Skift Take

Many safari lovers are looking for immersive experiences, and not just chasing the Big 5 animal species.

Selene Brophy

African countries are seeing a surge in international travel, fueled by luxury safari experiences with repeat visitors. Returning travelers remain excited by the continent's iconic wildlife. However, they want to mix up their experiences beyond spotting game from the back of a Jeep.

We spoke to a half-dozen operators of multi-day safari tours and safari hospitality brands to find out the latest booking data and guest preferences. We came away with seven emerging trends we expect will shape safari tourism in the year ahead.

1. Increased Spending on Safari Trips

Adventure-booking platform TourRadar said Africa has emerged as a major outbound market for North American and European travelers.

Its 2023 search and booking data showed that trips valued over $3,800 (€3,500) had doubled since 2019, fueled by demand for premium safari experiences. The average trip spend for safaris specifically has increased by 65%, said Aziaz Sheikh, TourRadar Head of Community.

Travelers going on organized adventures to Africa in 2023 had increased by 33%, compared to 2019, with a "huge appetite for safaris." Travel to Tanzania was up 48% and Kenya was up 22% overall.

"The one thing that is unique for the U.S. as a source market [for safaris] is that Tanzania is the biggest selling destination (32%), and then South Africa (20%), with Kenya a distant third (13%)," said Sheikh. "This differs from the rest of the world, which generally sees a balance between the 3 destinations."

Philip Rendel, founder of Where It All Began, a Southern Africa travel planning company, said that 2024 bookings have so far seen a more than a 60% increase in spending. Rendel said the average spend for 2023 was around $8,201 (150,000 rand) for two people. For 2024, the company sees $13,668,34 (250,000 rand) per average trip.

Tour operator Backroads said its bookings for active African safaris for 2024 are nearly double this year's, when the average spend was $5,077.

"When we recently asked our travelers what destination is on their travel bucket list, African safaris were frequently mentioned," said Tom Hale, founder and CE