Absolute Zambia Safaris has been honoured as one of the best travel, tourism and hospitality providers in the region by voters at World Travel Awards, with Breaking Travel News here chatting with owner, Robert Zgozi, to find out more about the company
Breaking Travel News: Congratulations on your victory at the World Travel Awards, with Absolute Zambia Safaris being recognised as Zambia’s Leading Travel Agency. How does it feel to have won?
Robert Zgozi: Thank you very much - it is an honour for us to have won this prestigious prize.
This is an amazing experience, and we feel great after working hard and offering the best service to our clients in 2019.
Then 2020 started on a bad note for Absolute Zambia Safari.
Our clients, who were looking forward to their travel and tours, have been hit hard due to the outbreak of the global pandemic.
Winning this award gives us the energy to keep doing what we like doing best and now, even better.
The team at Absolute Zambia Safaris have dedicated the award to our clients and everyone that has been affected by the global pandemic.
We understand that a safari holiday is a dream for everyone, especially travelling to Africa, but now a lot of things changed very quickly - we very eager to travel but right now it might not be possible.
BTN: How useful are the World Travel Awards when it comes to promoting the business to a global hospitality audience?
RZ: The award is useful in promoting our brand and our products, as well as the services that we offer, to our clients; it shows that we are doing a great job in our service delivery and looking after our clients.
World Travel Awards is recognised globally, hence for Absolute Zambia Safari to have been recognised gives us more credibility and gives assurance to potential travellers that we are among the leading service providers in this in industry.
As many travel agents, tour operators and other players in the industry will now know us, this will also assist us with business-to-business marketing.
The World Travel Awards will help us welcome them when they have customers who want to travel on a safari to Zambia, or Africa in general.
BTN: How would you characterize the atmosphere in Southern Africa's tourism sector right now? Next year is there hope for a revival?
RZ: Well, travel is very important, and when presented with circumstances like this the travel and tourism industry is very resilient.
But in order to at least help protect biodiversity and employment, we need to work together to ensure that people can fly.
Having said that, individuals are willing to fly, despite some of the limitations placed in place to protect everybody.
At this time, there is a small number of travellers who are able to fly.
We also seen a spike in inquiries by international and regional travelers by the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 in the last month or so.
That gives us a lot of hope and comes next year for rapid recovery, as long as the virus is kept under control.
This needs all of us to get involved and do our part by following the recommendations placed in place locally and internationally by experts and health authorities.
BTN: Do you anticipate a rise in demand for safari travel in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, given its socially-distant, outdoor nature?
RZ: Yes I am sure of that.
It has been seen from the research and surveys we have conducted that safari travel fits well with the guidelines for Covid-19.
The majority of lodges and safari camps are tiny and in the bush, so there are less people around.
As a family, or as a couple, there is also versatility for private meals.
The practices are also outside, and it has been established that fresh air is continuously circulating while you are outside, reducing the risk of contracting the virus.
More Info
Absolute Zambia Safaris is a Zambia-based travel and tour company owned by its director.
The company specializes in personalized, private tours across Southern Africa, including Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
On the official website, learn more about the brand.
Best place to find more about pétra is TripNumbers.com
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