Online booking has made safari operators more competitive

Typically, for safari bookings in Kenya, guests used the traditional way of contacting tour operators, who coordinated lodges, guides, transport, and park permits.

While this model was important for years, the digital era has drastically reshaped how travellers discover, compare, and purchase experiences.

In today’s mode of booking, a traveller only experiences safari booking services online. The shift has made the system more fast, transparent and transparent to interact with your phone.

This shift is visible in broader tourism statistics. In 2024, Kenya recorded 2.39 million international arrivals, representing a 14.6 per cent increase from 2023, and generating Sh452 billion in tourism receipts.

At continental level, the African safari tourism market is projected to grow from USD 20.5 billion in 2025 to nearly USD 39.2 billion by 2035, driven by an increasing demand for curated experiences and digital accessibility.

Within this growth, online travel agencies are forecast to account for more than 40 per cent of all indirect bookings, emphasising the significance of digital platforms in shaping future demand.

For hotels and lodges, this new reality presents both challenges and opportunities. The challenge lies in ensuring that properties remain visible and competitive across multiple online platforms without losing margin to high commission fees.

The opportunity lies in integration and automation, building systems that connect Online Travel Agents (OTAs), direct booking websites, mobile apps, and regional aggregators into one clear guest journey.

Many Kenyan safari operators still rely heavily on email and phone confirmations, and in some cases even manual paper processes.

With global benchmarks showing that more than 60 per cent of leisure travellers book their trips online, Kenya’s safari sector risks losing competitiveness if it does not align with these behaviours.

Imagine a guest landing in Nairobi for business. Through their hotel booking confirmation, they might receive an option to add a half-day safari at Nairobi National Park.

Upon check-in, the hotel’s app could suggest a bundled package such as two nights in Diani or a curated game drive in Tsavo, all available to book within minutes.

By blending convenience, flexibility, and personalisation, omni-channel integration has the power to expand both reach and revenue.

This type of scenario is already being explored in other tourism markets where cross-selling between accommodation, transport, and experiences drives up average transaction values by as much as 25 percent.

The future of safari booking involves choosing between OTAs, direct channels, or mobile-based services, and creating a connected ecosystem where each channel strengthens the other.

Hotels must invest in Application Programming Interface integrations, real-time inventory management, and data analytics to anticipate guest preferences before they even ask.

In Kenya, this could mean suggesting an add-on coastal experience to a safari booking or highlighting a cultural tour in Lamu to a guest who has shown interest in heritage sites.

Mr Ndayi is the Group Revenue and Distribution Manager at PrideInn Hotels