Our Post-Covid Promise: looking forward to a healthier world
The world has changed beyond all recognition. Words like ‘lockdown’, ‘social distancing’ and ‘Coronavirus’ have now become part of our daily lives. The travel industry has been hit more than most, and this downtime has given both myself and Ed the chance to think about the future. Not just our future as a family, but the future of our business, our camp, our industry and our planet.
OUR CAMP BREAK BOUNDARIES. NO LONGER SHOULD SAFARI BE A ‘ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME’ EXPERIENCE FOR THE WEALTHY. WE WANT TO PROMOTE AN STAY WITH US THAT INVOKES PASSION, ADVENTURE AN A LONG-LASTING LOVE OF A PLACE THAT IS A HOME FOR EVERY ANIMAL AND EVERY PERSON.
With this in mind, we came up with a set of promises that we will try to keep to after the world returns to ‘normal’ - if or when it does. We feel that Covid-19 has given us a unique change to make real change to a situation that was thought to be past the point of no return. We cannot waste of lose this change. We must act, and we must act fast.
Give A CCR:AP: This new initiative means that by the end of 2021, The Safari Series will give 100% of our profits towards Conservation, Communities and Research as a way to better this land for future generations. We promise to Give A CCR:AP.
Buy local: without Chinese imports, Kenya has acted through its own strengths to create high quality goods that has helped its economy, and its environment - masks being a prime example. But this promise can go on long after masks have been relegated to the bottom draw by buying fruit and vegetable locally, always using local artisans or by being conscious of our environmental footprint. We promise to always Buy Kenya, Build Kenya.
Have Carbon Positive guests: we will partner with Seedball Kenya to plant trees on behalf of our guests to help make their visit to our camp Carbon Positive. We will use the Trees for the Future Carbon Calculator to work out how many trees we need to plant to offset our guest’s flight and stay with us. We promise to plant trees to ensure Carbon Positive guests.
Social responsibility towards our boarding communities: The days of ‘meeting tribespeople’, of posting photos of African children you don’t know on social media and of socially irresponsible community experiences should have ended a long time ago. Yet most camps or lodges across Kenya still actively promote cultural interactions with local communities as a touristic experience. Most of these interactions are forced, set up and have little benefit for the actual community whose village or home guests are taken to. We promise to work with the local communities who border our camp using methods that are guided and proposed by the community themselves (our purpose built Cultural Manyatta for example), and by living by the mantra of Trade Not Aid (as a way of moving away from ‘poverty porn’ and towards a healthy, equal relationship that is mutually beneficial for both the camp and the community we work with).
Promote our Global Community: while our local communities are easy for us to see and work with, community doesn’t stop there. Our Global Community includes everyone on this planet, and we need to encourage and promote a diverse group of visitors to Kenya in order to make sure that the responsibility to protect our planet’s future is a shared responsibility, and not just one for the wealthy. We promise, that under our Global Community Initiative, we will donate one bednight for every 10 we sell, towards organisations or individuals that otherwise would not be able to visit our camp and learn about this incredible location.
Welcome diversity: in Kenya, the safari industry and conservation as a whole is mostly seen as a ‘white man’s game’. The Black Lives Matter movement has showed everyone that black voices need to be heard and understood. Without Kenyans taking an interest in wildlife and landscapes, the future remains more uncertain than ever. We promise to actively promote our camp to Kenyans (of all colours) as a destination for them to visit. We also promise that our Marketing materials will feature diversity and that we will actively hire for jobs as locally as possible - whether for a photographer from Nairobi or a chef from local villages.
