Victours' expanded Africa program showcased in new brochure

Whether it’s to get up close with wildlife, for authentic cultural experiences or to explore unique landscapes, travel to Africa is on the grow and Ontario-based tour operator Victours has increased its range of itineraries with the launch of a new brochure, offering travel agents more options to offer their Africa-bound clients.

During an exclusive launch event for the brochure, Firdosh Bulsara, Victours’ general manager of product and marketing, shared details of the 2018-19 program with PAX. While the tour operator has been offering some Africa product to travel agents in recent years, the new brochure marks a big step toward growing Victours’ collection of tours in the continent, Bulsara said.

“For the last two and a half years, we’ve seen steady growth in Africa,” he said. “Previously, we only did flyers and agents caught on. These same agents kept bringing us clients looking for Africa and finally we decided that it’s better to have a full brochure as a calling card and training tool.”

A wide range of itineraries

The 16-page brochure includes numerous fully-customizable itineraries in Eastern and Southern Africa including South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Seychelles and Mauritius, a range of itineraries which Bulsara said showcases Victours’ wide breadth of Africa tours. Victours’ long-standing partnership with SkyTeam is also represented in the brochure, with flights by member airlines Air France, Royal Dutch-KLM and AlItalia.

Among these itineraries, a number of specialty programs are offered including climbs of Mount Kilimanjaro; journeys along Africa’s luxury rail lines including the Blue Train and Rovos Rail; and gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda. While Uganda has fewer gorilla families – seven compared to Rwanda’s 200 – the cost of permits to see the animals in Rwanda has doubled from $750 USD to $1,500 in recent years, compared to $600 in Uganda. “Our specialty tours are based on both agent feedback and what’s trending in general,” Bulsara said.

Advice for agents

He also offered some advice to agents with clients booking their next trip to Africa. For starters, booking early is key. In South Africa in particular, demand has increased due to a number of factors, mainly an influx of European visitors and the high value of the Canadian dollar versus the South African rand which has made travel there affordable, adding that despite water shortages throughout the country, several hotels and municipalities are beginning work on desalinization plants to ensure potable water is available.

In addition, with Canadian travellers known for doing their research on a new destination long before boarding a flight, Bulsara added that agents who find themselves unable to answer their clients’ questions can also get in touch with Victours and schedule a phone meeting.

“When the consumer walks into an agency and wants to go to Africa, plan to discuss many options and feel free to get in touch with us – put me on speakerphone!” Bulsara said. “At times, we understand that with everything thrown at travel agents these days, there’s times they’ll need assistance.”

All of Victours’ Africa itineraries are available at www.victours.ca.