Motorbike tourism: A growing niche for Southern Africa

Source: Tourism Update, 09/02/2018

With the growth in tourists looking for unique and interesting
experiences, motorbike tourism is a niche but growing market in
Southern Africa, with the potential to grow even further.
Over the past couple of years there has been a growing interest from
markets such as China, Australia, America and Canada for on-road
motorbike tours through Southern Africa. “There has been an uptake on
motorbike tour requests over the past couple of years following the
trend of out-of-the-ordinary experiences. Most of the requests for
specialised motorbike tours come from markets such as Australia, UK
and the USA,” Renier Friis, General Manager: Business Development &
Contracting at Tourvest DMC.
Chris Reynolds, Owner of African Iron Horse Tours (AIHT), says he has
seen a definite increase in international visitors on the tours his
company runs. “We have seen interest from visitors from the UK,
America and Canada. The most surprising interest has been from
China,” he says.
Michael Oosthuizen, a travel consultant for Motorcycle Tours South
Africa, says international tourists make up 90% of their tours,
adding: “Our clients are mostly from New Zealand, Australia and the
United States.”
The main market is the baby boomer generation, according to
Oosthuizen: “Most of our clients are older, 50 years plus.”
Reynolds says the majority of the riders are people who have bikes
for recreational purposes and have been riding for many years. “We do
get some younger riders, from about 25 to 35 years old, but we mainly
have older riders.”
This is often due to the riding experience needed for the longer
trips. “As stated earlier, at least a year or two’s riding experience
is needed for the longer tours. For the safety of the rider and the
rest of the tour group it [long tours] is not recommended for novice
riders,” explains Reynolds. “We do offer shorter rides, from a few
hours on a breakfast run to a two-day, one-night stay out in the
country for novices.”
Motorbike tourism can be a bit tricky. “For longer motorcycle tours
it is better to book this with a skilled and knowledgeable travel
specialist that can co-ordinate the logistics of bike hire and all
the relevant equipment,” says Victoria Rodenacker, Market Manager for
Spain, South America, Australia and New Zealand at Tourvest DMC.


Friis says: “It does take tailor making knowledge and skill to put
together an entire itinerary around motorbike excursions, therefore
it would be recommended that such a tour is booked through a tour
operator, as it can get complicated logistically.”
Reynolds says a bike tour is different to most vacations: “Visitors
have to take biker culture into consideration â€` riders must be able
to pack everything they need for a seven- or 14-day trip into small
bags, and they need to have at least a year or two’s riding
experience for the longer tours.” While there are vehicles that
follow the tours with spare parts, first-aid kits and extra fuel,
there is not a lot of space for extra bags.
There are different ways a motorbike tour can be packaged and
marketed, depending on the target market and what they want, says
Sethu Komani, Marketing Manager at Tourvest DMC. “Tourvest DMC offers
both add-on day tour experiences where guests can enjoy a thrilling
afternoon on the back of a chauffeured Harley-Davidson, as well as
extensive tailor-made itineraries where enthusiasts can combine their
passion for motorbikes with scenic South African landscapes and
iconic destinations,” Komani explains.
AIHT does trips throughout South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. “We
visit the main place like Cape Town, but we also visit little out-of-
the-way towns and stay at boutique hotels,” he says. “We try and make
the tours as interesting as possible by teaching our guests about the
places we visit, like Kimberley, Lambert’s Bay and so on. It is not
just about visiting South Africa, it is about learning about its
people and culture,” says Reynolds.
“South Africa is a great destination for motorcycle tours; we have
plenty of scenic routes all across the country. The most popular ones
being Chapman’s Peak Drive, the Garden Route, Route 62 and the N7
highway that runs along the west coast between Cape Town and
Namibia,” concludes Rodenacker.