Start a Tour Company Business in Kenya, Nairobi

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An illustrated e-Book on how to easily start a home
based Tour Company in Kenya and start earning an
income in 1.5 months
START & RUN TOUR COMPANY
I N K E N Y A – E B O O K

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CHAPTER 1: TOUR
OPERATIONS BUSINESS
EXPLAINED
1.1 What is Tour Operations?
Tour operations business is the sum of
services that a safari outfitter provides
from when a visitor disembarks a plane
on arrival in a destination to the time
he/she boards the plane after their
holiday duration. This is to say that tour
operations are the services offered
at a destination by a tour outfitter to
include:
a. Packaging a tourist product/itinerary
b. Pricing of the tourist product
c. Booking of Hotel rooms
d. Making visitor transport arrangements
e. Booking Attraction entrances (Park fees, Museums etc)
f. Booking Local Flights
Tour operations business is also referred to as ground handling since it is the total of
services rendered to a visitor in a destination by the safari agent. The business of tour
operations involves packaging various attractions in a destination into a tour package that
can be sold to a client as a holiday experience.
1.2 How do you make Money and how much?
Once you have packaged the tour as an operator, you calculate the net prices of the safari
and then add a 10-15% mark up as your profit. The tour operator business profits arise from
the marked up margins on the sum total of a tour itinerary net cost. If follows naturally
that a good tour operator must work with the actual providers of these products including
hotels, KWS and Transport providers to get the lowest possible contract rates so as to be
able to pass that on to his/her clients.
Example
A family of 6 wants to come for an 8 days migration safari in Kenya around July to include a visit to Masai mara-Lake Nakuru- Lake
Naivasha- Amboseli National Parks. Firstly, we always calculate the cost of a tour based on a per person basis. We never quote on
a group total cost basis since most services are offered as per person as well. When I sum the cost of accommodation, transport
and park entrance fees, the net total cost for each family member is Usd 2000. If I were to mark up the net by 15% profit margin,
I would offer them the tour for
Safari Offer Price = Net Safari Cost + % Mark up
= Usd 2000 x 1.15
= Usd 2,300 pp
Gross profit per person = Safari Offer Price (Minus) Net Safari Cost

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= Usd 2,300 - Usd 2,000
= Usd 300 per Person
To calculate the gross profit for the whole family group, you will multiply the individual profit margin by the number of the people
on that tour.
Total Profit for Group is = Gross profit per person x No. of Family Members
= Usd 300 x 6 persons
= Usd 1,800
Approx: = Khs 180,000 for the whole group
As a summary, you would get a profit of Kshs 180,000 for a single family group on an 8 days luxury lodge safari during the wildebeest
migration. It is now possible for you to see that there is potential to make good money if you were to get say 10 or 20 such groups
in a single wildebeest migration season which runs from July to October each year.
For example 10 similar groups would give you a gross profit for the season as:
= Kshs 180,000 x 10 groups
= Kshs 1,800,000 per Season
This would be a very great achievement if you could manage such a feat in your first year of operation since you can plough back
the money through marketing in readiness for the next season.
1.3 How is the Tourism Business in Kenya Currently?
Tourism Industry in Kenya is a mixed bag of goods. While is some years we have very good
tourist numbers, in other years there are events that affect the industry negatively like
terrorism, political uncertainty and epidemics in neighboring countries like Ebola, Marburg
fever and others. Our tourism industry performs exemplary well for 3 years only to go into
a dip for 1-years when it recovers again and on and on.
Nonetheless, the industry has shown some resilience in the last two years with the numbers
continually improving from 1.2 million arrivals 2016 to 1.3million arrivals in 2017. Some of
our traditional leading markets of UK has been overtaken by the United states as the
leading source country for Kenyan tourism. By and large, the 1.5million visitors per year is
just a drop in the ocean considering other African countries like South Africa and Egypt
receive 13million to 18million visitors respectively each year.
1.4 What is the future Outlook?
With the above in mind, the direction of Kenya’s tourism industry can only grow upwards
with increasing government spending in marketing the country in source markets. There
are several factors that inform the assumption that the industry will improve in the long
term including:
a. Increasing government allocation for marketing tourism in source markets
b. Introduction of direct flights from United States in October 2018
c. Increasing disposable income and expending middle class among Kenyans
d. Increasing destination knowledge locally and outbound by Kenyans
e. Improved tourist facilities standards and ratings
f. Entry of popular global hospitality brands into Kenya like Marriot, Four Seasons etc
g. Lowered KWS Managed park entry prices in Kenya
h. Improving road infrastructure to popular attractions in Kenya

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1.5 Is Tour Operations Business Worthwhile Investing in?
This is a very common question that most of my clients ask when they want to invest in
tour operations. While the industry is still at its infancy when you consider the numbers we
are currently getting as a country, the biggest determinant of success will in most cases
be the investor. Tourism industry deals with an intangible product whose main market is in
source markets in the west. This means that your company’s success will heavily depend
on how you are able to market yourself out there.
Tour operations in Kenya requires you as the owner to take things by your own hands and
even visit your source markets to market your itineraries months before the year’s high
season in July to October. If you give your company the time and money, you definitely
will reap big.
The mistake that most people starting up do is to register a company, make a website
and then sit around and wait for business to start pouring in. Oooh no..it won’t happen. If
you read about the stories of owners of successful tour companies in Kenya, you will be
amazed by the time and finances they spent when starting up to do marketing for their
companies.
Now since most people don’t have the capital to undertake serious marketing in the first
few months, I always advice them to leverage on time. What you don’t have in money you
can make up for in time. For example, if you don’t have money to place adverts in Google
for your packages, you can spend hours using other free media online to post articles,
itineraries and social media releases to get the traffic to your website and eventually
business.
Finally, it helps to do a lot of research on what free marketing channels work best and
keep on implementing them like your life depended on it…come to think of it..it would
depend on it since your success would change every aspect of your life!

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CHAPTER 2: HOW TO REGISTER A TOUR COMPANY IN KENYA
2.1 How to Choose your Tour Company Name
Choosing the most suitable name for your company is one of the most important, if not
the most important task that you have to perform. You can change marketing strategies,
logos, and even offices, but your company name will stick with you forever.
Choosing your business name is therefore a very crucial endevour. There are several ways
to approach the naming of your company namely:
a. Using African Indigenous names
b. Using foreign names with international appeal
2.2 Africa Indigenous Names
This implies the use of African sounding names to indicate authenticity in offering
African safaris. Using an African name creates the suspense of authenticity and real safari
experience offered by local tour operators as opposed to foreign based travel agents.
These travel agents have been known to be expensive and usually not entirely offering
authentic safari experiences.
An example of some indigenous names of Kenyan safari companies include Kobo Safaris,
Micato Safaris, Kibo Tours, Korongo tours, Mbuni safaris, Ndovu tours and safaris etc.
2.3 Foreign Names
Using English names for your company enjoys the advantages of brand identify especially
if you are going to use a name from an internationally recognized travel company. The use
of a foreign English name offers the advantage that your company looks and sounds big
even at inception. This guarantees the clients that you are well established and helps to
build trust easily.
Some of the foreign English based names that can help you look big when starting up and
build trust among new clients include Landmark safaris, Pinnacle Tours, Thompson Safaris,
Horizon Tours, Southern Cross Safaris, Pollman tours etc.
You can now do some research and decide which name sounds better but the most
important thing is how the name sounds to a client. Bottom line, think of such things as is
it easy to pronounce, is the name easy to remember and is it easy to type or write down.
2.4 Opening a Personal eCitizen Account
Registering a company in Kenya is now easy with the introduction of online application
process through the ecitizen portal for government services online. The ecitizen portal
is located at http://www.ecitizen.go.ke and its a website used to make application for
government services easier for example business registration services, passport application,
driving license application, title deed searches, marriages, birth and death certificates,
certificate of good conduct, among many others. You no longer need to visit a government
office for such services as you can apply for them online.
All you need is to open an account at ecitizen website and be sure to include your full
names and ID card number when opening your account. Now that you have an ecitizen
account you can start the process of registration of a tour company. This involves a two
step process namely:
a. Company Name Search and Reservation
b. Application for Incorporation of a Private Limited Company
2.5 Name Search and Business Name Reservation
First step is to conduct a name search to see if someone else may have registered a similar

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name earlier. The ecitizen’s Business Registration Services (BRS) page has a ‘search bar’
where you can type any business name to see if it’s already registered or not.
After you are sure the name is not taken, you can reserve that name pending registration
into a private company. The company registration office allows you to hold (reserve) a
name for 30 days by which time you should have applied for its registration into a business
name or a private limited company. On expiry of the 30 days, the reserved name reverts
back to the unregistered names status and is available to be registered by any other person
if you haven’t done that by then.
To make a business name reservation, you will fill in a simple online form including the
proposed business name and you have to follow a set of simple rules to choose that name.
Once you have done the reservation, the system will take you to a payment page where
you can pay via mobile money- Mpesa.
The cost to make a single name reservation is Kshs 150 per name searched. The search
takes a day for results to come out. The online system will indicate whether the name
search is under review and it will switch to ‘approved’ status once your chosen name goes
through.
After your proposed business name goes through and is reserved, you can now use it to
make an application online for a Private limited company. I always advice clients that it’s
better to register a tour company under a private limited company as opposed to just a
business name.
2.6 Application for a Private Limited Company
To apply for a private limited company, you have to fill in a series of forms online and
attach afew documents in pdf format. Once you fill-in the application forms and attach the
pdfs, the system will expect you to print the filled-in documents into hard copy and get the
company directors to sign. Once the directors have signed the application forms, you will
then scan these forms and upload them again onto the system and then make payment via
Mpesa to complete the application process. The application for a private limited company
involves filling in the below forms
a. CR1 – The Company registration form (Main application form with company &
directors info)
b. CR2 – Model Memorandum of a Company (Indicates the shareholding of each
director and type of shares issued)
c. CR 8 – Notice of Residential Address of the Directors (indicates current directors
home addresses
d. Statement of Nominal Capital (states the total value of shares on start up and stamp
duty paid)
2.6.1 CR1 - Company Registration Form
The CR1 form is the main registration application form and it includes sections that try to
capture the name, ownership, location and main business of the proposed company. The
CR1 form has several sections which you will fill in including the below:
a. Name of the company
b. Type of the company
c. State whether company is adopting the universal articles of association or will
submit its own
d. Target business registration date
e. Number of employees

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f. Physical address of the office location
g. Contact Address of the company
h. Details of the Director(s) including Names, postal addresses, id card numbers,
telephone numbers, email addresses, and signatures of each.
i. Primary business activity of the company
j. Type of liability of Directors
k. Share Capital and nominal value of issued shares
l. Other details of company ownership structure subsidiary, holding company,
Acquisition or amalgamation etc.
2.6.2 CR2 – Model Memorandum of Association
This is a simple 1 page form that aims to have you declare that you have entered into a
memorandum of association to become a member of the said company. The memorandum
of association also states how many shares each member has taken. The details you have
to fill in this form include:
a. Name of the subscriber
b. Postal addresses of the subscriber
c. Occupation of the subscriber
d. Number of shares taken by each subscriber
e. Nominal value of shares taken by each subscriber
f. Class of shares taken
g. Signature of each subscriber
2.6.3 CR8 – Notice of Residential Address of the Directors
This form is meant to give the physical residential addresses of the company directors.
This information is required by the registrar of companies. The directors are expected
to notify the registrar any time they change their residential address. The CR8 form has
section including:
a. Name of the Company
b. Name of the directors
c. Residential addresses of each director
d. Details of person lodging the form
2.6.4 Statement of Nominal Capital
Statement of nominal capital is a single page that states name of the company, the number
of shares and the nominal capital. This is registered with the office of the registrar of
companies and a stamp duty paid against the share nominal capital.
Most small companies should start with atleast 1000 shares issues each valued at Kshs 100.
So the nominal capital of such a company will be:
1000 shares x kshs 100 = Kshs 100,000.
The Kshs 100,000 is the value of the company shares at the start of the company. And it
is against this capital that the stamp duty will be calculated using the formula (shillings
twenty for every Sh. 2,000 or fraction of Sh 2,000)

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2.7 Filling in the Company Registration Forms and Submitting
Filling in these 4 different forms will take you less than 1 hr to complete if you have all
the details ready including name of your company, directors names, addresses, emails,
telephone numbers etc. After completing the forms, you will be required to attach the
following 3 items before you submit the application:
a. Copies of ID Cards of each of the Directors of the company
b. Copies of Kenya Revenue Authority –PIN certificates of each director of the company
c. Copies of Passport Size photos of each Director of the company
Once done, the system will develop final copies of all the forms above in pdf format and
avail them to you to download for signatures. You can now download and print the 4 pdf
forms and take to the directors for signatures and proof reading.
Once you complete this process, you can now scan the final documents which have been
signed by the directors and upload them into the system. Once done, the system will take
you to a payment page where you will be expected to pay the registration fee of Kshs
10,650 via mobile money – Mpesa.
The system auto-generates a receipt and your application will go through a review process.
It may take a week and your system will either show approved or rejected with corrections.
You can make any corrections online and resubmit if your forms had a problem. If your
application is successful, you will get a Certificate of Incorporation for the company sent
to your ecitizen account. You can then print it. It’s legal and formal to be used in opening a
company bank account or getting a trade license from the Tourism Regulatory Authority.

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CHAPTER 3: LICENSE APPLICATION
3.1 Tourism License Application
Once your private limited company has been incorporated and you have been issued with
a certificate of incorporation. It means that you are now registered to do the business
of Tourism that includes tour operations, booking hotels, arranging ground handling and
transport, car hire etc.
However you need to get a tour operations license from the Tourism Regulatory
Authority (TRA), formerly issues by the Ministry of Tourism. Their website is: https://www.
tourismauthority.go.ke
The TRA license application process is easy but requires you to attach documents
and certificates of qualified employees in tourism and lease documents. Some of the
requirements for applying for a trade license from TRA include:
3.2 TRA License Requirements for Tour Operators
a. Copy of lease agreement/ title deed of premises.
b. Original and Copy of Certificate of registration of company (new applicants).
c. Memorandum and articles of Association (new applicants) – CR2
d. Letter of contract of hire of vehicles from another tour operator
e. Professional Tourism or Guiding Diploma/Degree Certificates of one employee or of
the owner.
f. Copy of an itinerary to be sold by the tour operator
g. Letter of employment or contract of employment of the person providing the
professional certificates in 5 above
You can start the license application process by downloading the TRA License application
form here: https://www.tourismauthority.go.ke/index.php/resource-centre/downloads/
category/4-tourism-license-application-form-1

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CHAPTER 4: MAKING A COMPANY WEBSITE
4.1 Making a Tour Company Website
The next step in starting a tour company in Kenya is to make a Search Engine Optimised
Website. A Search Engine Optimized (SEO) website is a website that has been developed
to rank high for certain Keywords and Key phrases in Google Search Results Pages (SERPs).
Remember that the idea is not only to make a website but to make one that can bring
traffic which eventually translates to business queries.
Having said that, it’s important to ensure that the web developer who will make your
website is familiar with Tour operations and Kenyan tourism product. I would recommend
someone that has a background in Tourism or one that has made several tourism websites
already, as opposed to a generalist website developer.
4.2 Factors of a Good Tour Firm Website
4.2.1 Navigation
A tour company website should have several sections which are easily navigable
and easy to follow through. It is important to remember here that you are selling
a service and your website is the store. The easier it is for a client to get to your
services page, the easier it is for them to start the buying process.
4.2.2 Structure
A good tourism website should have an easy to navigate structure that has a
horizontal main menu at the top that is self explanatory. For example, once on the
home page, a visitor can easily see the various sections including destinations,
safaris, contacts, blog, about us etc.
Currently, the most popular website structure is the wide panel structure as opposed
to the outgoing centered frame structure. The wide panel structure allows for wider
and more definitive images and is liberal. This is important since the tourism product
is all about the images, the visualization of the holiday experience in pictures.
4.2.3 Contacts
The company contacts should be well displayed on the home page at a strategic
position to include the company’s email address and the telephone numbers. In
most cases the company contact details on the home page are placed on the top
right hand side of a website. Your website should also have a stand -alone ‘contact
us’ page where you indicate your physical location, Skype, telephone and email
address for clients that prefer to visit it.
The contacts page should as such be featured on the websites main menu, which is
the horizontal navigation Index placed at the top of the website.
4.2.4 Logo
The Tour company logo is a very important element of your website as it gives
your site legitimacy. The client needs to know that there is a reliable, registered and
licensed tour company behind the website. Your company logo should be placed on
the top left hand side of the website.
4.3 Search Engine Optimisation - SEO
A good tourism website must be fully optimized for Google search engine and other search
engines like yahoo, bing etc. The main reason to making a website is to ensure that it is
seen by potential clients and they can use it to make purchases for safaris. Unfortunately,
most new tour companies rush to make just any website without any SEO. This has been
the cause of a lot of frustrations since such websites do not get any queries from visitors
because they are never seen.

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The aim is always to make your website optimized for several keywords such that when
a client searches for them, your website appears on the first page of the Google results
page. The higher the search engine ranking for your search phrase the better and the more
traffic and more business you will make.
From a personal experience, I once launched a website and in 1 month had started making
good business off it. I had to work the grave yard shifts to optimize the website and also
promote it through a variety of website optimization techniques.
4.3.1 Techniques of Website SEO
To optimize, your new website for the main search engines like Google, Yahoo
and Bing, you will need to undertake several proven techniques to achieve first
page rankings. Some of the most effective website Seo and Website promotion
techniques include:
4.3.2 Keyword inclusion in Meta Tags and Page Text
SEO Meta tags that determine the ranking of a website include the Url, Title Tags
and Description. Your target Keyword or keyword phrase should appear at least
once in each of these metatags. It’s advisable to choose a long tail keyword phrase
as opposed to short keywords. An example of short tail keyword is ‘Masai mara
safaris’ and a long tail is Masai mara big five game drive safaris’. It’s easier to be
number 1 in Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) since the competition for
a short tail keyword is higher for a short tail than for a long tail keyword phrase.
4.3.3a Page Url (page address)
A page url is the address of the webpage. To optimize the page, you need to include
your keyword in the URL of the page. Make sure that you don’t repeat any keywords
here. For example if your key word is “budget wildebeest migration safari’; it should
appear on the Page URL
4.3.3b Title Tag
A title tag is the title that appears for each page when you Hoover the cursor over
the page tab of your internet browser. To make your page stronger, you will need to
include the keyword phrase “budget wildebeest migration safari’ in the Title of the
page as well.
4.3.3c Description
The description tag is very important and it’s usually a summary of what the
webpage is all about. The description should also have the Keyword phrase “budget
wildebeest migration safari’ included and some other related keywords that go
together with that particular keyword.
4.3.3d Content
The content of the webpage is the actual information on the product included on
that page. To optimize the page for search engines, you will need to sprinkle the
keyword phrase and several derivatives of the keyword on the text. You can vary
the keyword with afew deviations so as to widen the net to capture different related
keywords to your own.
You should however be careful not to overdo it by putting too many keywords on
the page. You should strive to achieve at least a 5% keyword density on the page.
Including too many keyword repetitions, may trigger the search engine spiders to
register the page as spam.
You should aim to include the keyword phrase at the top 2 paragraphs of the page,
a few modifications of the keyword in the middle and the last sentence in the last
paragraph.

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4.3.4 Including a Blog on your Website
There is a saying that goes around in Website Optimisation circles that says, ‘Content
is King’. This is to mean that fresh content is very crucial to improving your website
rankings on google SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages). You therefore need to
keep on including fresh and relevant content on your website. A good frequency
to post new content on a website can be once a month or two weeks. The Google
spiders will eventually take notice that your website always has the freshest content
and will rank you high.
This is a very potent strategy for website SEO. Make sure that your webmaster
includes a blog page on your website where you can add content frequently to
improve your website rankings. With the new content management systems for
developing websites, its is very easy to add content or tweak your website even if
you don’t have any technical knowledge of web design.
I know by now you are wondering what type of content you should include in your
blog. Well, any article that is related to travel is ok. You can even write articles on
travel to other destinations in Africa besides Kenya. The other advantage of posting
fresh articles on your blog is that you will get additional traffic to your website
which will lead to new business, shared content on social media by readers and even
referrals.
4.3.5 Creating Categories of your Types of Safaris on Offer
A good website is able to categorize the different safari products in a way that a
client can choose the type of experience they are looking for. For example a visitor
who lands on your products (safaris) page should be able to see the various types
of tours that are offered in Kenya e.g. Camping Tours, Bush and Beach tours, Wildlife
viewing tours, Mountain Climbing Tours, Hiking safaris, Desert Safaris, Wildebeest
Migration Safaris etc.
This is important since the client is able to decide what type of experience or
combination of experiences they want. Categorization of tours can also be based
on length of stays for example 4 days camping safari, 6 days wildebeest migration
safari, 9 days beach and bush safari etc. You can also have other categories that group
your tour product offerings based on the type of the travelling group for example
family camping safaris, mission tours in Kenya, corporate mountain climbing etc.
4.3.6 Internal Links
In order for a website to help the Google spiders/bots to crawl your website content
in all the pages, you will need to connect your pages using internal links. Internal
website links account for a crucial factor that Google considers when ranking your
website. Websites with extensive internal linkages tend to feature in page 1 of Google
search engine results pages SERPS.
As a rule of thumb, the anchor text of the link should always use a related keyword
phrase to the content of the page you are directing to. That is to mean, if the
destination page is about a 3 days Masai mara safari, your anchor text in the link
on the referring page should read something similar like Masai mara safaris, 3 days
Masai mara etc. Since your website blog will be providing the fresh content, say an
article post every month, you should ensure that 2-3 links or more direct to several
pages in the main website.
4.4 A sample Website

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4.5 Offline Website Promotion Techniques
Besides what you can do on-site to promote your website rankings in Google, you can
also apply some offsite techniques. Some of these techniques are white hat while others
are black hat. You may want to concentrate on the white hat for now since black hat if
overdone can lead to your website being de-indexed by Google…and that’s a calamity of
huge proportions.
Some of the offsite website promotion techniques that you can apply include the following:
a. Gradually building of Links to other higher ranking websites or blogs
b. Posting articles on higher authority directories and online article magazines
c. Being a guest poster and publishing your original work on other established blogs
d. Advertising on Adwords or other tourism websites with huge traffic
4.6 Link Building
Link building is actively creating links to your website on other stronger websites, blogs
and forums. Here, you write an article or a blog comment which has a link leading to your
website and post it on other stronger websites or blogs. You should take care to do it
gradually so that it seems organic; otherwise the Google bots may deem it spam if you go
on a link building rampage. 10 Links a day is ideal.
4.7 Article Marketing
Article marketing is the art of writing review articles on a safari and posting them on the
numerous article directories online. These article directories are free to post at and you can
post as many quality articles as you possibly can write. Make sure that your articles include
keywords of the specific webpage you want to promote on your website. Articles can also
bring in a lot of traffic to your website and hence sales.
4.8 Guest Posting on Blogs
There are blogs that allow for guests to post articles on their high ranking sites. You can
apply to one of these by sending the owners a copy of your work that you intend to post
on their blog. If your work is good enough, they will definitely feature it in their website or

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blog. You are allowed to include at least 1 link on the article leading to your own website
and this is where the fun begins. Most of these blogs have super high traffic and you will
immediately gain from that traffic.
4.9 Google Adwords Advertising
If you want immediate results from your website promotion activities, you may want to
consider advertising on google. Google offers an advertising channel called adwords.
These are the adverts you see on top and at the bottom of each Google search results
page with a small box below the text that reads ‘ad’. Google also has Network ads where
they serve adverts on other peoples websites referred to adsense.
They are highly visible adverts which are placed in the most prime real estate of each google
search results page. Using adwords has immediate results but it can be a money gulping
adventure if you are not sure of how it’s done. I would advice consulting an expert adword
placing company who are able to monitor ad campaigns and intensify the productive ones
while killing off the non performing ones.
4.10 Advertising in Travel Website
You may also wish to advertise on other high traffic volume travel websites in source
markets. These websites have traffic in the region of 2 million visitors per month or more.
You can approach them to place adverts on Kenya safari packages. You ad would be
placed next to an article on Africa safari to ensure that you only get targeted traffic of
people that want to travel to Africa at one time in their life.

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CHAPTER 5: SETTING UP A TOUR OPERATIONS HOME OFFICE
5.1 How to Set up an Office at Home
You can start a home based tour
company in Kenya by just setting aside
one room to be your home office. Even
if you are working from home, you will
need a place where you can organize
your office activities including filing,
computers etc.
5.2 The Office Space
You can start with clearing out one
room at home. Get the room painted to
improve the mood of the room and to
give you an impression of a new beginning. If you don’t have an extra room, you can create
some space at the corner of the sitting room or even the bedroom to accommodate an
office.
You can then look for a second hand desk or just buy a new one. Desks are now cheap
to buy. Get one that has a series of lockable drawers to store your important items like
checkbooks etc.
Find a comfortable seat that you can sit on for long hours without injuring your back.
Chances are you will be spending dog hours on this seat so it better be very comfortable.
5.3 Fixtures
You can get a carpenter to make some easy shelves on the walls for the files or just buy a
cheap file cabinet. The ones with a glass front are better as you are able to see the file you
need even before you open the cabinet.
5.4 Personal Computer
If you don’t have a Personal Computer, you can now buy one. You can decide if a desk top
PC or a laptop will serve you better for the home office. You can get a cheap used desktop
anywhere from Kshs 17,000 and a good laptop from Kshs 25,000. If you can afford a new
computer, the better and prices range from Kshs 56,000 original (non-clone) for a good
desktop and Kshs 120,000 for a reliable laptop.
5.5 Business Phone Line
You can buy an extra phone and Sim card with a new line for the business. This is the
business number that will appear on all your stationery and website and will be the primary
number that clients can reach you at.
5.6 Internet Service
Next would be to install a reliable internet connection to your home office. Tourism is
an intangible service and it depends a lot on the internet for communication, marketing,
promotion, networking and market Research. I have used Zuku fiber 10mbps for the last 5
years and despite some intermittent hitches, it has worked well. Some estates in Nairobi
are however not covered by Zuku fiber and your options may include:
• Safaricom Unlimited monthly package
• Faiba mobile Internet Service
• Airtel Mobile Internet

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I haven’t used any of these on a long duration to warrant a review of any of them. But from
what I gather, Safaricom and Faiba mobile are quite ok.
5.7 Main Company Stationery
Once you are registered and set for business, you will need to prepare afew of company
stationery including the below:
5.8 Company Seal
A company seal is the official instrument of authority to transact any major business for
the company that requires director’s approvals. The seal looks like a stamp but it does not
use ink to make an imprint on a paper but rather it embosses the name of company and
address on the paper. The company seal should always be kept under lock and Key as it’s
used to conduct major transactions for the company including contracting.
You can get a company seal made for under Kshs 2,000 in most of the stamp shops on Moi
avenue. You have to get a company seal as soon as you get the certificate of incorporation
since you will need the seal to open the bank account.
5.9 A Company Stamp
You can get a company stamp made at the same place you will get your seal. The stamp
should be the ones that have resettable date. These ones cost about Kshs 800-1500 along
the same shops on Moi Avenue. Look out for those carton boxes with a heavily stamped out
paper on top that you usually see placed on Moi Avenue pavements. There is a particularly
good one just opposite the Bazaar Plaza (on Moi Avenue) which I have used on many
occasions.
5.10 How to run a Tour Operations Office
Once you have opened your tour operations office whether at home or in the CBD, you
need to have all communication channels opened including telephone lines, fax, website,
emails and a reliable internet connection. You have to be ready to receive calls and answer
email queries instantly. Your first order of business is to check if your emails are working
fine and if your phone is reachable at all times. You may also ensure that your skype is
always on for clients that want to call online or chat with you.
When you are sure all lines of communication with clients are operational, your next order
of business is to start the marketing campaign. You can apply some or all the techniques I
have outlined in chapter 9 on Marketing. Inevitably, when you undertake a serious marketing
campaign, you are going to get requests for safaris. Be ready to answer the queries in an
instant. In tour operations, the saying that ‘the early bird catches the worm’ becomes real.
The first tour operators to respond to an email have over 60% chance of clinching the
business. Always be aware that if the client is using the internet to search for safaris, they
have a variety of choices of tour firms to choose from and the more responsive you are,
the higher the chances the client will choose your outfit for the tour.
When answering emails, you need to have all the information about the itinerary a client
is interested in. That means you have to read widely to get the operational details of
arranging a safari. You need to know the road distances between places, the timings of

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game drives and the daily game drive hours, hours of departure and arrival between places
etc. When answering a safari query, try as much as possible to sound like you are offering
solutions to things that the client may not even have considered. Ask them questions
on the group composition, any dietary requirements, any special diets needed, allergies,
airport transfers etc. This way they will see you are actually professional and are concerned
about their welfare. People like to feel they are being taken good care of by a tour operator.
5.10.1 Bookings Diary
The most important item in planning a safari is the bookings diary. You should have
a diary where you will write down all the confirmed and almost confirmed safaris
and their status. You will need to put down the confirmed safaris with the correct
dates of arrival.
You will be referring to this diary to see how many bookings you need to organize
for in the next 1 month, 1 Week and on daily basis.
5.10.2 Bookings Wall Chart
Another key tool to organize bookings, is the booking wall chart. The chart helps
you to organize safaris week by week. It has a year divided into 52 weeks and any
confirmed booking is marked on the chart. It is as such easy to know which safari
group is coming in the next week and make arrangements well in advance.
The chart is also a visual reminder of pending workload and tours on a daily basis
such that the office staffs do not forget a booked tour. More details that may not
fit in the chart will be available in the clients file according to tour confirmation
voucher numbers.

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CHAPTER 6: OPENING A COMPANY BANK ACCOUNT
6.1 Bank Account Opening Requirements
Tour operations as an industry deals in foreign currency and it follows that you will need a
dollar account as well as a Kenya Shillings Account. The reason to have a dollar account is
that some of your foreign clients will be transferring funds to your account in dollars. You
will need to withdraw that money in dollars otherwise the banks will exchange your dollars
to Kshs and their rates are legendary bad.
So you will need a dollar account preferably with a bank that has wide global representation
like Barclays bank or Standard Chartered Bank. Barclays bank charges a standing monthly
rate of Usd 12 to manage your account and it’s important to note that.
You can open a Kenya Shillings account from any of the other banks like Equity bank,
family bank or corporative bank. You should however look for a bank that does not have
long queues or those that have executive sections where you don’t have to waste time on
the queue. Yes…you will hence forth be an executive…hahaha.
Remember that you need to open a bank account immediately your company is registered
since it is required when you are filling the forms for applying for a tourism license at the
TRA.
To open a tour company bank account, there are requirements that vary from one bank to
the other but generally they include the following:
a. Original IDs of all directors
b. Copies of ID Cards of all the directors
c. Original Certificate of Incorporation for the company and 2 copies of the same
d. CR1, CR2, CR8 instead of the [Original and 1 complete copy of Memorandum and
Articles of Association] as previously required.
e. Board resolution letter to open an account done on the company’s letter head.
f. Cheque Signing mandate letter done on company’s letter head with the company
seal affixed indicating the mandates of the signatories as [both to sign, either to
sign or one to sign]
g. Original PIN Certificates of the directors and 1 copy of each.
h. Original VAT Certificate and 1 copy of same.
i. Deposit of Kshs 5,000 for a Business account OR Kshs 10,000 for a Current account
j. An Introducer with an account at the Bank (Optional)

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CHAPTER 7: KENYA TOURISM PRODUCT
7.1 What is the Kenyan Tourism Product?
You are now embarking on investing in tourism business in Kenya. You may or may not
have previous qualifications in tourism management, which is ok. You are allowed to invest
in any sector as long as you will show that you will employ staff that are trained and
qualified to undertake that particular business. It is the same case for tourism business in
Kenya. You don’t have to be trained in tourism or an expert tour operator yourself to invest
in tour operations.
Nonetheless, since you will be the owner of the business, it will do you mighty good to
have the basic knowledge of the Kenyan tourism product and how the Kenya tourism
business is operated or managed. In this regard, I have included a small chapter here to
introduce you to the Kenyan tourism product. This is important as it will be an eye opener
into the product you will be selling. Most of the information hereafter, you can get by doing
extensive reading of Kenya safari guides online and offline.
7.2 Reading Reference
I would recommend you buy copies of these guide books for a more thorough understanding
of how the tourism industry operates in Kenya.
7.2.1 Lonely planet Guide – Kenya: https://shop.lonelyplanet.com/products/kenya-
travel-guide-9?via=Z2lkOi8vbG9uZWx5LXBsYW5ldC9Xb3JrYXJlYTo6Q2F0YWx
vZzo6Q2F0ZWdvcnkvNTllZTQ5YmVmOTJlYTE0MTg2MDU4NmQ2
7.2.2 Rough Guides – East Africa /Kenya: https://www.roughguides.com/shop/rough-
guide-kenya/
7.2.3 Globetrotter Safari Guide – Kenya: https://www.nhbs.com/globetrotter-safari-
guide-kenya-book
You can get the guidebooks at the bookshop near IMAX on Mama Ngina Street or the one
after Sarova Stanley hotel on Kenyatta Avenue.
These guide books are also available online as pdf and you can buy them immediately if you
have a paypal account. Though they are meant for traveler, they are a great introduction
to the Kenyan tourism product from a client’s perspective. They will help you understand
what are the key requirements for your clients and hence better able to respond to them
as a supplier.
7.3 Understanding the Kenyan Tourism Product – The Basics
Kenya tourism is very diverse with a wide variety of attractions spread across the country.
The country is a congruence of many physical relief features as well as a melting pot of
diverse cultures. Kenya offers the white powdery sandy beaches with turquoise colored
waters, the sun and a warm natured people at the coast. It also features the ice capped 2nd
highest mountain in Africa –Mt Kenya as well as close proximity to the highest mountain in
the continent as well-Mt Kilimanjaro.
The country has the best wildlife viewing safaris in the world coupled with the now wonder
of the world- The Great Wildebeest migration in Masai mara. As if that is not enough
Kenya has the Great Rift Valley with its alkaline lakes, volcanic mountains, geysers and
hotel springs as well as some the most natural and pristine forests. To top it all up, Kenya
also offers a desert terrain in the north with one of the longest lakes in Africa referred to
as the Jade Sea aka Lake Turkana.
The Kenyan people include 43 different tribes who have different and interesting cultures
and traditions. Among the most popular Kenyan tribes are the Maasai, the Samburu,
Turkana among many others that have still held on to their cultural norms and ways of life.

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7.4 The Kenyan Tourist Circuits
To understand the Kenyan tourist product, you must have an in-depth knowledge of the
main Kenyan tourism circuits and what is to be seen there. Kenya has 5 main tourism circuits
which offer different tourist attractions and from whence the different tourism itineraries
are developed to include a mixture of different sights and scenery. These include:
7.4.1 Southern Kenya Circuit
The southern Kenya circuit includes the areas to the south of Kenya and mainly the Masai
lands. These areas include the Athi plains all the way to Amboseli and spreading northwards
into loita and Masai mara plains. The southern circuit is the most famous circuit in Kenya as
it offers the most comprehensive game viewing opportunities to guests.
The Masai mara plains are characterized by wide open spaces which are uninterrupted by
any trees, high abundance of wildlife and the big five animals, culturally attractive Masai
people, and the great wildebeest migration which happens every July to October each
year. The attractions in the Kenya Southern Tourist Circuit includes:
a. Masai Mara Game Reserve and its abundance in wildlife and big five animals
b. The wildebeest migration wonder of the world
c. Amboseli National Park and views of Mt Kilimanjaro
d. The masai peoples culture
7.4.2 Central Kenya Tourism Circuit
The central Kenya Tourist circuit includes the areas located in the middle of the country
which are mostly the highland areas. Central Kenya circuit offers a different attraction to
the Kenyan tourism mix. It offers Forests, Mountains, and city tours and excursions. The
central Kenya circuit includes:
a. Nairobi City and Environs Attractions

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b. Aberdare National Park Forest and Wildlife
c. Mt Kenya National Park Forest and Wildlife
7.4.3 The Western Kenya Circuit
The western Kenya tourism circuit is the area in the west of the country and to the border
with Uganda. The western circuit offers a completely different product range from the
other areas and it’s marketed for its physical features as well as the cultural traditions. The
western Kenya circuit includes the
a. Lake Victoria,
b. Mt Elgon,
c. Eldoret and surrounding attractions
d. Kisii area attractions.
This circuit has a lot of potential to be developed into a cultural destination which would
also diversify the Kenyan product range which currently overemphasizes on Wildlife and
beach safaris.
7.4.4 The Coastal Tourism Circuit
Coastal tourism circuit is one of the most popular tourist circuits in Kenya and includes all
that area on and close to the Kenyan East African Coast. The coastal tourism circuit largely
depends on the white sandy beaches, the sun and high end accommodation facilities. An
extension of the coastal circuit of Kenya extends into the wildlife area of Tsavo East and
West and Shimba Hills National Park. The coastal tourism circuit includes all attractions
around:
a. Mombasa
b. Diani and all South Coast areas including Shimba Hills
c. North Coast region beaches and attractions
d. Malindi, Watamu and Lamu tourist attractions
e. Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks
7.4.5 Northern Kenya Tourist Attractions
The Northern Kenya tourist circuit includes all those attractions north of the Equator to
include drier and shrub areas and northern deserts. This circuit is popular mostly with
hardcore expedition tourists who don’t mind roughing it out away from the beaten
track. Northern Kenyan has harsh climatic conditions with high temperatures exceeding
40 degrees Celsius and very low night temperatures. Some of the areas and attractions
included in the northern Kenya circuit include the:
a. Samburu National Park
b. Shaba National park
c. Lake Turkana National Park
d. Sibiloi national park
e. Turbi Desert among others
A comprehensive Kenya tourism product tries to combine 2-3 of the above circuits and
attractions to create a holistic safari experience for the traveler. Some of the most popular
medium duration of 5-7 days Kenyan safari itineraries for example, have combined Masai
Mara, Lakes Naivasha, lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Most of the longer 7-10 days itineraries

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mostly include the Masai mara, central circuit attractions of Mt Kenya or Aberdares with
the northern landscapes of Samburu national park.
So when you are designing an itinerary, bear in mind that the idea is combine different
Kenyan attractions so as to enrich a visitor’s experience by giving them a taste of as many
destination offerings as his/her days in Kenya can allow.

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CHAPTER 8: TOUR PACKAGING AND PRICING
8.1 What is a Tour Itinerary?
Tour packaging is simply the science of combining different attractions to make a product/
package that combines the different travel experiences in a destination. An tour itinerary is
simply a plan for travel that indicates the days of travel and what activity will be undertaken
or what attraction will be visited on each day. A good Tour or safari itinerary must include
several elements namely:
a. The Day and date of travel (Day 1 : 23rd
March 2018)
b. The activities or places to visit on each day (e.g. Nairobi to Masai Mara Game Reserve)
c. Length of Travel/Distance by road in Km and in Hours (e.g. 270km: 5hrs Drive)
d. Length of time at destination or length of game drive (e.g. 3hrs game drive0
e. Meals Included for each day (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)
f. Name or at least Type of accommodation to be used e.g Serena mara game lodge
g. Cost of Tour per person
h. Inclusions and Exclusions in the price (what is included or not in the price e.g. park
entrance fees
8.2 Sample Kenyan Safari Itinerary
A sample itinerary would look similar to the one below. Kindly note that this itinerary
goes into detail to try and define the experience first and the highlights for the tour. It’s
important to have in mind that an itinerary must always sell the tourist experience as
opposed to just stating the activities of each day. Remember that an itinerary is a sales
pitch and the only way you can present your product. It is therefore upon you to make it
as attractive and most suitable for the client as possible.

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7 Days Kenya Camping Safari
Masai Mara – Lake Naivasha- Lake Nakuru- Amboseli
Highlights
(a) Wildlife viewing in Masai mara
(b) Great wildebeest migration tracking
(c) Mara river crossing stampede
(d) Lake Naivasha Hippos and Birds
(e) Lake Nakuru flamingos and rhino
(f) View of Mt Kilimanjaro Highest mountain in Africa at 5895m asl
(g) Herd of elephants in Amboseli National Park
(h) The warrior Masai Moran and people
Day 1: Nairobi to Masai Mara National Reserve
A morning at 0730 – 0800am, the drive will take you along the great rift valley, then you stop at the view point to take some
photos and get the information about the formation of this great rift valley, then departure brings us to the world-renowned
Masai Mara, the northern extension of the famous Serengeti Plains. On arrival check in the Lodge and have lunch, there after
proceed for the afternoon game drive to the incredible productivity of the rolling grasslands and tree studded woodlands will be
witnessed firsthand. Countless wildebeest, zebra, and water buffalo are guaranteed. Elephant, giraffe, warthog, lion, cheetah,
hyena, jackal are also all likely to be seen.
The Mara’s numerous antelope species include hartebeest, topi, impala, eland, suni, bush Duiker, steinbok, dikdik, and Grant’s
and Thomson’s gazelle. Lion kills make for some great vulture viewing. The white-browned Robin-Chat’s lovely song at camp will
wake you in the morning and call you to your Room in the evening. Dinner and overnight in Masai Mara Serena Game Lodge.
Lunch and Dinner
Day 2: Masai Mara Full Day
You will be overwhelmed and satiated by the abundance of wildlife viewed in this park. Over 1.5 million wildebeest should be
preparing for their southward migration to the Serengeti. The safari takes you to the Mara River where you will see and photo-
graph hippos and large crocodiles lying in wait. Masai ostrich, crowned crane, helmeted guinea-fowl, kori bustard and the secre-
tary bird will have you wondering what’s next on the fascinating bird list.
The whole day explore the parks amazingly high concentration of game. This game reserve is Kenya’s finest wildlife sanctuary.
Including migrants, well over 450 species of animals have been recorded here. The Mara’s gentle fertile climate bounded by The
Rift, offers perhaps the richest stocked reserve set within some 1672 sq kms - an unlimited spectacle of wildlife.
Located 268 km west of Nairobi, the emphasis here is on game. Herds of immense Elephants, browse among Lion, Buffalo,
Thompson Gazelle, Zebra and Topi. You may occasionally sight a Rhino or Leopard. In the Mara River Hippos play and Cross bask
on the banks. The annual migration of a million Wildebeest follows the rains north. Dinner and overnight in Serena lodge. Break-
fast, lunch and dinner.
8.3 Pricing an Itinerary
Pricing an itinerary is a delicate exercise since you want to make sure that all the cost
elements are covered and you don’t leave out some. Costing a safari itinerary always done
per person since most of the providers (hotels, parks, airlines) often quote their prices as
per person. This means that you may have to divide a cost component by the number of
individuals sharing a tour to get the cost per person on which you can then add a mark up.
In practice costing a safari depends on several cost factors. These are:
a. Accommodation cost per room per person
b. Park entrance fees per person

26
c. Transport cost per person
d. Extra Airport Transfers
e. Extra Lunches
f. Local flights per person
Firstly, you need to collect all these costs per person from the providers of services which
translates to signing contracts with hotels, downloading the Kenya Wildlife Service’s
tariffs guidelines from their website here (http://www.kws.go.ke), signing transport service
contracts with providers of safari minivan if you don’t have one already etc. Once you have
a file in your office with all these quotations and prices from the different providers (who
will be supplying you with services), you can now effectively calculate the cost of each
itinerary.
Some of the main Hotel Chains in Kenya with hotels and lodges in most of the Kenyan
parks include the below:
a. Sarova Hotels
b. Sopa Lodges
c. Serena Hotels
d. Sentrim Hotels
e. Wilderness Lodges
f. SunAfrica Lodges
g. Gametrackers
h. AA Lodges
i. Ashnil Lodges
j. Heritage Hotels
k. Hilton Lodges
You can write an email to each of these hotel chains introducing your tour company and
asking for contract rates which you will sign and return a copy to them for filing. Kindly
note that they may ask you for some basic details for your company to help them draft
your contract with them.
Kindly note: Never operate with the rack rates that hotels give you at the counter or on
phone. They are too high and not meant for agents like you. Kindly insist on the contract
rates in every hotel or lodge that you want to book your guests into.
Secondly, the cost per person in any travel group will depend on the number of people in
each group. That is to say, the smaller the travel group in each safari minivan, the higher
the cost per person. This is due to the fact that, when clients are more, they share the
transport cost among themselves hence reducing the overall cost per person for the entire
trip.
Doing the Math: To manage your pricing effectively, always open an excel sheet where you
arrange the cost elements into the below example. We are going to use the itinerary above
(7 Days Family Safari in Kenya: Masai Mara – Lake Naivasha- Lake Nakuru – Amboseli-
Nairobi) to do some practice on how to price an itinerary. To help us calculate the cost
per person for the above 7 days safari, we will make some assumptions on the prices on
accommodation, park fees, and transport charges as well as the number of people in the
family traveling as follows.

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Price Assumptions
- Traveling group size: Family of 5 Adults
- Park entrance fees: Masai mara = Usd 80; Nakuru = Usd 60; Amboseli = Usd 60
- Accommodation: Serena mara Lodge = Usd 200pppn; Lake Naivasha Lodge = Usd 150; Sarova lion hill Lodge = Usd
150pppn; Amboseli Serena lodge = Usd 200
- Transport: Cost of van hire per day = Usd 140 per day (remember to divide by number of persons to get cost per
person per day for transport.
- Transfers: There are 2 transfers from the airport to Nairobi hotel and back to airport each at Usd 50 per car load.
(Divide by 5 persons to get cost per person.)
8.3.1 Itinerary Costing Table
7 Days Safari: Masai Mara - Lake Naivasha- Lake Nakuru - Amboseli
Park Entry Fees PP Days Cost Pppd Amount
Masai Mara 2 80 160
Lake Nakuru 1 60 60
Amboseli 2 60 120

Accommodation PPPN
Mara Serena Game Lodge 2 200 400
Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge 1 150 150
Lake Nakuru Sarova Lion Hill 1 150 150
Amboseli Serena lodge 2 200 400

Transport PP
7 Days 7 28 196
Boat ride 1 16 16

Airport Transfers PP
2 Transfers 2 10 20

Flights Per Seat
Nil 0 0 0

Extra Lunches PP
1 Lunch 0 0 0
Total Cost Per Person (Net) 1,672
Add: 10-15% Mark Up 1,923
Offer Price will be Usd 1,920

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8.3.2 Costing Table Notes
Notes
1. Park Entrance Fees: Notice that different parks are management by different authorities hence the difference in prices.
Masai mara for example is managed by county government of Narok while Nakuru and Amboseli are managed by the Kenya
Wildlife Service (KWS). Masai Mara park entry fee is Usd 80 per person per day, while Amboseli and Nakuru are Usd 60 per
person per day each. Park entry tickets are valid for 24hrs per day paid.
2. Accommodation: Accommodation is quoted per room by the providers. You will have to divide the cost of the room with the
number of people sharing to get the cost per person per night. (PPPN). An example a room in Mara Serena game lodge costs
Usd 400 for a double (two people sharing a room) To get the price per person per night for that room, you have to divide
the room cost by 2 people i.e. Usd 200.
3. Transport: Transport cost is charged per day at Usd 140 or less per day. To get the cost of transport per person per day, you
have to divide 140/5 in this case since we have a family of five people traveling. You have to then multiply by the number of
days on safari to get the total cost per person for the entire trip. (see the costing above under transport).
4. Airport Transfers: Airport transfers are also calculated using a similar formula as 4 above. Airport transfer per car load is
Usd 50. Divide that by 5 people and multiply by the number of transfers to get the cost per person for transfers to and from
airport.
Others: Other cost elements like local flights are quoted per ticket/per person and are therefore easy to include in the pricing
above per person.

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CHAPTER 9: MARKETING
9.1 How to Create a Marketing Plan for your New Tour Firm
You need to come up with a marketing strategy for your new company. In a marketing
strategy, you set out goals both in Numbers of targeted visitors for the next season, income
targets for the coming season and the marketing budget needed to achieve those targets.
You will notice that tourism in Kenya as in anywhere else in the world is very seasonal.
Its is therefore important to make ‘hay while the sun shines’; that is to be ready with a plan
and execute it atleast 3 months to the start of a tourist season. Below are afew questions
to guide you on making a targeted marketing plan for each tourist season.
9.1.1 What do you want this marketing campaign to achieve?
You will find it easier to create a plan when you know you have an objective to
achieve.
So, what are your business goals for the upcoming season? How many bookings
would you like to secure? What are your target average transaction value per
booking?
Have a good think about your goals for this campaign before anything else
9.1.2 Who do you want to attract to your business?
Who is your target market for this campaign? Who are you trying to reach out to?
Having a clear idea of who you want to speak to will help you craft a marketing
campaign that is relevant and appealing to your target audience.
Who do you want to take on a big five safari? Think about family, age, economic
status, geographical region etc. Be specific about the demographic you want to
reach and think about their lifestyles and interest.
Use this understanding to guide the way you create your marketing content, choose
your marketing channels and create attractive offers.
Put your customer at the center of your marketing campaign.
9.1.3 What do you want them to book?
What tours or activities do you provide that your target audience would enjoy?
Pick 2 - 3 trips that would best suit their demands and create irresistible offers
around that.
You can create discount codes for specific customer segments or send vouchers to
customers who have already made a booking to encourage them to book another
trip with you. Alternatively, you can also create valuable packages that bundle up
all your exciting tours and allow customers to pick and choose dates and times that
best suit their travel plans.
Whatever you come up with, make sure to feature it in your marketing campaigns
to drive bookings.
9.1.4 When are you planning to launch your marketing campaign? And for how long?
Timing is crucial for any marketing campaign.
If you’re planning a campaign to encourage more bookings for the next season
which is, for example, 3 months away, you should start planning your campaign
now. Give yourself as much time as possible to plan your campaign, execute it and

30
make changes along the way.
Remember that it takes time for your customers to do their research and narrow
down their options, before finally making a booking with a tour company of their
choice.
You can also time your marketing campaigns to coincide with a special event, a
seasonal holiday or a national holiday like madaraka day or Valentine’s Day etc for
domestic market.
9.1.5 What’s your marketing message?
“Every marketing campaign should reinforce your brand’s overarching mission,
strategy and positioning story. At a more tactical level, all campaign elements and
communication outputs must be consistent with your brand, including its voice,
tone, look and feel.”
To translate: What is the core message of your business and how does campaign
strengthen this message?
Therefore, your campaign’s message should cover the following elements:
a. Your business’ core message
b. Your brand
c. Your offer
d. Your call-to-action
9.1.6 How will you market to your target audience?
What channels do you plan to use in your marketing campaign? With your target
audience in mind, where are they most likely to come across your marketing
campaign?
Pick no more than 5 channels to focus on.
In the list below, I’ve linked the most relevant resources to each marketing channel
for you to find out more.
a. Facebook Ads
b. Instagram Advertising
c. TripAdvisor
d. Google AdWords
e. Online travel agents and marketplaces (e.g. Musement, Viator, Expedia, Get
Your Guide)
f. Your own website and blog
g. Media sites (e.g. travel blogs, local news sites)
h. In-destination with fliers, brochures and walk-ins
i. Email marketing
When you’ve decided what channels you’d like to use, come up with a list of content
that would suit these platforms. Now, who can create this content?

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9.1.1. How will you execute this plan?
Now that you’ve got the details of the campaign down, how do you plan to execute
it? Do you have the resources (i.e. time, money and knowledge) to carry it out?
If you work on your own, what tools can you use to help you out? If you work in a
team, who can you assign this task to? Who is best fit for this job?
Do your research to come up with rough estimates for this marketing campaign.
Consider the (TIME) number of hours this campaign will take up, (MONEY) your
marketing budget (for both online and offline advertising) and the (PEOPLE)
human resources that this will require.
In conclusion
Remember to give yourself ample time to plan and execute your marketing plan. Once
you’ve launched your campaign, keep an eye on its performance and don’t be afraid to
experiment with different content to see what draws the most engagement and converts
curious browsers into paid bookings. (Split testing)
Lastly, when your campaign is done, don’t forget to measure your performance. Did you
meet your objectives? Why or why not? (Marketing strategy evaluation) Evaluation
CHAPTER 10: LOOKING FOR SOURCE MARKET AGENTS
10.1 Why do you need Agents?
One of the fastest way to grow your new company is to sign contracts with travel agents
in source markets in Western Europe and the Americas. Agents are already established
outbound travel firms that organize itineraries for their clients to holiday destinations all
over the world. A travel agent is able to organize 2-5 groups to Africa in a year and most
of them do not have enough destination information.
This is where your company can take advantage and aggressively look out for foreign
agents to enter into working partnerships where they can receive guests from these agents.
The way it works is that the agent will request you for your net prices for your wide array of
safari itineraries. They then place a mark up on your prices such that they are able to make
their profit margins off of your prices. Your company on the other hand will have a profit
margin on the actual net of the prices.
Another way to work is to agree that you will supply them with gross prices where they will
deduct their 20% commission on each booking. They will then send over the balance for
each booking from where you can organize the safaris and remain with your profit margins.
The biggest advantage of using agents is that they take away the hassle of marketing away
from your and they more or less guarantee you will have the numbers each year.
10.2 How to Get Agents
There are several ways you can use to attract source market agents through an aggressive
and targeted campaign in several regions in the world. These may include but not limited
to:
10.2.1 Courtesy Calls at Destination
This means that you have to travel to your targeted market country and visit the agents
physically. But before you travel, you need to prepare the marketing materials including
the Brochures, business cards, Posters, Itinerary briefs, and informational Leaflets.
You need to make sure that your marketing materials are of high standard and have very
good and attractive images that can attract clients to read the content. Also make sure to
include your contacts on some of the materials and leave out your contacts from some of
them in case the agent may prefer that. You can call in advance and plan meetings for a

32
full week or two so that you don’t arrive unannounced at their offices.
10.2.2 Include a Reseller/Agent Page on your Website
You can also proactively create a page that welcomes agents that may want to work
with you on a partnership contract. On the page, you can indicate the variety of terms of
agreements such that the agent is able to choose which plan is suitable to them.
Once you create this Agents page, make sure you employ all the webpage promotion
techniques and even paid advertising on Google so that you can get agents to see what
you are offering to them. Eventually, you will get afew of them signing up with you.
10.2.3 Hard Selling/Direct Calling
Another method to approach travel agents in source markets is to set a time to make
direct calls to them and introduce your company in a very short and formal manner. You
would need to develop a calling list that you will use to call them.
The idea is to establish a rapport with the person in charge of destinations and request if
you can send them an email with information on Kenya as a destination and your prices. If
they are receptive, they will agree to you sending them the information. That way it doesn’t
seem like you are sending unsolicited emails and for sure your email will not be ignored
since you will send it directly to the person’s work email address.
After maybe a week, you can follow it up with another call to the same person or an email
to request them of their feedback and answer if they would be interested in marketing
Kenya as a destination to their clients. You are likely to get several positive feedback s and
possibly sign afew contracts for the next tourism season.

33
You can contact the Author of this eBook if you need a one-on-one
training on any of the areas covered here including:
1. Tour Company Registration
2. Website Development
3. Website Promotion to get Visitors to your Site
4. One –on –one Training
5. Help in Tour Van Purchase, Office Set Up etc
Robert Muhuhu
Email: rmuhoho@gmail.com
Skype: robert.kamau15
Tel: +254722661827
Whatsapp: +254722661827

Start a Tour Company Business in Kenya, Nairobi

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