(Posted 26th November 2024)
It was once again a privately owned Kenyan company, which during the just concluded award season of the World Travel Awards, held over the last weekend in Madeira / Portugal, made heads turn and bring the spotlight back to East Africa’s largest economy.
Minaz Manji’s Twiga Tours is no stranger to ATCNews, having reported about their community engagement since the launch of this pan African aviation, travel and conservation news platform.
Twiga Tours made the headlines time and again over the past decade and beyond, raking in awards from not just within Kenya but from across the world.
This year, once again, has Twiga Tours won Awards in the African category of the 2024 World Travel Awards but also once again captured an Award during the final award night of the year on the global scene.
Seen here are Minaz and his wife receiving the coveted global ‘Leasing’ trophy at an earlier WTA Global Finals ceremony. Click on https://twiga-tours.com/ for more information about Twiga Tours
World’s travel innovators celebrate at VIP reception in Madeira as global winners are announced
This latest accolade adds another trophy to an award cabinet which over the past years had to be expanded several times, given the sheer number of awards bagged by the company.
Africa’s Responsible Tourism Award 2024
Kenya’s Leading Safari Company 2024
Tanzania’s Leading Safari Company 2024
World’s Leading Safari Company 2023
Africa’s Responsible Tourism Award 2023
Kenya’s Leading Safari Company 2023
Tanzania’s Leading Safari Company 2023
World’s Leading Safari Company 2022
Africa’s Responsible Tourism Award 2022
Kenya’s Leading Safari Company 2022
Africa’s Responsible Tourism Award 2021
Kenya’s Leading Safari Company 2021
Africa’s Responsible Tourism Award 2020
Kenya’s Leading Inbound Tour Operator 2020
Kenya’s Leading Safari Company 2020
World’s Leading Luxury Safari Company 2016
World’s Leading Luxury Safari Company 2015
World’s Responsible Tourism Award 2015
Africa’s Leading Luxury Safari Company 2015
Africa’s Responsible Tourism Award 2015
World’s Responsible Tourism Award 2014
Africa’s Responsible Tourism Award 2014
Kenya’s Leading Inbound Tour Operator 2014
Africa’s Responsible Tourism Award 2013
Kenya’s Leading Inbound Tour Operator 2013
Other notable awards were:
The Pyne Awards 2023 saw Mrs. Shazmin Manji-Karmali named as Female Trailblazer of the year 2023
MEA Markets’ eighth annual MEA Business Awards – Safari Tour Operator of the Year 2024 – East Africa & MEA Excellence Award for Gorilla Trekking Safaris 2024 – Kenya
When ATCNews spoke to Minaz we asked him to explain something about the company’s history and his personal journey.
‘As the CEO and Group Marketing Director I have successfully guided Twiga Tours Ltd, from very humble beginnings since inception in 1980, to become a renowned brand that it is today and is both recognized and respected by tour wholesalers, travel agents and safari enthusiasts globally. Thousands upon thousands of our guests have returned home with happy and cherished memories (and photographs) of their safari holiday thus referring their family and friends to book their vacation to East Africa through their local Tour Operator or Travel Agent which is what we encourage. After all, there is no better publicity than a referral and this has immensely helped to grow the local Tour Operator or Travel Agent’s own business. My family and I extend our warm personal hosiptality to every guest on safari with Twiga Tours and ensure that their experience in East Africa is beyond their expectations! !
My father and I started Twiga Tours Ltd. in 1980 from a humble background with a vision to provide our family’s (the Manji Family) personal warmth and hospitality to every one of our guest on safari with us. Today, 40 years later my family and I still continue to provide our personal warmth and hospitality to every one of our guests and Twiga Tours Ltd, has become a renowned brand known around the globe. We are the preferred choice of hundreds of thousands of safari enthusiasts who prefer to experience a safari adventure to East Africa with the confidence of knowing that they will be personally looked after by the Manji Family.
My family and I are passionate about alleviating poverty from East Africa and we continue to encourage children to educate themselves by providing financial support and our personal involvement to community based local primary schools in different locations within the poorest of the poor areas of the tourism circuit through our family foundation, The Manji Foundation. Our support starts with providing a nutritious daily meal to such schools and thereafter assisting such schools with employing qualified teachers, building facilities such as classrooms, dormitories, dining halls and providing educational materials including desks, school uniform and sports equipment.
Our personal warmth and hospitality that we continue to extend to all our guests on safari with Twiga Tours and the family’s support to the children of East Africa to educate themselves and help alleviate poverty has earned us accolades after accolades with the most recent being voted as Africa’s Leading Luxury Safari Company and the World’s Responsible Tourism Award by World Travel Awards which are considered the ‘Oscars’ of the Travel Industry.’
ATCNews extends warmest congratulations to Minaz, his entire family and his team on this latest award and the honours he once again brought to his country Kenya.
