Travalysters: meet the African Change Makers

BEKS: We wanted to create a movement of like-minded people with one shared common goal. Historically, many safari companies were doing great work, but operating in individual silos. ACM was set up to combine the resources and passions of companies and individuals to change the narrative of the continent. As an industry we can do better, post-Covid, to share the responsibility and join together to better prepare for the future.

TRISTAN: It is a bed levy of USD 5 per night which we, as the camp operator, pay. That is then matched by our trade partners booking in their guests, doubling the impact to USD 10. The aim is to secure a “war chest” for Africa by working with industry colleagues and then ploughing that back into conservation. ACM is funded by us, the operators, and not by an additional guest levy. It’s a co-investment strategy to ensure a future for Africa’s wildlife and people.

BEKS: During the Covid pandemic, Africa saw the effects of when the tourism tap stopped flowing. There was no government support like in many other parts of the world. We have to come together to change course, prepare for any future calamities and collectively rebuild Africa’s defences.

BEKS: As an industry, we were not prepared for such a crisis and the pandemic definitely had an impact on all the good work done in conservation.

TRISTAN: The traveller has changed, too, now being far more conscious of their travels and wanting to have a positive impact on Africa.

TRISTAN: Progress has certainly been made since we launched in 2022, but there is a long way to go. We need significantly more operators to join the movement to really have a macro impact.

BEKS: We can achieve so much more working together both on short term support and into the future. ACM will only spend one third of the funds each year; the rest will form an endowment fund that will continue to grow with membership.

BEKS: Year on year, we hope for a bigger resource pool so that the joint movement can build momentum and get more support from the trade. Then we can see big results that will inspire other safari operators to get involved.