18 February 2020

Travelling to Africa once – and wanting to return over and over again

From round trips and safaris via beach holidays all the way to luxury lodges: TUI offers a broad portfolio in Africa

Around 1.2 billion people in more than 50 countries: Africa is colourful. The land mass of the continent is around ten times larger than Europe – its landscapes comprise deserts and mountains as well as rainforests and savannahs. Africa features seemingly endless expanses, up-close animal encounters, lively metropolises such as Cape Town or Cairo, warm-hearted people, World Cultural Heritage sites, beautiful beaches and fascinating diving spots. Whoever wishes to discover Africa’s diversity will find numerous travel options with TUI. “Apart from Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco in North Africa, our brochure includes trips to Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, as well as South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Eswatini, former Swaziland,“ says Martina Horter, TUI Germany Product Manager in charge of Southern Africa. “In Western Africa, our colleagues in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and France offer additional destinations, including Gambia or Senegal. These countries can also be booked by German customers, just as Ethiopia or Ruanda, but they are not included in TUI’s brochures.“

TUI offers travellers every option to travel across Africa, offering them a wealth of experiences. “We offer adventure seekers everything their heart desires, from round trips via beach holidays, for instance on the wonderful beaches in Mombasa or Zanzibar, all the way to luxury holidays to Kruger National Park in lodges for 1,500 euros a night,” says Horter. “Many customers combine round trips, for instance in South Africa, with a relaxing holiday, for instance in one of the 30 islands of Quirimbas Archipelago off the coast of Mozambique.” In South Africa alone, German holidaymakers can choose from around 300 hotels – throughout Africa, TUI’s portfolio comprises several thousand hotels and resorts across all source markets. “The quality of the hotels ranges from three to five stars”, explains the Product Manager.In order to facilitate sustainable construction, an environmental management plan reflecting site-specific conditions is prepared before the start of work on the TUI Blue hotels. The hotels are guided to make sustainable decisions during construction. These can include, for example, energy-efficient construction as well as the use of environmentally friendly construction materials. In addition, hybrid or electrical construction machines and generators are used on the construction site. The goal of this measure is to build hotels that save both energy and resources.

“You will take back lifetime memories”

The highlights of the tourist programmes differ from country to country. “In East Africa, for instance, safaris can only be booked with a personal guide, while the programme for Southern African includes group tours as well as fly-in safaris with small planes, taking the guests from camp to camp, or even individual self-drive trips,“ outlines Horter. However, regardless of the option holidaymakers choose to go on a safari, the wildlife will make their Africa holiday an unforgettable experience virtually everywhere. “If you have ever watched lions or leopards in the wild from a distance of only a few metres, you will be longing to come back time and again,” says the Africa expert. “Moreover, you will love the beautiful vast landscapes – you will take back lifetime memories.”