There are many vital questions that the travellers from all over the world ask before finally booking a safari to any destination country. Many tourists are so curious about what type of tour they are going to have once they decide to book an African safari, and these are not to blame since it takes strength to trust large moneys to a mere tour operator into organising a safari on their behalf. Here are the most important questions to ask before making a final decision.
What is the whole experience of the tour like? Do you provide any videos as well as photos of this particular safari?
In tourism, we sell experience to the clients and it’s vital to describe the whole associated experience of the tour package you are giving to the travellers. Always attach photos and videos to the tour itinerary you are sending to the clients. This is because a photo has more meaning than the many words. Many visitors are attempted to book a safari by watching an online video attached to the tour, therefore it’s more advisable to add very attractive safari photos and videos to the website.
How does the safari itinerary look like?
Writing a safari Itinerary is great art where you have to be very specific as you lay out the different activities to be engaged in by the travellers. Make the itinerary very exciting and interesting to read. This can be done mainly by describing how the experience is in the final destination instead of lining it out. In case the safari includes gorilla trekking, always describe to the client in the itinerary how it’s going to be carried out, the time it takes, what expectations are there while trekking and many other engagements. The main reason for this is, many travellers love detailed content since it brings out the whole picture of the itinerary.
What other travellers have commented about the same safari?
Many visitors who book with different operators leave reviews on trip advisor or on safari bookings and many other willing travellers make their final decision based on the many reviews about a safari on trip advisor or safari bookings. Remember to ask your past clients to a write a review and testimonials about their past tour experiences with your company on either safari bookings or trip advisor on any other marketing platforms. This will help you to bring more traffic to your website.
The cost of the tour, does it include any hidden costs?
Always be honest with pricing the whole tour package and avoid the unknown hidden charges that might make the price to appear so high. End ever to mention all the tour inclusives as well as the exclusions to ensure that your clients get to account for their money before booking a tour with you. This kind of costing will build a degree of trust and credibility between you and the traveller.
Is the price reasonable to the traveller? Do you have any less expensive options to give out?
Many tourists are very conscious about the prices which are given to them and they will always carry out their research to find out the exact rates of many different activities. Also make sure that the rates are you provide to the clients go in line with what you are to provide to them. Avoid over costing the client because these will always look for the lowest prices elsewhere from other operators.
Am i booking with a very credible operator?
The first question is the tourist traveller’s mind is how credible is the operator they are trying to deal with. Many book safaris when venturing into unknown territories, they have less knowledge about both the destination and the operator. Always make sure you show the traveller how credible you are by showcasing all the credibility most especially when you are part of any association or government bodies so that they can buy your trust easily.
Is my life safe? What are some of the safety measures taken by the operators?
If you are offering tour itineraries with activities including a high degree of physical risk, you have to explain the nature of the risk and the specific measures that are to be taken to ensure the safety of the travellers. You can go ahead and talk about the team’s expertise experience, track record and the safety precautions at the facility and many more.
What if i want to make cancellation of the safari? What are your cancellation and refund policies?
This is also possible especially when booking a flight, a hotel or a tour, cancellations are inevitable. This also calls for all the operators to always lay down all the cancellation and refund policies without ambiguity.
Is the tour guide an expert to carry out the tour?
Will the travellers be able to learn from the tour guide, is he so experienced enough about the different tourist destinations to be visited? Any tour guide should be very flexible enough during the tour and should be in position to answer any questions from the clients. The operator should inform the travellers which type of guide will carry out the tour, whether is a local, trained historian or the specialised professional guide.
In what language will the tour be presented?
You should also explain to the travellers the language that will be used while carrying out the tour. This is vital since some clients don’t understand some languages and need to also be catered for in a special way. If the tour is to be given in more than one language, you might need to ask whether one language will be considered the main one for the whole safari.
How do i book a safari and pay for it?
This is also one of the final stages in completing booking a tour, once the travellers is ready to book; the operator’s main aim should be to complete the booking process. The most ideal way of doing this is through the automated booking process, this also includes, picking a departure date, filling in the details of the safari, making online payments and then getting instant confirmation. Remember to make the process of confirmation as simple as possible and never tell your client to transfer money to your personal account, this should be a company account for secure payments.
