From 25 to 27 August the “Africa Academy” took place in Lausanne, Zurich (Switzerland) and Vienna (Austria). Rhulani Safari Lodge was an exhibitor at all three locations.

The "Africa Academy" was carried out for the second time. An ideal opportunity for us to present Rhulani Safari Lodge to an important audience from the travel industry. Thus, also for us it was the second time we were registered as exhibitors. Rhulani's owner Rolf welcomed the participants, in front of a banner with the new photos of the lodge, and behind a table with brochures, fact sheets and a pattern of a farewell gift which Rhulani’s guests find on their bed on the last day. This as a symbolic sign which demonstrates that in addition to the daily package we offer, all our guests are very special to us, and there are always little surprises.

Once again, "Gretz Communications” was the organizer of the three events. After last year's success in Zurich, the Africa Academy was extended to two additional cities: to Lausanne in the french-speaking Switzerland, and to Vienna, the capital of Austria. At the end of the three exhibition days, some 325 travel agents and tour operators had found the way to Rhulani's presentation table: 60 for the start in Lausanne, 180 one day after in Zurich, and 85 for the closing in Vienna.

In smaller groups, the participants passed in a rotating system from table to table. In a five-minutes presentation, the product features had to be explained. "That was not easy, especially since most of the participants did not even know about the Madikwe Game Reserve", says Rolf. This, however, he felt was not at a disadvantage. The visual beauty of the brochure images was picked up with fascinated eyes. "The prospect of a malaria-free safari experience more and more meets the needs of customers," says Rolf. With Rhulani, this is perfectly possible. Many Africa travelers are looking for the "special bush experience", and for this, there is no longer the need to travel to the famous Kruger National Park.

For us, this year's participation was very successful. We continue to build solid, long-term relationship through personal contact with our business partners, so that we can understand what the changing needs of our future customers will be.