experience that is tailored to their specific interests. The brand doesn’t offer off-the-shelf packages – instead, it plans bespoke luxury travel packages to Southern Africa, East Africa, North Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.
With over 30 years of experience in arranging tailor-made safari and travel experiences in Africa, Anywhere in Africa has built a reputation for excellence. The team’s passion for Africa and its wildlife, combined with their knowledge of the continent and its diverse cultures, makes it the ultimate travel partner for your next adventure.
At Anywhere in Africa Safaris, the team prides itself on the brand’s ability to create unique travel itineraries that go beyond the expected. From the Serengeti and Amboseli to Bwindi and the iMfolozi, Anywhere in Africa’s travel and safari repertoire knows no boundaries.
Visionary Behind Anywhere in Africa Safaris
Kirsty Gordon, the CEO of Anywhere in Africa Safaris, is driven by her passion for Africa, people, and travel. For her, this is not just a job, but a calling. She finds the travel industry in Africa to be constantly evolving, with new products, charities, and conservation practices emerging all the time. This keeps her motivated and engaged, and she enjoys sharing her passion with guests, encouraging them to explore all that Africa has to offer. By creating these travel ambassadors, Kirsty hopes to inspire others to discover the beauty and wonder of this incredible continent.
Kirsty intends to expand her company’s services worldwide through recommendations and repeat business, relying on word-of-mouth promotion. Recently, she has hired a remarkable in-house marketing and social media team comprising Adrienne Visser and Ashely Burdett. She is enthusiastic about exploring ways to enhance the company’s social media outreach by targeting the appropriate audience. The emphasis is on generating quality leads instead of just quantity.
Diverse Interests Lead to an Adventurous Career in Travel and Tourism
Kirsty’s list of interests and potential career paths after leaving school was quite diverse, ranging from professional horse riding and training, landscape design, scuba diving instruction, traveling the world, to becoming a physiotherapist. Initially, Kirsty applied for a course in landscape technology but took a break before hearing back about her acceptance. During this break, she did an open water Naui 2 scuba diving course in Inhaca Island, where she met a woman who invited her to join a sailing trip to the Caribbean.
Kirsty seized the opportunity and had an incredible sailing experience. Upon returning home, she found out that she had missed the start of her landscape technology course, but she was then inspired by a friend who had completed a travel and tourism course. She applied and was accepted into a six-month travel course, which launched her career in the travel industry.
After completing her course, Kirsty did a two-week work experience at Wynberg Travel in their corporate division, which led to a job offer. A year later, she applied for another position in the company’s Groups and Incentive Division. Thirty years later, Kirsty is still in the travel industry, having had an incredible adventure and career. She loves what she does and has found her calling in the travel and tourism industry.
Personalized Service and Community Support
Kirsty envisions that Anywhere in Africa Safaris will remain a boutique and exclusive company, but will continuously exceed client expectations beyond what they could ever imagine. She plans to expand the business primarily through word-of-mouth referrals and recommendations. Kirsty aims to ensure that clients always feel assured that she personally plans and coordinates their trips, with a dedicated team working in the background. Clients will have peace of mind knowing they won’t be transferred from one consultant to another.
When people hear “Anywhere in Africa Safaris,” Kirsty wants them to immediately recognize the company as the go-to for travel in Africa due to their trustworthiness and extensive knowledge of the continent. The company’s focus is to give back to the community and conservation efforts in Africa by partnering with suppliers such as lodges, hotels, and ground handlers that support sustainability and the future of Africa.
Lack of Passion and Short-Term Focus Jeopardizes Long-Term Success
According to Kirsty, many of today’s emerging leaders lack passion and a genuine love for their work or creations. She believes that for many of these business leaders, money and self-gain have become the primary focus, rather than the well-being and longevity of the company and its employees or clients. Often, these emerging leaders climb the corporate ladder quickly or start companies for quick financial gain, without considering the bigger picture. When speaking to these emerging leaders, Kirsty feels that they prioritize building on shallow foundations rather than solidly and with strength, which can make it difficult to sustain success in the long run.
A Day in the Life of a Travel Industry Professional
Kirsty’s daily schedule is always packed with various tasks, such as responding to email inquiries from clients and suppliers, reviewing and updating rate contracts, monitoring payments from clients and payments to suppliers to ensure secure bookings, checking in with clients who are currently traveling (using a dedicated WhatsApp group), making adjustments to quotes, scheduling Zoom calls with clients to discuss their travel expectations and preferences, and catching up with the social media team.
Kirsty finds joy in connecting with first-time clients through Zoom and learning about their interests and desired itinerary for their African trip. She enjoys providing them with ideas, logistics, and sharing her enthusiasm and passion for Africa, explaining how it can be a life-changing experience for them.
Balancing Multiple Roles and Interests
Kirsty firmly believes that to balance various roles and interests as a leader, having good systems in place is crucial. These systems can help manage not only the office and work environment but also one’s personal life, allowing for greater flexibility. She often advises her team that when things start to feel out of control, they should “stop the bus” and take some time off. This could mean spending a few hours or a whole day in the boardroom without any distractions, allowing them to get back on track. Sometimes, taking a step back can help one move three steps forward, and this approach has proven to be effective for Kirsty and her team.
Insights on the Travel Industry
Kirsty observes that the travel industry is still recovering from the impact of Covid-19. Although travel has gradually resumed, it will take some time for the industry to settle. There are several important issues facing the travel industry in Africa, including the potential for another Covid-19 shutdown or pandemic, a shortage of experienced travel industry staff (many of whom left the industry in 2020 and have not returned), poaching of rhinos and the decreasing wildlife areas which put pressure on the natural environment. Additionally, it can be challenging to convince older communities to see the benefits of working with organizations like Elephant Havens, which seek to rescue and preserve wildlife rather than destroy it.
An Approach of Making True Impact
Kirsty thinks the more we can get clients to travel to Africa on a planned trip, spend money at lodges/ companies like Anywhere in Africa Safaris who works with sustainable ‘’partners in the travel industry’’ who in turn give back to community / society and conservation. These clients become travel ambassadors for Africa and help make the circle within the Anywhere in Africa circle bigger which in turn gives back to the African people’s lives, industry, travel tourism, improves society and these areas in turn make their circle bigger.
Three things Kirsty would like to improve:
Society
- Recognize the humanity of the people and respect their dignity – often we as business leaders tell the people in communities, we support that they need – laptops, etc, but seldom do we sit around with the community and actually ask the question – what is it that you need? What will make your society run better? Could be anything as simple as drilling a well for clean fresh water.
- Find a way to stop littering the country with rubbish / paper/ plastic. It makes me so sad and frustrated when I travel even outside of Cape Town and see how people litter or throw a chip packet out of the window of a car with no self-regard.
- Find smaller sustainable charities to support not just the big ones. Sometimes the smaller charities are doing better in the long run but don’t get the support need to sustain in the long term.
Tour and Travel Industry
- Requires the governments in Africa to support the travel industry and realize the revenue that is being brought in by all sectors of this industry.
- Travelers from Africa are sometimes the worst – they want everything for nothing and would rather spend a huge fortune on a trip to Europe to go skiing instead of spending their money in Africa.
- Improve guide training and education – guides can make or break a trip so I feel that this is an area that the lodges should be investing more time/ money so that their guides are not just taught how to track / guide wildlife safaris but also on the bigger picture of the industry and areas they work within.
People lives
- Education and learning as opportunities to grow personally and within work
- Give the people in the industry incentives (not handouts)
- Asking communities what they need – not telling them what you think they need
Latest Developments and Trends in Travel Industry
Kirsty has identified the most significant developments and trends to look out for in Africa’s travel sector. According to her, the art scene in Africa, particularly in South Africa, is thriving, and the Zeitz Mocca Museum stands out as a prime example. Kirsty suggests that travelers should visit some of the impressive galleries and meet local artists in Cape Town. Moreover, the Silo Hotel, located inside the museum, is a unique experience as it feels like staying in an art museum. Additionally, Kirsty points out that Morocco has one of the best art and design scenes globally, with Marrakech being a top destination to explore.
Furthermore, Africa is home to some of the trendiest destinations globally, such as Malawi, Madagascar, Reunion, South Africa, Tanzania, among others. Travelers are now opting for multi-country trips, and they are spending more time in each location. They are also returning to the pre-pandemic norm of planning their trips well in advance, with a lead time of eight months to a year.
Tourists are seeking meaningful experiences, bucket-list destinations, and itineraries that align with their purpose of travel.
Optimistic View on the Future of Africa’s Travel Industry
Kirsty personally believes that Africa’s travel industry will continue to thrive and grow stronger. For example, East Africa saw an increase in travel during the pandemic due to the way various governments handled the situation. Unlike other countries, Africa did not completely shut down, which encouraged people to travel.
With social media becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, Kirsty expects that more people will explore travel opportunities in Africa. The continent’s rich natural resources and cultural heritage, such as music and art, provide immense potential for further tourism development.
Moreover, tourism generates multiple revenues and plays a critical role in promoting and preserving natural and cultural resources. Kirsty believes that with the right approach, Africa’s travel and tourism industry can be a significant contributor to the continent’s economic growth and development.
Written by Steve Sanchez.
