L-R Goway’s Carrie Bell, Africa Product Manager; Moira Smith
General Manager – Africa & Middle East; Brenton Hall Africa Specialist
Goway’s Aubrey Schmidt and Yael Marmon photographed here
with TTAND agents L-R Susan Smith, Coreen Doucett, and Andrea Arkell.
Susana Iakovliev, Visit Rwanda booth
Almost 50 years in the making, Goway is the oldest and most established operator to Africa in the Canadian market. Moira Smith, General Manager – Africa & Middle East, aimed to convince over 120 travel agents at Monday’s Roadshow in Toronto that “Goway should be your first choice when booking Africa.”
“When you leave you’ll be so inspired by all the wonderful things that you’ve seen and heard that you’ll only want to sell your clients Africa,” said Smith. “More than that, we want you to be inspired so that you travel there yourself.”
One thing is certain: tourism is a rapidly growing industry in Africa. The continent was the world’s second-fastest growing tourism region in 2018, with 5.6% growth against a global average growth rate of 3.9%.
Smith says Goway’s one-stop-shop approach for combining all corners of Southern Africa with countries in East or North Africa, not only sets them apart from other operators, but its expert staff have firsthand knowledge to guide agents when designing a bucket-list journey for their clients.
She says that with Goway’s extensive portfolio of products, ranging from moderate to luxury accommodation, rail options, wholesale rates with airline partners like DL/KL/AF or EK -- agents can build a dream itinerary for their clients, all in one place.
Smith is also looking to fill seats on the epic 30-day journey from Cape To Cairo departing SEP2020. This 14-pax exclusive luxury itinerary promises the best accommodation, from a private suite on the Rovos Rail train-hotel to luxury safari lodges on Big 5 game reserves. More dates are scheduled for 2021 and 2022.
Among the 24 supplier partners and representatives from 13 different African and Middle Eastern countries presenting at the Goway event, a couple of them stood out with many of the invited agents.
Warren Green of Warren Green & Associates, which promotes sustainable tourism in Africa, described being on a night safari and witnessing a pride of lionesses take down a zebra and share the spoils with their male counterparts.
And Visit Rwanda’s Susana Iakovliev enthusiastically talked about taking a class in gorilla manners before embarking on a hike through dense rainforest to stand 21 feet away from a gorilla, grunting salutes!
Karen Dahdah Columnist
An avid traveller, adventure seeker and travel expert for over 15 years, Karen has toured over 35 countries around the world. She shares her first-hand knowledge of unique and off the beaten path destinations including hidden gems in Asia, adrenaline-rushing African safaris, and the fascinating culture of French Polynesia.
