Who are we?

African Insight is a merger of three regional specialist, inbound and overland tour operators that cover the main tourist regions of South Africa. The directors of African Insight have been involved in tourism since South Africa became a ‘politically respectable destination’, and have watched the industry go from strength to strength, surpassing the importance of gold in terms of real value to our national economy.

Tourism the world over is now heralded by many as the solution to unemployment and social upliftment in developing countries, particularly through small and medium sized enterprises. Our experience and research has lead to the realisation of three fundamental requirements that are influencing the nature of tourism worldwide, as follows:

• Local communities should realise the direct benefit of tourism.
• Tourism should be undertaken on a responsible level and not impact negatively, in way, on the destination visited.
• Consumers want to know what effect their holiday and their financial investment has on local people and the environment.

Learn more about The Team

In acknowledgement of these principles we believe:

• That at present in South Africa the benefits of tourism are not impacting sufficiently on the most needy sectors of the population.
• That everyone can be a responsible traveller and that visitors would not willingly embark on a holiday that is detrimental to the destination in way.
• That consumer’s do have the right to know the effect of their holiday and investment.

African Insight has therefore committed the full measure of its available resources to address these issues in a responsible way, operating the business at every level to ensure cautious product selection and responsible supplier management. In this way we strive to maximise the benefits of tourism to local people and to minimise its negative impacts on the environment and wildlife.

African Insight is proud and excited to be at the forefront of this dynamic phase of development of the tourism industry, which, globally, is experiencing a ground swell of support for fun, revitalising but responsible 'holidays that make a difference' – both for the traveller and the destination visited.

Our Mission

To enrich lives by creating unique interactive South African experiences that are fun, affordable and sustainable and promote the diverse natural, historical and cultural heritage of the country. Our aim is to facilitate and uphold the objectives of Responsible Tourism through the establishment of vital partnerships, which provide benefit to local communities and support projects involved in environmental and biodiversity protection.

We are committed to tourism that does not impact negatively either on our local people or on our fragile ecosystems, but instead inspires our guests to respect and conserve our planet for future generations.

So What Makes African Insight Different?

Our strength lies in our people and in a clear vision of where we are going and what we want to achieve. The forces that drive African Insight care about the important values in life. Our team, from the directors to the travel consultants, guides and independent service providers are passionate, young (at least young at heart), dynamic, innovative, fun and ‘colour-blind’!!!

Leadership is a vital key to success. Our directors come from diverse backgrounds and training, with each bringing different, strategically important strengths to African Insight, particularly with respect to social responsibility, wildlife and environmental issues.

Our Objectives

Through integrating responsible tourism ethics at all levels of our business practise, we are able to provide affordable, fun filled, quality tours that include the major tourist icons (and so much more!) and “deliver” in terms of our mission. For the adventurous traveller we offer off-the-beaten-track destinations, experiences and adventures that make a positive difference in the lives of not only our host communities, but also enrich the lives of our clients and provide benefit to our wildlife and the environment.

We plan to achieve this with the implementation of an integrated, sustainable business approach, based on the ‘triple bottom line’ model of Economic, Social and Environmental responsibility. Feel free to browse and pass comment on our Responsible Tourism policies.

Our Commitment to Accountability

We believe that each one of us has the potential to be a “Responsible Traveller”. So to this end we strive to:

• Ensure that travellers have sufficient information that will help them make informed travel choices.
• Provide comprehensive background on the local culture, as well as social and environmental protocols to ensure travellers leave a positive impression on the minds of local people and take away memories that will last a lifetime.

Updates on our (us and you) endeavours to make tourism more responsible, will be published on our web site regularly, so visit the site often!!!

Acknowledgements

African Insight strongly believes in the power of knowledge and would like to take this opportunity to credit the organisations, tour operators, academic institutions and independent researchers who have contributed to the wealth of reference material and information available regarding Responsible Tourism. For more information on these Responsible Tourism organisations please visit our Links page. We encourage and welcome contact from any organisation committed to Responsible Tourism and support the sharing of resources and links.