When the internet went down across parts of Tanzania recently, it felt like more than just another temporary frustration. For those of us in the safari industry, it was a stark reminder of how dependent we’ve become on something we can’t always control.

For many of us who’ve been in this world long enough, the irony isn’t lost. We used to run entire operations without Wi-Fi. Quotes were handwritten, bookings were confirmed over radio, and guest lists travelled in the glovebox of a Land Cruiser. Now, a single drop in connectivity can stall communication, delay payments, and disrupt an entire booking flow.

The shift has been extraordinary,  and, at times, fragile.

How Safari Bookings Became Dependent on Connectivity

In the space of a decade, the safari industry has gone from manual systems to being almost entirely cloud-based. Everything from quoting and inventory to payment gateways and park fee updates now lives online.

That’s progress,  and it’s brought huge benefits. Speed, accuracy, and reach have all improved dramatically. A DMC in Arusha can now manage real-time availability across lodges in Kenya, and a guest in London can receive a polished itinerary in minutes.

But when the connection drops, it becomes clear how much of our workflow now hangs on invisible wires.

Even a short outage means delayed responses, lost leads, and frustration for both agents and guests. For properties operating in remote regions, it can even mean going back to paper, temporarily, to keep the wheels turning.

Digital Progress and Its Hidden Vulnerabilities

Digitisation has revolutionised the way safaris are sold and managed. But total dependence on the cloud introduces a new kind of risk,  one that has nothing to do with business skill or product quality.

An operator might have the best team, the best lodges, and loyal agents, yet still face operational paralysis because a cable was damaged or a network tower went down.

This is the reality of doing business in regions where infrastructure can still be unpredictable. And while technology is transforming African tourism faster than ever, it’s also making us realise how important resilience and redundancy are to long-term success.

Finding Balance Between Innovation and Preparedness

This isn’t an argument against SaaS tools or online booking systems,  quite the opposite. Technology has allowed safari businesses to compete globally, respond faster, and deliver a far better guest experience.

But as we move deeper into the digital era, we can’t lose the habits that made safari operations so adaptable in the first place: planning for what happens when things don’t go to plan.

For safari businesses, that means simple, practical steps:

• Keeping essential contact details accessible offline.
• Ensuring staff know how to handle manual updates when systems pause.
• Having clear procedures for communication during outages.

These aren’t signs of going backwards,  they’re signs of maturity. Technology should enhance our resilience, not replace it.

The Human Side of Digital Transformation

One thing outages always highlight is how dependent we’ve become on automation. When the systems go quiet, it’s people,  not platforms,  who keep things moving.

That human element has always been at the heart of safari. Guests still want personal guidance, expert advice, and that reassuring call confirming everything is ready for their trip of a lifetime. No platform can replicate that connection.

Technology should serve that relationship,  not dominate it. And moments like this remind us that progress and vulnerability often travel together.

Looking Ahead: A Smarter Kind of Connectivity

The truth is, we’ll continue to digitise,  and rightly so. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. But this recent outage is a gentle warning: as we build smarter systems, we must also build smarter expectations.

At EasyOTA, we think about these challenges often. How can we make technology reliable for teams in areas where the signal isn’t? How do we ensure innovation strengthens the industry’s backbone rather than exposes its weak spots?

These are the questions that matter more than any feature list.

Because ultimately, when the internet goes dark, the safari still goes on. The game drives still leave at dawn, the guests still arrive, and the industry still finds a way. That resilience, born long before the cloud, is what will carry us forward.

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