Family-owned operator’s group tours alone direct millions to rural communities as industry grapples with geographic concentration
Award-winning South African tour operator Earthstompers Travel estimates its group tour programme alone channels more than R5.5 million annually into rural communities and conservation efforts outside the country’s main tourism hubs of Cape Town and Kruger – with the true figure likely significantly higher when private tours and safaris are included.
The figures come as the company celebrates 20 years of operation and as industry bodies including the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) call for strategies to address the concentration of international visitors in just two regions. According to SATSA, tourism recovery remains uneven, with Cape Town and Kruger capturing the majority of arrivals while other provinces struggle.
Earthstompers’ group tour programme – which represents approximately half the company’s overall business – accounts for more than R4.5 million spent annually on accommodation, meals and services in the Garden Route, Eastern Cape and rural Western Cape. A further R1 million flows directly to national parks and nature reserves through conservation fees, with 70% of the company’s activity budget directed to protected areas including Wilderness National Park, Tsitsikamma National Park, Addo Elephant National Park and Stoney Point Penguin Colony.
“Geographic spread is a new term doing the rounds in tourism, but it’s something we’ve done from the beginning,” said Hendrik Human, founder and co-owner of Earthstompers Travel. “We’ve always taken guests from the more established, tourism-rich Cape Town into the remote areas of the Little Karoo, Addo region, Overberg and Garden Route. This has been part of our model since itinerary number one was designed in 2005.”
Human, who grew up in Mossel Bay on the Garden Route, founded Earthstompers Adventures in 2005 with a single VW Kombi. The company has since grown to employ 16 staff – seven in its Somerset West office and approximately 9 guides on the road – and now operates two divisions: Earthstompers Adventures for group adventure tours, and Earthstompers Luxury Travel & Safaris – a dedicated brand for the bespoke luxury travel and safari services the company has offered for many years.
“In a country where unemployment and inequality are significant challenges, we’ve always believed the most real impact we can have is creating jobs all along the coastline of South Africa by taking our tours there,” Human added. “We stop at small owner-run establishments – restaurants, padstals, wineries, accommodation – and encourage our guests to buy responsibly and buy local. The economic impact in these rural areas makes a genuine difference to smaller local economies.”
From 2025, the company has introduced a community support contribution on every booking, directing funds to three initiatives: the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary in Gansbaai, Missionvale Care Centre in Gqeberha, and Kuyasa Horizon Empowerment in Kayamandi Township, Stellenbosch. The organisations were selected based on their proximity to tour routes and the visible impact each organization makes in the surrounding communities.
South Africa’s tourism sector welcomed over 7.6 million visitors in the first three quarters of 2025, a 15% increase on the same period in 2024. However, industry analysts note that recovery remains geographically uneven, with long-haul visitors gravitating toward Cape Town, Kruger and Victoria Falls while other regions with significant tourism potential continue to lag behind pre-pandemic levels.
Earthstompers was named South Africa’s Tour Operator of the Year at the 2019 Lilizela Tourism Awards, and its six-day Garden Route and Addo Adventure tour was ranked among TripAdvisor’s top 10 multi-day tours worldwide in 2020.
