Skift Take
Daniel Adidwa and Phakamile Hlazo are each building multi-day travel experiences in South Africa. Their stories highlight larger themes about what's next for the sector.
Misguided stereotypes often define inbound tourism to South Africa. Think: "exotic" safaris with Out of Africa, Lion King, or Tarzan themes — and poverty voyeurism.
Yet there's increasingly a hunger for authentic, respectful experiences. A handful of emerging homegrown players look to feed that need, filling a market gap. But these rising entrepreneurs often find that getting the right marketing and distribution can be challenging.
"The trade needs to educate itself," said Daniel Adidwa, a tour operator based in South Africa.
Daniel Adidwa, founder of Tour 2.0. 'Poorism' ExperiencesTour2.0, which Adidwa founded in South Africa in 2014, began as a platform to share African travel stories. It quickly became a venture curating experiences in local communities like Soweto and Alexandra in Johannesburg and Richfield near Pretoria.
The company now offers tours across 73 communities in South Africa.
But business is far from back to normal. The current booking volume is 38% of 2019 levels, despite increased trade inquiries for 2024. Most requests have been for private tours.
As his business rebounds, Tour2.0's approach is centered on understanding customer preferences, leveraging trade relationships, and ensuring the authenticity of the experiences offered.
A post-pandemic challenge for Adidwa's business has been transitioning from a distribution model relying too heavily on what he called "costly online campaigns" to forging travel trade partnerships with both inbound and outbound operators.
However, Adidwa has also found a distinct knowledge gap among foreign dist