It is one of the most common questions I receive from African lodge owners: how do I actually get into the UK market? The UK is Africa's single most valuable source market — British travellers spend more per trip to Africa than almost any other nationality — yet breaking through with UK tour operators is notoriously difficult without the right approach.
I have spent over 15 years working on both sides of this equation — as a Key Account Sales Manager at Thompsons Africa managing approximately $15 million worth of UK and US accounts, and as the founder of Kusa Connect representing African properties to the UK travel trade. Here is what actually works.
Understand how UK tour operators buy Africa
The major UK Africa specialists — operators like Scott Dunn, Audley Travel, Abercrombie & Kent, Kuoni, Carrier, Trailfinders, Steppes Travel, Expert Africa — have dedicated Africa product teams. These are the people who decide which lodges go into their programmes, which properties their consultants are trained to recommend, and ultimately, which camps and lodges receive bookings.
Product managers are extremely busy. They manage hundreds of supplier relationships simultaneously and are contacted daily by properties seeking inclusion. Breaking through requires persistence, relevance and — above everything else — a personal relationship.
"UK operators are not simply looking for a great product. They are looking for a partner they trust — someone they can call when a client has a problem at 2am and know they will get an answer."
The five things UK operators actually care about
- Reliability of communication. Operators need to know that when they have a client query, they will receive a response within hours — not days. This sounds basic but it eliminates a surprising number of African properties from consideration.
- Competitive and transparent rates. Your rack rates need to be in the market and your commission structure clearly communicated. Operators work on tight margins and need to know exactly what they are earning on every booking.
- A clear and compelling product story. What makes your property genuinely different? Conservation credentials, unique location, exceptional guiding, architecture, cuisine — the story needs to be specific and credible, not generic.
- Flexibility on difficult requests. Single supplements, early check-in, dietary requirements, accessibility needs — the operators whose consultants recommend you most are those who know you will always try to accommodate.
- FAM trip availability. Nothing sells a property like a consultant who has slept there, eaten there and walked the reserve. A well-structured familiarisation trip with the right operator is the single most effective marketing investment a lodge can make in the UK market.
Why direct approaches rarely work
Many African lodge owners attempt to approach UK operators directly — attending WTM, sending emails, making cold calls. Occasionally this works, particularly if the property has a genuinely exceptional story and the timing is right. More often, it does not — because without a warm introduction and established credibility, cold outreach from an unknown African property rarely rises above the noise.
UK operators are approached by dozens of new African properties every week. Without a known intermediary making the introduction, your email joins a very long queue.
The case for UK representation
Working with a specialist UK representation company means your property is introduced to operators by someone those operators already know and trust. Your FAM trip invitations carry weight. Your presence at WTM London and INDABA is productive rather than speculative. And when a product manager has a client query about your reserve at 9pm on a Tuesday, there is a UK-based contact they can actually reach.
The most successful African lodges in the UK market — those that consistently appear in the top UK specialist brochures — almost universally work with dedicated UK representatives. The market is too competitive, and the relationship investment required too significant, to approach on an ad hoc basis.
Ready to build your UK presence properly?
Kusa Connect offers bespoke UK representation for African safari lodges, luxury hotels and DMCs. Get in touch to discuss how we can grow your UK bookings.
Discuss your property →A realistic timeline
Set realistic expectations. Building meaningful UK operator relationships takes time — typically 12 to 24 months before you see consistent, measurable booking growth. Properties that commit to a sustained UK representation strategy over two to three years invariably outperform those that dip in and out of the market. The UK travel trade has a long memory — for both the right and wrong reasons.
The investment — whether in a UK representative, trade show attendance or FAM trips — should be viewed with the same long-term lens as any capital expenditure on the property itself. The returns, when the strategy is right and the execution is consistent, are substantial.