This kind of ties into current threads about: booking agents/safari companies/PH's....

Just how big is the "safari" hunting industry in Africa anyway?

FOR AFRICA, IN ONE YEAR....

On The Hunting End:
For Africa, In One Year....
** How many clients come for plains game? (2,000?)
** How many clients come for DG (count plains/DG combos here)? (500?)

On The African Personnel End:
For Africa In A Given Year...
** How many big "safari companies"? (20?)
** How many "small but effective" safari enterprises? (200?)
** How many "full time" PH's? (400?)

On The Booking End:
World Wide (Or Just The USA):
** How many full blown/mostly full time booking agents world wide are "feeding" clients into this industry?
** What is the "Pareto Split"? (Example: 20% of the brokers book 80% of the business; 40-60?)

Some SWAG (simply wild ass guessing) is okay here, as I personally don't have any idea as to these industry numbers....

EKM

I don´t know how to define "big" safari companies but I´d guess there are more than twenty "full time" operations in SA alone. By full time I mean one/two PH operations who during the season hunt and in the off-season do their marketing, shows etc.

Some would say that game ranches aren´t true safari operations and everyone is welcome to his-her opnion. All the people I´ve met in the industry work their butts off, at least the good ones do.

Cewe,

For purposes of our getting a picture of the safari "industry" as a whole, we need to include the game ranches.... paying clients and on the ground personel are present so they are part of the "big picture".

You right, some may want to debate "what is a hunt?" but that is not the thrust here.
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Also, I do not assume that a "bigger operation" is necessarily going to be better than a smaller one by any means.

EKM

Far more than twenty in SA........you would number them in thousands. You'll find the South African figures on the PHASA website.....I can't remember the address, but you'll find a link from mine to theirs.

No-one publishes figures for Africa in it's entirity.......and I couldn't begin to guess.

Shakari,

Thanks for the RSA input! Given the "state of things" in Africa I am sure there are no published numbers for the "whole thing" with every country participating; however, I am assuming (ouch) that if knowledgable folks here could guestimate the numbers for about ten (?) countries or so, then the "picture" would start coming into focus rather rapidly...

RSA, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia (sp?), Tanzania, Kenya (new), Mozambique .... that is six, I'm betting we could rather quickly "fill in the rest of the blanks" if some knowledgable folks provide some input. I'm betting for sure that the larger safari COMPANIES/PARTNERSHIPS (even U.S. retailers like Cabelas) have a fairly firm grip on these numbers though they won't be eager to share them.

When one gets a "top of the mountain" view of an industry, often things become very clear why they are the way they are, and other times it becomes clear that "change is in the wind."

As some one who is saving up what will be a significant investment to be spent in a "one shot" trip (only to start banking it back up again [Africa fever]), I like understanding the nature of the business where my dollars are going.... I would imagine it might be of interest to those of you who are in the "thick of it" as well.

Thanks in advance,

EKM

I guess the only way to do it accurately would be to contact the various Parks Boards/Game Conservancies etc and ask for total numbers of licences sold/quota filled etc.....but it would take a long time to put it all together.....esp for countries like Mozambique who couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.

Another problem is that as soon as you get the figures they're out of date.

As Africa changes so quickly you would be better advised to just decide what species you want to hunt and under what conditions and then look at what's available. You should try to rule out the very cheapest as cheap is cheap and therefore a disappointment. Equally, unless you want to hunt with a famous name you could probably rule out many of the most expensive. So then you have the middle level and you then need to look closely at their areas and level of service etc and then make your decision.

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Alf,

Thanks for the info........do you know if the figures are published on the internet anywhere?

Shakari,
That is a straight forward approach to "narrowing the list" --- point taken --- Thanks. I've done a ton of these industry analyses in other areas for my work and though this one is for "pleasure" so to speak, I'll probably pursue it a bit further and I am more than willing to share the results with those that are interested.
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ALF,
Wow, right on point, I'll do a little "digging" to see if I can lateral into that academic connection, any chance you have a contact name to pursue? And of course, as Shakari mentioned, are the results posted on the internet anywhere to your knowledge?

Thanks,
EKM

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FIRST TO SHARE:

I talked to the professors at the University, they have the RSA dialed in to a "T"; however, to my amazement they had not the slightest idea as to their competition in nearby countries.

In 2000/2001,
7,000,000 hectares of gov't "huntable ground"
17,000,000 hectares of PRIVATE "huntable ground" (9,000 "game farms")

8,000 Hunters/Observers
53,532 Hunting Days
32,246 Animals Taken
$80,000,000 revenue

In a later year (per ALF) $92,000,000 for 2001/2002 (I understand landowners are finding "game farming" more profitable than farming.)
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SECOND: A FOLLOW UP "SEAT OF YOUR PANTS" QUESTION:

I'm looking for a multiplier.... "How does RSA hunting business compare to the balance of Africa, say south of the Equator --- almost all the "name" safari destinations?

** 1 to 1? (double RSA's action and it equals the TOTAL for all of them), or

** 2 to 1? (triple RSA's action and it equals the TOTAL for all of them)

** ? to 1 [Your estimate here]

I'm thinking RSA has a higher volume of clientele spending less money per trip than the more dicey remote but more high profile locations so it's not apples and apples but IT IS CLOSE ENOUGH!

So you old pro's out there what do you think? RSA versus the rest of them.....

You shoot the numbers I'll run the talley....
Out of the norm I know, but thanks for your help.

EKM

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ALF, true enough....

Yet, hunters land in Jo'burg and leave the country for their "out of RSA" hunts the same or following day to spend their money "across the border". Capitalists and markets being what they are, there's folks out there that know (a little more or less) just what is going on even in an imperfect market with imperfect information. I believe many safari companies in RSA have personnel crossing borders with clients, correct?

Thanks, EKM

BTW, "what is your estimate?" .8x, 1.9x, 2.8x?