Audit Your Safari Booking Journey

DRAFT — NOT FOR PUBLICATION.

What this is for

Most safari operations have a booking journey that has evolved organically rather than been designed. Steps were added when problems arose; systems were adopted when the old system failed; people adapted to workarounds that became permanent.

This audit framework helps you map what your booking journey actually looks like — not what you think it looks like — and identify where friction is costing you time, money and guest experience quality.

Allow two to four hours for a thorough first pass. Do it with the people who actually run the booking process, not just with managers.

Step 1: Define your paths

A booking journey differs depending on how the guest arrived. Map each path separately:

Direct inquiry (guest contacts you directly via your website, email or phone)
Tour operator referral (a travel agent or tour operator sends you a booking)
OTA booking (if applicable; treat separately)
Return guest booking (often a different path with different friction)

For each path, you are mapping from the guest's first point of contact to their arrival at your property.

Step 2: Document every step

For each path, list every step. Be specific: "Guest submits inquiry form" is a step. "Reservations checks availability in PMS" is a step. "Reservations sends availability confirmation to tour operator" is a step. "Tour operator sends booking confirmation to guest" is a step.

For each step, record:

Who does this step?
What system or tool is used?
What information is needed to complete this step?
What information is produced by this step?
How long does this typically take?
What happens when this step fails or is delayed?

Step 3: Identify friction points

Friction points are steps where:

The same question is asked twice (guest provides information that is later re-requested)
Information is manually copied from one place to another
Someone has to wait for a response before they can proceed
The step requires a person who is not always available
The step fails often enough that a workaround exists

Mark every friction point on your map.

Step 4: Identify information gaps

Information gaps are places where data that should be available is not:

Guest preferences that don't reach the operations team
Payment status that is not visible to the reservations team
Confirmation status from one supplier that is not visible to the coordinator managing the whole trip

Mark every information gap on your map.

Step 5: Prioritise

Not all friction is equal. For each friction or gap you identified, estimate:

Impact on guest experience (high/medium/low)
Impact on operational efficiency (high/medium/low)
Effort to fix (high/medium/low)

Quick wins are high-impact, low-effort fixes. Start there.

Step 6: Design the next version

For each quick win, design the simplest version of an improvement. Ask: what would this step look like if it worked perfectly? Then ask: what is the minimum change required to get closer to that?

Not every improvement requires new technology. Many require clearer protocols, better templates or explicit handoff checklists.

What you should have at the end

A complete map of your current booking journey on each path
A list of friction points and information gaps
A ranked list of improvement opportunities
At least three specific changes you could implement within the next month

Limitations

This framework covers the booking-to-arrival portion of the journey. Post-departure — reviews, win-back, relationship management — requires a separate audit. It also doesn't cover the marketing-to-inquiry stage (why guests contact you in the first place).