How They Did It // 5 Tourism Companies that Thrived in the Pandemic

Tourism Companies that Thrived in the Pandemic

Guided excursions have long been at the heart of travel, but like everything else, the pandemic disrupted such experiences, and many went virtual. 

Tour companies have ceased onsite operations and tour guides experienced their work levels get diminished. 

During this time, they had to learn to adapt and change their how they do business in a time when visiting places was not an option. Also, their methods of keeping their staff with a steady paycheck.

Online content was the direction many-headed in, to engage new customers and retain their future travel interests. 

While some companies opted to close, some companies found a foot fall and companies like, Amazon, took a deep dive into the strictly virtual model with the start of its Amazon Explore platform, which offers everything from online shopping tours in Peru to tango lessons from Argentina.

The few thriving corners of the tourism & travel industry offered hope of a rebound and the possibility of traveling safely, even during an uncertain period. 

As we begin the holidays these companies may stoke your wanderlust or allow you to explore safely and securely—but they’re also good reminders that the travel industry still means big business..Here’s what some of them are doing.

And Beyond

Since 1991 travel company andBeyond has offered travellers customised experiences in Africa, Asia and South America where they have twenty-nine lodges and camps. Building on their well established reputation for offering memorable travel experiences, a logical step during the current coronavirus epidemic was to create a live streamed safari programme.

During the pandemic this South African based  company, &Beyond, teamed up with wildlife broadcasting experts WildEarth to bring live footage of Africa’s wildest creatures to your living room.

The twice daily, three-hour game drives were shared on Facebook and YouTube, where people could listen to an expert guide and ask them questions, hear the sounds of the Ngala Private Game Reserve and Djuma Private Game Reserve, and look out for big cats, elephants and more.

&Beyond also allowed people to tune in live on Instagram for a drive around Sabi Sand Game Reserve and Phinda Private Game Reserve, both bursting with wildlife.They also shared a clear guide and timelines that people could follow while engaging online.

However, they recently put a hold on the broadcasting session stating that would have to put &BEYOND Connect Virtual Experiences and daily WILDwatch Live safaris temporarily on hold as they tried to find the right balance to ensure our guides, chefs and wellness practitioners can meet the expectation of all our online and offline guests.

Wanderlust Diaries Ltd

Founded by Amakove Wala in April 2020 during the peak of Covid 19, Wanderlust Diaries  has gained global appeal and is now a movement of travellers sharing stories and documenting experiences while promoting sustainable tourism.

Wanderlust Diaries Ltd brings together a community of travellers to share stories, authentic reviews and give travel trade a platform to connect, showcase and promote their offerings. The stories by travellers help inspire other travellers, sharing uplifting stories to demystify travel and drive uptake of unique and sustainable tourism experiences.

In a Fireside Chat held in September at the Nairobi Garage Karen Space, Amakove shared how she grew her  love and passion for travel into an online community of like-minded individuals who are championing the course of sustainability in tourism. 

Wanderlust Diaries boasts over 240,000 members spread across its online platforms. All it’s  members subscribe to our brands to not only keep up with latest trends and updates in matters tourism and travel, but to also share their personalized and exclusive experiences from their own inspiring journeys. 

The market potential inherent in our numbers is substantial and arguably unmatched in matters tourism and travel across Kenya’s 47 counties. Its global travel community constitutes of primarily Kenyans who are living in the country or in the wider diaspora.

Asilia

Asilia Africa was built by passionate people with deep roots in East Africa’s original family-run safari companies: Rekero Camp in 1986 and Oliver’s Camp in 1992. In 2004, they combined their experience, family spirit and commitment to East Africa and formed Asilia. 

Together, they sought to offer safari experiences paired with conservation efforts that bring meaningful change to the region. The company is a , leading safari operator, employing nearly 1,000 people in 19 bespoke camps and lodges in Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar.

Asilia Africa has camps and lodges across Kenya and Tanzania and offers 360 degree videos that can also be watched using a VR headset. Just like any most companies, Asilia shut it’s camps during the pandemic but they still provided the 360 degree videos on their website, allowing people to see Asilia Africa’s camps and lodges across Kenya and Tanzania and offers 360 degree videos that can also be watched using a VR headset.

Dragon Slayer

DragonSlayer was born in December 2019 as an app that matches your travel personality (e.g., active, cultural) to fit experiences available around the world. 

By March 2020, this was irrelevant. Founder Peter Wells relaunched the company in September as a subscription-based service that tells travelers about Covid-19-related restrictions in any state or country.

Its proprietary, numeric SAFE-T scores (it stands for Smart Analytics for Educating Travelers) grade 124 countries on everythingCOVID-19  from new case trends to local testing capacities.

Memberships start at $10 per month, with a free two-week free trial, or $70 for a year. The company experienced 55% growth in the first four weeks of the relaunch. 

Another company that is using tools to offer insights for travelers is Kayak , which allows users to see the number of active cases in any global destination through the site’s “Explore” map, and Google, whose new booking features help users navigate the changing rules for hotels and airlines they are considering.

Hopper

Hopper—an app that uses big data to predict how hotel and flight prices will fluctuate ahead of your next booking—once generated nearly all of its revenue from the sale of plane tickets. In 2019, that started to change with the addition of such popular new features as Price Drop Protection and Price Freeze, which offer payment protection at nominal cost. With their help, less than half of the company’s revenue now stems from airfare.

Covid-19 has accelerated that trajectory. Responding to the fact that economy and low-fare tickets are often exempt from flexible refund policies, Hopper created its own such assurance; since Oct. 13, it’s allowed customers to pay a premium of 5% to 20% on any fare to make it fully refundable. Couple that with a Flexible Dates upcharge for easy, last-minute rescheduling, and CEO Frederick Lalonde is looking at a projected 100% increase in revenue in 2020.