Leading luxury safari operator, Governors’ Camp, has entered into a new partnership with Wilderness Safaris to create a diversified pan-African safari group.
Under the new partnership, Wilderness Safaris will also inject capital into Governors’ Camp for its investment programme.
The two organisations, with over 75 years of combined experience in the industry, will also work together in providing access to some of Africa’s best wildlife areas and environments and most diverse ecosystems, in addition to offering guests unique travel and cultural experiences in world-class properties.
Both organisations share deep roots in owner-managed operations, and share a vision that commercial operations can and must support community and conservation initiatives that protect and sustain some of the greatest wildlife areas remaining on the planet.
CEO of Wilderness Safaris Keith Vincent said: “This partnership brings together in East Africa two of the best-known brands in safari tourism. It gives Wilderness Safaris a footprint in a key area of the continent where it is not yet represented and in Governors’ Camp gives us a local partner with shared values, over 40 years’ experience in pioneering East African safaris, and camps situated in unbeatable locations. We are therefore proud to invest in this well-known and long-established family-run business and to partner with one of the oldest and most respected brands in the region.”
“The Governors’ Camp Collection has been a very successful family-owned safari operator for almost 45 years and has pioneered many aspects of luxury safari tourism now taken for granted across the continent.
This partnership with Wilderness allows us to retain the unique benefits of a family-owned and run company with an exciting future with opportunities for growth within East Africa and perhaps beyond,” Dominic Grammaticas, Managing Director of Governors’ Camp, said
He added: “Our clients, our staff and our stakeholder partners are all going to benefit from this strategic partnership with Wilderness. The new and significant investments planned will create great benefits for all our stakeholders in many different areas – it’s a very exciting time to be a part of Governors.”
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala welcomed the partnership between the two companies, saying: “Kenya is a country with an unbeatable combination of unique experiences for the traveller. We are delighted that a respected African investor such as Wilderness Safaris has recognised this and is choosing to invest in Kenya and partner with a leading company in our industry."
"In addition, the governments of the East African countries have implemented new policy initiatives to promote investment and link regional tourism via shared visas and easier and faster travel links. This announcement by Wilderness and Governors’ of a pan-East African partnership shows the Government’s policies are working and attracting international investors. This is good for both Kenya and Rwanda.”
The Governor of Narok County, Samuel Tunai said:
“The Narok County government is the custodian of the Masai Mara National Reserve, of one of the premier wildlife areas anywhere in the World.
Governors’ Camp has a long history of responsible commercial, community and conservation operations in our County and we are delighted a world-class investor such as Wilderness Safaris is coming to join us in our efforts to promote and conserve this unique global heritage.”
Wilderness Safaris was founded in Botswana in 1983 and has a strong ecotourism presence across southern Africa, whilst the Governors’ Camp Collection is head-quartered in Nairobi-with operations in Kenya and Rwanda.