{"id":17554,"date":"2022-11-25T19:52:22","date_gmt":"2022-11-25T19:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/going-places"},"modified":"2022-11-25T19:52:22","modified_gmt":"2022-11-25T19:52:22","slug":"going-places","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/going-places","title":{"rendered":"Going Places"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>Born with \u2018itchy feet\u2019 and a hungry desire to see the world, it never occurred to Ludzi Mazwiduma that one day she would earn a living helping others with their travel plans.<\/b><\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly how life has turned out for the 30-year-old Glam Safaris founder, and she couldn\u2019t be happier.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have had passion for travelling since long back. During my tertiary years I travelled a lot through voluntary work. I volunteered for organisations such as the Botswana Work Camp and did a lot of charity work. This took me as far as Europe,\u201d she tells Voice Money.<\/p>\n

Armed with a degree from University of Botswana (UB) in Psychology majoring in English plus another in Banking and Finance, Mazwiduma notes these qualifications have given her a decent understanding of what makes people tick.<\/p>\n

The Marapong native\u2019s previous job also prepared her for the travel industry.<\/p>\n

Having worked as a Finance Officer for NGO Marang for seven years, Mazwiduma would arrange bookings for the organisation\u2019s conferences, further rousing her interest in the industry.<\/p>\n

Her curiosity piqued, she got herself certified with Amadeus, a travel portal with live instant booking of flights and hotels.<\/p>\n

Ready to take on the world, in January 2020 Mazwiduma launched her travel agency, Glam Safaris.<\/p>\n

Three months later, everything changed.<\/p>\n

After advertising her services, customers responded and she booked venues and arranged transport; it was then that Covid-19 hit with devastating force.<\/p>\n

The whole world was put on lockdown, crippling several businesses especially in the travel and tourism sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was devastated. I had spent on advertising, printing fliers and it never took off so I had to pay the customers back,\u201d she narrates from Glam Safari\u2019s new home on top of Stanbic Old Lobatse Road.<\/p>\n

Mazwiduma has since reimbursed everyone owed and Covid-19 is no longer such a big issue.<\/p>\n

Business is also good, especially thanks to the support of Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO), who engage startups whenever the opportunity arises. The organisation also puts them under its wings during trade shows and other exhibitions.<\/p>\n

This arrangement with BTO has worked wonders for Glam Safaris and Mazwiduma is thinking about recruiting two more assistants as the workload swells. Currently she is one of only two employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have grown. I\u2019m a Women in Business (WIB) board member and have served BTO clients both local and international. Corporate clients are also showing interest in our services. Many have requested for quotations,\u201d she beams.<\/p>\n

If you book with Glam Safaris, as a couple or just for a retreat, you are likely to land in the tranquil Mozambique beach at Vilanculos.<\/p>\n

Mazwiduma\u2019s eyes widen in awe as she recalls the \u2018quiet, serene beauty\u2019 of Vilanculos.<\/p>\n

Other favourite destinations of Glam Safaris are Victoria Falls, Kasane\u2019s Chobe Marina and the Okavango Delta.<\/p>\n

What you would normally view as competition is not a bother for Glam. \u201cI don\u2019t see it as such,\u201d she quickly interrupts.<\/p>\n

Apparently, in the hospitality and travel industry you need to link with others because they certainly have what you don\u2019t have and vice versa. The industry is also forever changing so you need others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to constantly invest in research destinations and disseminate information and understand the need for budgeting to be able to give the best offer,\u201d adds the Glam Safaris Director.<\/p>\n

Online platforms are slowly replacing travel agents but Mazwiduma warns against relying too heavily on them.<\/p>\n

She argues that travellers still need non-robot agents because there are always hidden costs to automated agents. There is also no security assurance and no physical address to go to for redress.<\/p>\n

To mitigate the challenges and enhance the customer experience, Glam Safaris has launched a \u2018first time in Botswana\u2019 travel card. This card helps customers to save and get discounts. For just P100, Mazwiduma says travellers will also be linked to websites.<\/p>\n

In five years Glam Safaris will have a mobile safari and fully furnished camp site as well as 24-hour online booking platform, if what Mazwiduma says is anything to go by \u2013 and when she puts her mind to something, it normally happens!<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Botswana<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. Born with \u2018itchy feet\u2019 and a hungry desire to see the world, it never occurred to Ludzi Mazwiduma that one day she would earn a living helping others with their travel plans. That\u2019s exactly how life has turned out for the 30-year-old Glam Safaris founder, and she couldn\u2019t be happier. \u201cI have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":17553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[233,237,234],"class_list":["post-17554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-botswana","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"\nGoing Places - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/going-places\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Going Places\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Botswana. 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