Mark Davidson is a long-serving member of the team at the luxury division of the Northern Ireland agency, and said it was an “add-on” that helped elevate the initial booking to £100,000.

Just weeks after Oasis Portfolio was named Luxury Travel Retail Business of the Year, Davidson shared how he sealed such a significant sale after returning from an Abercrombie & Kent fam trip to Kenya himself, which included two nights in Nairobi and two nights in the Masai Mara.

Impressed by the operator’s well-curated itinerary, the senior travel consultant was eager to share his experience with customers back home, and it wasn’t long before the fam trip paid off: after just a casual conversation with a longstanding client, Davidson successfully sold the same trip to a group of 11.

The client – who had previously only booked more "pedestrian" holidays with Oasis – was looking to plan a large family holiday over the New Year with her children and eight grandchildren.

Inspired by Davidson’s trip, she requested he recreate the itinerary with just a couple of adjustments for the younger guests. 

Now booked, the six-night journey will include two days in Nairobi before heading to Mount Kenya, where the family will stay in A&K Sanctuary’s exclusive camps. The holiday will have a focus on education, with visits to an elephant orphanage, a giraffe park and the Karen Blixen Museum all on the itinerary. 

While the trip already came with a hefty price tag overall (especially as it was in a peak travel season) there was one additional investment that pushed it into the six-figure range: a hot air balloon safari for the group. At £350 per person, the final bill for that element topped £3,500.

“That extra added to the booking took it over the £100,000 mark,” Davidson said. “It’s a special treat, though they do have to get up at 5am for it!”

Davidson praised Abercrombie & Kent for their outstanding service throughout the trip, a key selling point he now intends to offer to other customers.

“What stood out to us was their incredible infrastructure in Kenya,” he says. “They operate their own offices, vehicles, and employ their own staff.” He also hailed Abercrombie & Kent’s local guides, who, he noted, “made the flora as fascinating as the fauna”.

Davidson emphasised how the company’s strong presence in Kenya gave him peace of mind, knowing his clients would be well taken care of if any issues arose.

“Anyone can sell these experiences, but what really matters is the backup,” he explained. “It’s about knowing there’s support on the ground in case something goes wrong. We’ve walked away from certain tour operators because of past problems with their support services.”

A potential flight delay is a classic example: “There could be a weather incident and the plane might not take off, with clients having to wait for a number of hours. But you know you have the handling in place with Abercrombie & Kent, and that your clients are going to be looked after. You want to know you’re not going to get a call saying something is a disaster.” 

Davidson also credited the fam trip as a key factor in securing the booking, admitting that he wouldn’t have been able to sell the trip without having experienced it first hand. 

“It was that fam trip that allowed me to speak to the client with genuine passion,” he explains. “Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to close the sale.”