In our final episode of this series celebrating Africa’s travel recovery, we catch up with Katie McDonough from Explore Inc in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. As an African expert who sends hundreds of high-end travellers to Africa every year, Katie provides invaluable insights from the US market perspective.

Fresh off the plane from her first trip back to Tanzania since the pandemic began, Katie shares her experiences on the ground and what she discovered about how the destination has evolved during this challenging period. Her observations about Tanzania’s readiness to welcome international visitors, combined with her expertise in luxury African travel, offer essential insights for anyone planning their African adventure.

Katie’s enthusiasm for Tanzania’s recovery and her professional perspective on what travellers can expect make this episode particularly valuable for understanding how Africa’s tourism industry has adapted and emerged stronger.

Her first-hand account demonstrates why 2022 truly became the year when confidence in African travel was fully restored amongst international operators and their discerning clients.

In this comprehensive episode, we explore the Australian perspective on travel recovery by speaking with two remarkable Australians who provide insights into both their domestic industry and the outbound market to Africa. Rhett Lego from TCMG in Germany brings fascinating insights from marketing Australia and other regions since the early 2000s, sharing how the pandemic affected Australia’s own tourism sector.

We also chat with Ryan Kendall from Untamed Safaris about his outlook for Australian arrivals into Southern and East Africa, providing valuable market intelligence about this important source market. Their experiences during Australia’s particularly strict lockdown measures offer unique perspectives on recovery challenges and opportunities.

Both guests share how the pandemic journey affected them personally as well as professionally, creating a deeply human story about resilience in the travel industry. Their insights into Australian travellers’ evolving preferences and the gradual rebuilding of confidence in international travel demonstrate how different markets approached the return to African adventures. This episode captures the excitement and anticipation as the Australian market began planning their return to Africa’s wilderness areas.

Welcome to our fourth series, where we boldly declare 2022 as the year of travelling to Africa! Travel to Southern and East Africa is well underway, with bookings for the upcoming season exploding daily, marking an extraordinary recovery from the pandemic’s impact. This series is our real-time celebration of Africa’s tourism renaissance, featuring regular catch-ups about developments in the travel sector across the continent.

We’ll share insights from people operating on the ground in destinations throughout Africa, as well as perspectives from travel companies worldwide that sell African adventures—the absolute lifeblood of our industry. Our goal is to provide real-time feedback about bookings and developments across Africa, offering ideas and inspiration for anyone passionate about the continent’s travel potential.

Whether you’re a travel industry professional looking for insights about overcoming obstacles and building momentum, or a keen traveller who loves Africa and wants to understand what we’re experiencing on the ground, this series captures the excitement of African tourism’s remarkable comeback. Join us as we document this pivotal year when Africa reclaimed its position as the world’s premier adventure destination.