Safari travellers are increasingly approaching experts with firm destination ideas already in mind, forcing operators to spend more time explaining, reshaping and sometimes challenging those plans.
This is according to Go2Africa’s State of Safari 2025, which reports that 82% of safari travellers have already chosen their destinations before making enquiries. This is up by 65% from two years ago.
In a panel discussion on the report, Justin Chapman, Africa Safari Expert at Go2Africa, attributed this to generative AI, stating that travellers have pre-planned ideas. Data accessed through large-language models has become a driving force behind buyer behaviour. “It’s led to algorithmic anchoring. The data is pushing travellers in a direction,” said Chapman.
More travellers are reaching out with research to back their ideas, which has shifted the role of travel agents to defend their itinerary inclusions. “You have to justify your viewpoint around a given destination. So, when somebody is wanting to travel in peak season to the Mara or the Serengeti, you have to be able to decipher what’s underlying the idea. We need to play more of a psychologist role to understand people’s motivations and intentions,” added Chapman.
Off-the-beaten track requests
The shift also includes more travellers with complex and niche requests. The report indicates that interest in Madagascar (2%) and Malawi (1%) doubled in 2025. Chapman attributed this to the role of generative AI in redirecting consumer interest.
However, niche destinations may not have the infrastructure to cater for large swathes of tourists or there could be logistical challenges not immediately apparent to travellers during the research phase. “There is friction moving from the digital space into realising those ideas,” said Chapman.
Travel experts have to manage traveller expectations with insight beyond AI-generated information.
“When you go to those more far-flung hidden gem destinations, there will be longer periods where you’re waiting at an airstrip in the dust. It’s not going to be seamless. It’s not to dissuade people; it’s just to give them a clear sense of what it entails,” Chapman pointed out.
