Springbok Atlas

With the advent of mobile phone apps and interactive phone websites such as Google Maps and Tripadvisor,there was a slowdown predicted that was expected to cripple the travel industry. However, speaking with Glenn McKeag, CEO at South African tour operator Springbok Atlas Tours and Safaris, this has been anything but the case.

WRITTEN BY DON CAMPBELL

THAT PERSON TO PERSON TOUCH

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Based in Cape Town, Springbok Tours and Safaris provide tour-operating services for a wide range of clientele from across the world. One of the largest in-bound tour operators in Southern

Africa, it began life as a transport company in Kempton Park, South Africa, operating school tours to and from Kruger National Park. The tourist and safari side of the business was quickly born and has since always been strong in the international market. Glenn has been with the company for 28 years, watching the company go from strength to strength.

“I am sometimes called a part of the furniture,” he jokes, “I’ve never worked anywhere else. I was in highschool, then two years in the army and then I joined Springbok Atlas.”

He recalls how he was in the perfect location to experience the changes that the tourism industry in South Africa underwent, following the release of Nelson Mandela and his becoming president in 1994 which heralded the ending of the oppressive Apartheid Regime, “1994 for the presidency and then 1995 with the famous Rugby World Cup were boom years for us,” he says, “But we have had to reinvent ourselves since then to keep in line with changing times and trends for our international clientele.”

Springbok Atlas Tours and Safaris is a long-standing leader in the African tourism industry.With headquarters in Cape Town, offices in Johannesburg, Durban and Windhoek and alliance partners in Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique it is well-positioned to deliver extensive travel and touring services throughout South Africa and has offered this service for long

SPRINGBOK ATLAS

“We’re busier than ever,” Glenn says directly, “And I think the reason for it is that people want that personal touch when it comes to their tours. When it boils down to it, phone apps and Google Maps are just that; maps, and advisements, but people need that human element. They want someone to advise them, to suggest a place and make personal recommendations.”

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Perfect from end to end

“The Blue Train pops up on many bucket lists... oh boy I had my fingers crossed that it would live it to its reputation. It did and then some. From arrival in the lounge through the journey and into Pretoria it was sublime. The perfect staff, the delicious meals and wines were of course to be expected.”StevenBSydney, Tripadvisor

enough that it is the go-to company for tourism across the area.“Once travellers have arrived in the country we provide all the

ground level logistics and support infrastructures,” explains Glenn. “Effectively what we do is provide a complete, fully rounded tour operating and support service for our international wholesale clients.”

Having been around since 1946, operating coaches, bus services and safari tours across the country, it has grown successfully over many decades, building a well-established infrastructure and a strong brand both internationally and in South Africa and is approaching its 70th birthday at a pace.

Due to its lifespan, the underlying building blocks are incredibly solid and thanksto the well-established position and size, travel knowledge, experience and purchasing power it is very attractive to work with, not only for the 100 staff they make use of but also for the long list of destinations that they have on their network.

Indeed, since its establishment, Springbok Atlas has grown too large to be contained in one company and has recently split into two firms; one handling the tourism and safari side of the business and the other running the transport side.

“We are all part of the same mother company, Cullinan Holdings, who own our fleet of vehicles,”Glenn reveals, “This puts us at an automatic advantage compared to our competitors because we own our vehicles, they are our assets and as such we can choose the prices that suit our clients the best.”

Drawing tourists from across the globe, Glenn explains that their

biggest pull comes from USA, Germany and the UK, followed by Australia, Italy and that their customised, one stop shop approach has made them one of the most well known name brands in South Africa, “That personal touch,” he says, “Means so much in our industry. We visit all of our destinations personally, to experience exactly what our customers will enjoy and when it comes to each package we design it specifically for what they want, understanding that different cultures want different things from their holidays.”

SAFETY FIRSTAlthough Springbok Atlas is now two different companies, they

both share a key priority- safety. This can be seen easily in the Springbok Atlas Luxury Charter business, whereby the company goes to extraordinary measures to ensure their passengers have a comfortable and safe journey.

“Safety first, money second is a mantra for us,”Glenn says. “We’re the largest coach and bus operator in the country and that allows us to invest heavily in ensuring the safety of our passengers. After all, we’re transporting people, not oranges.”

Springbok Atlas Luxury Charter’s safety measures come in two forms. Firstly, the company invests plenty of time and money into making sure that its vehicles are in the best possible condition. Through a rigorous and demanding maintenance system it is able to ensure that the fleet remains in tip top shape, but the key to it is the driver. If the driver isn’t up to scratch, it doesn’t matter how good the vehicles are.

SPRINGBOK ATLAS

As such, every two months drivers are put through an evaluation and training routine using both internal and external monitoring to ensure that they are always at the top of their game. However, between evaluations the drivers aren’t left to their own devices and Springbok Atlas is constantly monitoring their performance.

“We have an on-board system called C-Track that provides information on the driver’s activity and transmits that back to us, live,” explains Glenn. “So if there’s a problem we know immediately.”

But Springbok Atlas goes a step further by not just monitoring the drivers’ behaviour, but also making sure the drivers’ welfare is at its best, putting them through annual medical examinations to ensure they are physically and mentally able to work.Being such a well-established company, it is able to achieve levels of safety and security compliance, insurance and liability cover that smaller businesses can only dream of.

“At Springbok Atlas Tours and Safaris side we send staff on educational travel on a regular basis,”Glenn tells us. “As well as ensuring we have great cover, we also vet suppliers carefully to ensure they are up to scratch. We look for regular feedback and make sure we only use suppliers that provide the best experiences, have good track records and are safe and reliable.”

A “BUCKET LIST” DESTINATION:

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beauty and expansive wildlife are the very elements of dreams. Allow us the moment to get excited about this because Africa truly has it all. Whatever a person’s tastes, be them for the kind of wildlife that puts your position on the food chain in serious doubt or the kind of cuisine that makes your mouth water you can find it on this continent and Springbok Atlas has the best routes to the very best it has to offer.

Especially when you have a family or are going on an “adventure” you want to make sure you don’t miss anything memorable and having a guide who knows where to go and what to do is essential which is yet again one of the reasons why Springbok Atlas will always be a popular choice for tourists seeking something of the wild side.

“It is very simple,” Glenn says, “It’s easy to get passionate about making dreams come true when you’re passionate about what you do and where you work.”

And it shows: their wide selection of enthralling guided holidays,

SPRINGBOK ATLAS

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tours and safaries showcases the many, diverse splendours of Southern Africa. Each authentic, completely hassle-free guided holiday experience takes in top destination highlights; and offers their guests safe luxury transport, excellent accommodation and fine dining, fully supported by professional, world renowned service.

It is also important, Glenn reveals, to know what people want in their holidays. Many people have dreams of being in Africa but despite what they may say they don’t want to be dropped into the middle of deepest darkest Africa and left to fend for themselves. There are tourists who love that but they won’t be going to Springbok Atlas.

Instead, Glenn tells us, what their clients seek is a way to encounter the best of Africa while sitting back in the lap of luxury appreciating the fact that all of the details necessarily to make for a relaxing memorable holiday are completely taken care of.

“They want to be free to have fun, to fully explore, experience and enjoy a continent so rich in culture and heritage, peoples and places, astonishing wildlife and spectacular scenery,” he says, “While knowing they have comfortable beds and good food waiting for them.”

SOLO TRAVELLERSTraditionally, Springbok Atlas was known as offering family tours

and while they have catered for the “get out by myself” tourists it is only recently that they have launched Solo Holidays for 2015.

“We have launched “Solos Only” departures on some of our best-selling guided tours,” Glenn explains, “These selected departures allow our guests to enjoy the company of other solo travellers but still experience the privacy of a single room, without having to pay any single supplements.”

This is useful in a world where an increasing number of people unfettered by families or spouses are looking to see the world and have their own adventure. When researching the market it is rare to find any major tour operators of Springbok Atlas’ side who are willing to make provisions for solo travellers but now that they have no doubt it will be a trend that will catch on.

“We can offer the solo traveller a real adventure,” Glenn says, “They can embark on an unforgettable holiday with every detail meticulously planned and taken care of as they explore incredible places, sights and people on the bespoke “solo only” tours.”

Of course, for solo tours there are somewhat different requirements than what would be needed for a family. Glenn

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explains that throughout the Solo Tour, full support from the company’s expert staff and experienced guides is given to ensure that every minute spent is nothing short of extraordinary.

He goes on to highly that every Solo Tour has been carefully planned to provide the absolute best experience at their chosen destination, “Perfect for someone wanting to escape,” he says, “You can just relax, explore and soak in fantastic natural beauty, excellent weather and diverse wildlife.”

THE INDUSTRYAlthough the industry is showing strength and while 2014 was

their biggest year to date, Glenn reveals that several obstacles were thrown in their way, “Last year it was Ebola,” he says, “International travellers became nervous about all things African and didn’t realise we were far away from any outbreaks and it was surprising how much this impacted the market.”

Following this, the minister of home affairs introduced a visa policy regarding children under 18 stipulating that every child under 18 has to have an unabridged birth certificate and if a mother is travelling by herself,without her child she needs an affidavit with authority to travel without him.

This has caused major stumbling blocks because it has made it harder to get into the country. The Minister of tourism is fighting against the decision but in the meantime Springbok Atlas is continuing to grow and expand and work around it, “We have been around for almost 70years,” Glenn reflects, “We have managed through much worse than this.”

They are not allowing these hurdles to get in the way. Springbok Atlas is a people company, he explains, “We don’t work on a mission statement or an overpowering vision but instead on core principles of fairness, honesty, creativity and positivity.” As such the company is involved in a range of charities targeted at supporting Africa’s vital natural heritage, including animals and people.

“We support the Barrydale School Farming Community,” he tells us, “And it’s had a significant impact on the community, who have practical needs. When a tour passes through the community we stop and invite the tourists to visit the school and give them a presentation about what the school represents to us and the community.”

Pragmatic involvement is important, but Glenn knows the power of inspiring people. On the animal side, the company has a sponsored The Rhino Ride, where one of their sales people visits Europe on motorbike , sponsored by BMW, and every passenger donates R30, which goes to rhino protection in SA and Namibia

“Involving and inspiring our staff is so important,” Glenn says, “We are a family and as such we have regular staff outings, company braai days and even a braai competitions. As we’re heading into summer this is something everyone looks forward to.”

To monitor staff morale, Springbok Atlas use twice annually surveys and aren’t afraid to ask their staff, “Would you recommend Springbok Atlas to someone else as place of employment?”

“It is a blunt question but allows us to determine the situation with the staff,” Glenn advocates, “I’m delighted to report that 80% of our staff say they would. So we reckon we’re doing something right.”

Glenn admits that while training and education can prove to be costly on paper, it is invaluable to have that training budget because as a business that relies heavily on people to people relationships,the company needs all of its staff to be as well trained as humanly possible.

Staff are sent to the touring destinations to get a feel for the experience so that they can offer genuine feedback to the tourists and to keep the destinations as fresh as possible they regularly have new suppliers coming in to pitch to them. Glenn explains that this has to be carefully managed because of the huge swell of potential destinations, “But we will only extend our support to those suppliers that can offer something new and exciting for our clients,”

“We have a product team of six people who sit and analyse products every day,” he says, “And we come up with new attractive innovative packages every two weeks.”

He also indicates that they are in the process of redeveloping their website and moving into the social media side of things in a big way, however he reminds us that it is all a process, “Springbok Atlas has grown along with technical developments,” he says, “But we’ve learnt that people value that person to person feel.”

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