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Safari Education For A New Generation Of Africa Travel Professionals |
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Safari
Intelligence for Africa Travel Professionals
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Who Are We? Eben & Carol are Managing Partners of FS, LLC with offices in the United States, Tanzania and South Africa. We provide consulting, education, marketing and ground services to buyers and sellers in the Africa Safari Industry. How can we help you? We provide the knowledge and products you need to sell dream safaris to your clients! Beautifully crafted safari itineraries, itinerary reviews of popular brochure safaris, full-color information dossiers of camps & lodges, GPS maps of parks & reserves with travel distances & times, booking services, ground transportation services, packing lists, marketing and sales intelligence, phone & email support, road shows, and special reports about selling luxury safaris. |
The brochure display rack has been a feature of brick-and-mortar travel agencies for decades. Who does not marvel at the colorful booklets with Disneyland packages, Dude Ranches, Cruises to far-away ports, Europe by luxury motor coach, River Expeditions, and African Safaris?
The Africa brochures have stunning pictures of hunting lions, swimming elephants, leopards in trees and cheetahs in full flight. Weekly departures promise spectacular safaris to the Serengeti, Masai Mara, Ngorongoro and exotic Zanzibar. Wings over the Migration, Gorillas in the Mist, Splendor of the Serengeti, Highlights of Tanzania, Grand Safari, Stanley Wing; every tour looks so good it is impossible to choose one over the other!
Beware! Careful analysis of brochure tours paint a completely different picture. The vast majority of published itineraries are designed to optimize profits and not the safari experience - many tours pack six or seven clients in safari vehicles and take them to the wrong parks at the wrong times of the year for optimal wildlife viewing!
More importantly, the majority of brochure safaris and safaris offered by consortium and host agency booking engines are grossly overpriced - many are priced at nearly double the average rack rates of similar itineraries!
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Did you know one popular brochure safari from a prominent supplier sells for $21,150 per person, yet it's commissionable rack rate (or "street value") is only $12,150 per person? An overpayment of $9000 per person for a 2 week safari! That's a massive $18,000 per couple! |
What happened to the traditional Travel Advisor representing a client? Today's travel agents are serving two masters (suppliers & clients) with a troubling conflict of interest. Are they steering unsuspecting clients to very expensive safari suppliers who pay the most commissions? This conflict of interest is giving our industry a black eye and is one of the reasons why travel agents do not want be called "travel agents" any more! Consumers are smart and many are contacting suppliers direct where they often get better pricing and product support.
We work with travel professionals to resolve this conflict in the safari industry and to help re-establish trust with the traveling public.
Here at FS our business is simple. We focus on two things:
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Help you sell safaris to East & South Africa. Whether you are a safari veteran or newbie, we provide everything you need to enter the highly profitable safari market or increase your current sales. Importantly, we help you sell safaris at fair market value by providing you with accurate quotes and not inflated prices. In Africa we are considered a luxury or upscale DMC (Kiliwarrior Expeditions) but we obviously know the whole market. Do you want full color dossiers of the camps & lodges in an itinerary? We have that. How about chartering a flight from the Masai Mara to Lamu? We do that. Or drawing a beautiful map of a custom itinerary? We create that. You sell, we do sales support. It's as simple as that! |
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Help you become a recognized Africa Safari Specialist so you can charge professional fees while becoming less dependent on commissions and free from conflict of interests. You do not have to study books or pass exams. We do not believe in superficial certification anyway. Nobody can become an Africa destination specialist after only 3 hours of study and an open-book exam! Even if you know nothing about Africa we work behind the scenes and handle your safari requests on your behalf! When a client ask you a safari question or request an itinerary we take care of it and deliver the results back to you for presentation. It's like having a safari genie working in your office! |
If
you sell safaris to East and South Africa, or want to sell safaris, we may
very well be the perfect partner for you! Let's talk!