The tourism industry has all-but ground to a halt in the last few months, Coronavirus putting holidays on hold as the world has gone into lockdown.
Tristar Africa Skimmer Safaris, founded in 2010 by Elia Lutaaya, aims to show tourists the best of “The Pearl of Africa.”
Elia has been a professional tour guide for many years and has a personal passion for travel.
Combining a thorough appreciation for what tourists want to see and strong relationships with the area’s best hoteliers, he has created a system to produce those special, “once in a lifetime” adventures. And he hopes that, with some new measures in place, the tourists will return when air travel restrictions are lifted.
He said: “We have not yet started welcoming tourists back to Uganda because the airport is still closed, but we are ready.
“When we get tourists, we will offer them face masks and hand sanitiser.”
The impact of COVID-19 has not been as profound as in other parts of the world, and Elia wants to encourage people to visit Uganda and take on one of his safari’s, which include gorilla tracking, water sports and mountain hiking.
Each safari takes between three to five days and all of the tour guides are trained by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). For Elia, it is important that clients get a unique first-hand experience, which offers them the opportunity to interact with locals, enjoy traditional cuisines and get indepth information about all the attractions.
Thee tour guides, all locals to Uganda are involved in the client experience right from the enquiry stages. According to Elia, staff are taught how to write articles reflecting current tourism news in Uganda to give a proper “in the middle of it” feel. This also helps when they are interacting with potential clients. Then when the client arrives for the tour, they can put a name to a face.
This hands-on and personalised experience is so important for building relationships with clients which Elia strongly advocates. People need to be able to relax to really enjoy themselves and absorb what Uganda has to offer.
For more information: www.tristarafricaskimmersafaris.com or booking@tristarafricaskimmersafaris.com
