Technology is inevitable.
A Maasai Mara lodge director told me "We won't add technology. It takes away from nature." In an era where our phones have become extra limbs, his words carried the weight of our current existential woes. The split between tech adopters and nature keepers showed in every booth. Airlines sell tickets through apps. Hotels track guests with software. But lodges and camps sell the promise of no phones, no WiFi, no screens. Such was the Getaway Tourism Fair this weekend—an affair of safari outfitters, hoteliers, airlines, and travel agents—everyone contributing in their own way to the tourism and hospitality sector. Paystack, the African arm of Stripe, demonstrated how fintech can be user-friendly and painless—present when needed, invisible when not. The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA), an old institution representing the majority of the country's travel agents. Kisimani Eco Resort & Spa has ancient trees, one as old as 800 years, on a property that has over thirty kilometers of unspoiled terrain. Hafsa Mugha, a young lady at the expo, was displaying her artisanal leather bags that are both traditional and contemporary in design. Shukran, a digital tipping platform, has come in to streamline the tipping culture while encouraging savings, and incentivising great service. 💡Do you want tech in your safari? 💡Would you pay more for a true off-grid experience? 💡What matters most in your travel: speed or authenticity? #AfricanTourism #TechnologyAndTradition
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