How We Tread Right (HWTR) is The Travel Corporation’s (TTC) new five-year sustainability strategy, which sets the mandate on sustainability at Thompsons Africa and our sister travel companies. Our strategy is based on 11 measurable goals developed to address Thompsons Africa’s impact on Planet, People, and Wildlife. These goals, anchored to the United Nations’ Global Goals, address:
FAMILY MATTERS
Planet – sustainability and conservation by targeting climate change, sustainable food production and responsible consumption through carbon management, renewable energy, the food cycle, waste reduction, and the elimination of single-use plastics.
GUIDED JOURNEYS BY THOMPSONS AFRICA
OUR GUIDES
In the arranging and operating of variable sized tours in Southern Africa, with set itineraries and frequent departures, Thompsons Africa leads the field. These packaged holidays offer something special, unique and memorable. Our tours have been operating since 1997 and we proudly claim that our service cannot be beaten. Our signature product, ‘Fully Guided’ means what it says: we do all the work, you relax and enjoy the experience, knowing that you are in capable and experienced hands.
THE FACE OF THOMPSONS AFRICA Our NQF (National Qualifications Framework) and FGASA (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa) qualified permanent Tour Guides are the very best calibre of staff. Join them on one of our exciting Guided Journeys or Tailor-Made packages – you will be completely blown away by their knowledge, excitement and passion! They speak English, German and Spanish, and our wider network of Tour Guides speak most other languages.
All of our Safari Guides have completed additional courses enhancing their skills to ensure the best possible experience for guests. These include the
Kruger National Park Orientation Course, a botany course at Skukuza Nursery by a qualified botany expert and some have completed the VPDA Course (Viewing Potential Dangerous Animals). Our tour guiding professionals have honed their skills, with many holding university degrees in fields such as marketing, photography, tourism and education. They are the collective face of Thompsons Africa and proud ambassadors for our beautiful country.
FULLY GUIDED PRIVATE JOURNEYS FOR FAMILES AND SMALL GROUPS If anyone understands family travel, Thompsons Africa does. We offer the perfect package: just the family or small group (four to eight people), a Tour Guide and the most flexible of itineraries to suit younger members especially. The number and length of game drives, content and timing of meals, and length of the safari is entirely flexible so as to fully accommodate your needs. Lively kids? Nobody’s fussing. There’s no finer way
for a young family, or small group, preferring a less structured holiday, to travel together. We have a selection of entirely private tours for intimate groups of four to eight people, travelling with your own Tour Guide and Driver - a superb option for a 50th birthday party treat for esteemed clients, or simply family or friends who prefer exclusivity and privacy.
At Thompsons Africa we pride ourselves in the many years we have operated as a family style business. It is an ethos that we are passionate about and with the average stay of our people being 7 and a half years, we are proud to say, WE ARE FAMILY. We are committed to ensuring that our reservations teams are knowledgeable and innovative and for this reason we invest in comprehensive training that includes not just destination and product knowledge, but also service delivery. Every day we continue to build on our solid reputation for reliability and unparalleled service delivery, striving to deliver the best possible guest experience at every point of contact they have with us. As part of Cullinan Holdings Ltd. and as a member of the family owned The Travel Corporation (TTC), this ethos of family is carried through the group at a global level.
People – community support and cultural preservation by targeting overtourism through the inclusion of new Make Travel Matter experiences, the creation of a standalone strategy to encourage greater diversity and inclusion at Thompsons Africa, and our global give-back efforts. Wildlife – conservation and protection by targeting animal welfare and conservation, and ethical wildlife experiences through TreadRight’s Animal Welfare Policy.
THOMPSONS AFRICA CONSERVATION STATEMENT
CONSERVING OUR HERITAGE As you might expect from a family-built company with a big heart, Thompsons Africa is about sustainability and giving back. To help shape the face of the future Africa, we actively support organisations that focus on the conservation, protection, and promotion of our rich heritage. We are proud to be part of a joint initiative by The Travel Corporation family of brands, called The TreadRight Foundation — a notfor-profit that works to ensure that the environment and communities we explore, remain vibrant for future generations. TreadRight is The Travel Corporation’s hub for all corporate social responsibility efforts and manages a long-standing grants program that benefits sustainable tourism projects. To date, TreadRight has committed more than USD 2million to projects worldwide and encourages industry best practice through their support for the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, The Travel Foundation & Tourism Cares.
At Thompsons Africa we are mindful of the plight of wildlife across the globe and in Africa in particular. We are especially conscious of the importance of conserving our wildlife heritage. After all, we are blessed to be the caretakers of an abundance of wildlife that brings so many travellers to our shores. Thompsons Africa does not support any wildlife interaction that we deem to be unethical in either its purpose or in any way results in cruelty
as a side effect. As a priority we ensure that we are 100% involved with our partnered wildlife organisations, and as a member of The TreadRight Foundation, we practise the promise to make the welfare of our wildlife our number one concern. Our endorsement of the SATSA Animal Interaction Charter further reinforces our commitment to an ethical approach to the long-term conservation of wildlife welfare.
THOMPSONS AFRICA 20 The Boulevard, West End Office Park, Spine Road, Westville, 3629, Durban, South Africa PO Box 2758, Westway Office Park, 3635 Durban, South Africa Tel: +27 31 275 3500 Fax: +27 86 608 2645 info@thompsonsafrica.com www.thompsonsafrica.com
COMPANY PROFILE 2020