This article was featured on The East African Business Times as written by Brian Yatich
Ease my Safari Limited, tours and travel company, is out to redefine how customers travel and experience getaway & adventures
How was your experience with us?
This is a question that is commonly asked by hospitality companies so they can determine if the countless hours and effort spent on strategizing, building and arranging a client’s trip were in vain or successful.
But the answer from travellers and tourists is at times taunting, dimming hopes of ever getting the clients back.
Such feedback, however, cannot be squarely blamed on the tour operator, as today, the travel market has evolved considerably, growing at a faster pace owing to the digitalization of tours & travel services, which has seen a range of tours and travel companies especially Online Travelling Agencies (OTA) crop up across the globe.
Setting the bar
With travellers of this day and age demanding a unique travel experience, tour operators have to do a lot more than they used to, to provide value-added services and stand out from the pack.
An avid traveller, Joel Muiruri, who had just quit his job in 2016, was looking for a place to adventure- just to relax.
After making the arduous decision; he came across two companies, offering Christmas packages and for New Year’s Eve. The package, he says, was good but the coordination by the tour operator was poor.
Through the experience, Muiruri witnessed first-hand how tourists got ripped-off by their operator who promised a particular number of places for visiting but did not keep up to the standards.
Inspired by the lack of appropriate and satisfactory service by the tour operator, Muiruri decided to set up Ease My Safari Tours & Travel Company, to help local and international tourist adventure superbly and with ease.
“I felt there was a very big gap in the way customers were being served. As much as the destinations are very okay I felt I could add something by doing more to ensure satisfaction and fun to the fullest,” Muiruri said.
“I slept on it on January 2017, I did my research and in February 2017 I kicked off and since then it has been challenging and interesting at the same time,” he says of the company, which offers adventures to outdoor enthusiasts, adventurers, hikers and adrenaline-filled junkies.
On first attempt, Muiruri received three customers, which was very exciting and promising, however much it wasn’t as profitable.
Few years later, Ease My Safari has increased tremendously in terms of numbers through travel destination bookings and tour package sales, receiving over 500 clients by December last year.
“I felt we could connect with these customers, grow with them and make them come back. I am more passionate about creating journeys and providing more than what a traveller normally expects during a trip,” he says.
Located at Garden Estate along Thika Road, Ease My Safari has grown to become a specialist group travel company that offers individual, families & group tours across East Africa, with services ranging from destination management to Corporate Travels.
They have selected destinations within Kenya, including; Naivasha, Nakuru, The Aberdares, Mombasa, North and South of Mombasa, Amboseli, Maasai Mara, Tsavo, Laikipia, Kisumu, Turkana and Samburu.
They also operate in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda and plans to expand to international travels.
The tour company focuses on inbound tourism, holiday, honeymoon & birthday adventures, wildlife safaris in East Africa, luxury & private safaris, excursions & city tours, team building & staff retreats, day trips & group tours camping adventures and mt. climbing & trekking safaris.
Packages
According to Muiruri, before they set you up on a journey, they prioritise the need of the traveller(s) before selecting a suitable package.
Muiruri notes that a traveller’s journey starts from inquiry, and they immediately customise the client’s package. This, he says, is done through research to know which particular journey a client will enjoy the most.
“We sit down with you if not a phone call/email so that we can understand your needs, your specific destination and the budget. The inquiry must be detailed so that we can offer the finest package,” he says.
Creating a more personalized guest experience has been an integral part for Ease My Safari. Travelling, according to Muiruri, is all about people, not just places: “It’s all about discovering, exploring nature & it’s beauty, knowledge, and personalized experience.”
With technology taking over the physical aspect of human experiences, Muiruri has set up his firm’s travel experience in a way that one does not lose the human aspect of interaction, socializing and bonding.
The tour operations company does this through various adrenaline-filled activities like zip-lining, cycling, hikes and nature trails, water adventures, canopy walking among others, which pushes people to their limits and gets them outside their comfort zone.
Managing Competition
To manage competition, Ease My Safari provides customized travel packages to the clients according to their budget, time and travel destination.
“Unlike other tour operators that take a while to calculate the exact holiday scenario, Ease My Safari provides customizable holiday and safari solutions to the customers, along with their preferred hotel, destination or mode of travel,” he says.
Muiruri says the group tours are far beyond being transported with buses as a tourist; one would get a similar fun as one would get from some private tours. The firm has since been receiving repeat customers, owing to its quality customer experiences.
The company uses not only social media but also search engine for marketing; this in addition to listing platforms such as TripAdvisor, online bookings portals and such.
With his expertise and knowledge of various places locally and different cultures, Muiruri ensures that such information is transferred to a traveller.
Ease My Safari adventures are fun-packed with the thrill and excitement, a journey with Muiruri will excite and stimulate even the most experienced traveller.
