Africa is leading the way for 2027 bookings with premium holiday company Kuoni reporting that bookings are up 42% year-on-year for its African destinations. Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa are showing the strongest growth, while Zanzibar is rapidly emerging as the preferred beach extension and Rwanda is seeing an ‘Attenborough effect’ resurgence.
Bookings are being driven by a surge in demand for longer, multi-destination ‘Grand Tour of Africa’ style holidays that combine rich experiences with a beach stay, as people chose to avoid this year’s travel uncertainty and look ahead to lock in a bucket-list trip for 2027.
There is a growing appetite to tick off more than one destination on this vast continent in a single journey combining a safari in the Masai Mara in Kenya with a visit to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe or gorilla trekking in Rwanda with beach downtime in Zanzibar.
Interest in Rwanda has risen sharply, with trips to see mountain gorillas gaining momentum following David Attenborough’s 100th birthday and the release of A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough in April 2026, which has renewed focus on the destination.
Kuoni is working closely with airline partners to make these multi-destination trips easier to package and sell. Ethiopian Airlines offers easy connections between Rwanda, Kenya and Zimbabwe, alongside onward travel to Mauritius, while routes such as London to Kigali with RwandAir are opening-up new itinerary combinations, including gorilla trekking paired with Zanzibar.
Kuoni is ramping up its support for trade partners for this in-demand destination, with the return of its Passport to Africa training programme following the success this is in 2026.
Running throughout June, Matt Sole, Kuoni’s Trade Engagement Executive, will be travelling across the UK to deliver nine dedicated training sessions focused on Africa. The events are designed to help trade partners build confidence and drive sales, offering in-depth insight into Kuoni’s Small Group Safaris, tailor-made escapes as well as showcasing standout properties.
