The UK Africa travel market is fiercely competitive. A finite number of UK tour operator programmes and brochure pages are contested by hundreds of African properties. Understanding who currently holds shelf space with the operators you are targeting, why they hold it, and what gaps exist in the current market is the foundation of an effective UK market strategy.
Kusa Connect conducts UK market analysis on behalf of partner properties — providing intelligence on competitor positioning, operator programme composition, emerging destination trends and the opportunities that exist for your property to differentiate and compete effectively.
What we analyse
Our market analysis draws on Graeme Watson's deep familiarity with the UK Africa travel trade, developed over 15 years of active engagement with the market. This is not desk research — it is intelligence gathered from ongoing conversations with operators, attendance at trade events and direct observation of how the market is evolving.
- Competitor presence in UK operator programmes — which properties similar to yours are currently featured by the operators you want to reach, and at what price points
- Shelf space analysis — understanding which operators are actively pushing certain destinations or property types and why
- Destination trend mapping — identifying which African destinations are growing in UK operator interest and which are declining
- Gap identification — finding the positioning opportunities your property can occupy that are not currently well served in the UK market
- Competitor USP analysis — understanding how competitor properties are being presented and marketed in the UK
"The properties that break through in the UK market are rarely simply the best product. They are the ones that identified a positioning gap and occupied it with clarity and consistency."
Strategic positioning recommendations
Analysis is only valuable if it informs action. Alongside market intelligence, Kusa Connect provides specific recommendations on how your property should be positioned for the UK market — the selling points to emphasise, the operators to prioritise, the stories to tell and the price points to occupy. These recommendations are grounded in direct market knowledge rather than generic marketing theory.
Ongoing market monitoring
The UK Africa travel market changes continuously — new properties launch, operators shift their programme priorities, destination trends emerge. For partner properties on retainer representation agreements, ongoing market monitoring is included as standard, with quarterly intelligence reports covering significant market developments relevant to your property.