As part of the WiT Startup Spotlight series, we met Tribal Tourist – a tours and activities booking platform that taps into Africa’s potential as an adventure travel destination, by helping to bring local businesses and operators online.

Describe the business, core products and services in one paragraph.

Tribal Tourist is on a mission to inspire people around the world to explore Africa and help them find the most extraordinary adventures. We believe that by bringing more travelers here, local communities can benefit which in turn will help protect our wildlife. We help customers navigate adventure travel booking in Africa by offering adventures in broader categories such as: wildlife and safari, aqua adventures, urban adventures and meet the tribe (cultural interactions)

Who are your key customers?

Adventure travel seekers residing in U.S.A., Canada and Germany

Who are your key partners?

Host operators who are environmentally conscious and who offer the most extraordinary adventure travel experiences in Africa

What business are you most likely to be compared to?

Much Better Adventures in Europe but there is not one website doing what we do in Africa.

What’s different about Tribal Tourist is that, in addition to offering safaris, we promote lesser known adventure travels such as kite boarding off Zanzibar and kayaking in the wet season in the Okavango Delta.

In addition, we have always drawn inspiration from Patagonia who embody our spirit of adventure while being kind to the planet and given back to our local communities.

What problem are you trying to solve for your customers?

To make booking an active holiday in Africa easier for people. There is no website that specialises in helping people find and book extraordinary adventure activities and experiences in Africa. Africa remains untapped as an adventure travel destination and operators on the ground are invisible to markets such as the U.S.A, Canada and Germany.

What problem are you trying to solve for your partners?

Bringing customers to off the beaten path places in Africa and helping community-run businesses in these places initiate a digital presence through our adventure booking site www.tribaltourist.com

What financial support did you have to launch the business?

Self-funded.

Who validated the idea first – investors or customers?

Customers. For many years I have been hearing clients talk about how difficult it is to find information about Africa other than safaris

What is the revenue model and strategy for profitability?

Revenue model is based on commission. The strategy for profitability is high-net worth multi-day packages and creating unique experiences only found with Tribal Tourist

What is the market opportunity? How scalable is this business?

The adventure travel market is growing at more than 17% per annum (UNWTO). Normal travel is growing at 4%. It’s the fastest growing segment in travel today.

Global adventure travel is projected to be worth in excess of US$1.3 Billion by 2023.

Adventure travel to Africa is expected to be worth US$66 Million

Tribal Tourist’s earning potential by 2023 is US$16 Million

Scalability will be to expand the adventure offer globally and include global adventures. The possibilities are endless

Competitive analysis – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

STRENGTHS – First in the market to build an adventure travel platform dedicated to Africa.

WEAKNESSES – Others will replicate our tours.

OPPORTUNITIES – Africa is the last frontier. It’s complex and can be off putting to international tour agents. If we can connect with tour operators from the ground up and offer unique experiences we will have a distinct advantage over future competition.

Who are the team members and advisors?

Travis Snelling – Advisor
He resides in Canada and help set up adventure.com for Intrepid Traveller. A multi million dollar business and worked at G Adventures as head of digital marketing.

Michelle Uys – Head of International Sales.
She previously worked for British American Tobacco as head of sales in duty free for EMEA.

Matthew Kearns – Founder

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been passionate about the outdoors. As a boy scout I explored the rugged hills around Wellington, New Zealand. Every free minute was filled with adventure and I lived for holidays and weekends to get lost caving, trout fishing & mountain biking. After completing my studies as a graphic designer, I left New Zealand to discover the world. It didn’t take my adventurous heart long to find Africa. Once you get a taste for the bush, the people, and the dust, it gets in your blood. It soon became my home. This is where Tribal Tourist was born.

I previously worked in Dubai and helped launch Emirates Airlines on a global scale. My background is in marketing and launching brands globally and have worked for some of the largest advertising agencies in the world.

Why do you think you are the best people to make this vision happen?

We bring global marketing expertise to Africa. We are passionate and care about the environment in which we work.

What’s the motivation behind doing this?

To become the largest eco-conscious adventure travel platform on the planet. To give back to local communities in an effort to help preserve our wildlife globally.