Many travel agents, including home-based agents eager to specialize in a lucrative niche, are more interested than ever in selling Africa, said Beth Lincoln, the administrator for the Association for Promoting Tourism to Africa (APTA).
“We've been around for nearly 30 years, but we're seeing more and more interest as awareness spreads about travel to Africa,” she said.
In part, the boost in interest is due to baby boomers entering their retirement years with more time and funds for traveling to their “bucket list” destinations.
However, Lincoln said, it's also due to a “big increase in family travel to Africa. We're seeing suppliers responding to that with family-appropriate safaris where kids are entertained in camps. You get the whole spectrum of travelers wanting to go to Africa, from childless people taking a trip of a lifetime to grandparents taking their grandchildren.”
Lincoln, a 35-year industry veteran, is a part-time administrator for APTA, which is a nonprofit group operated by volunteers (with the exception of Lincoln) with 13 chapters across the U.S. There are currently 600 to 700 travel agent members in the U.S. Annual membership dues are $45.
Besides her position with APTA, Lincoln is also a home-based agent, running Colorado-based Sinbad Travel, an affiliate of the Travel Square One host agency of Evergreen, Colo. She is a longtime Africa specialist who loves to plan Africa trips for her clients.
“If I were to describe what makes it special succinctly, I'd say it's because of the wildlife and the different social systems and the tribes that you can have a close interaction with,” she said. “Traveling in Africa is a great learning and development experience at any age.”
Another plus for agents is that they can show their value to their clients, she said. “It's a good idea for people to use a travel agent for an Africa trip. We in APTA tend to build long-term relationships with suppliers, and we can be assured that they will take good care of our clients. And that's something that our clients can't get off buying an Africa trip on the Internet.”
In September, agents from all over the country who specialize in Africa will be heading to Southern California to mingle with other agents who count Africa as a niche specialty at the APTA National Forum, taking place this year on Catalina Island. The Sept. 20-21 event will feature a trade show of Africa suppliers, panel discussions, networking receptions and educational sessions. The forum is only open to APTA members.
For more information, see www.apta.biz.