The Responsible Safari Company (RSC) is a Social Enterprise Tour Operator based in Blantyre, Malawi specialising in Sustainable, Educational, Philanthropic & Experiential Group Travel to the country. Operating since 2008, RSC provides specialised planning and logistical support for School Expeditions, University Field Trips, Charity & Adventure Challenges, Donor and CSR Groups as well as Independent Travellers. Specialising in tailored Educational Workshops & Challenge Events, RSC work in partnership with inspiring Community Initiatives offering immersive learning opportunities for students & businesses to gain an insight into key global challenges facing rural communities in Africa. We are committed to creating sustainable growth through social enterprise, reducing the dependence on the aid industry and driving tourism generated income to rural communities.
Dom and Kate Webb, a British couple passionate about offering Global Citizenship experiences to Malawi, set up The Responsible Safari Company (RSC) in 2008. A family owned business which both benefits local communities and offers unique trips to intrepid travellers.
Sitting around the camp fire at a small safari lodge in Uganda back in 2005 the idea slowly crept up after a few too many G&T's. Full of the dreams of Africa and slowly starting to learn about the tourism industry (after three months relief managing a Safari Lodge in Kenya, a year in the Ugandan bush managing another and 9 months traveling through the continent) we were hungry for adventure and determined not to return to our old lives in London!
It was Dom who first fell in love with the continent - travelling to rural Kenya in his gap year. Meeting Kate a few years later he persuaded her that instead of leaving London to sail round the world she should really come to Africa - 3 months later they left London and arrived with backpacks to start a year of travel from Nairobi to Cape Town - by any means! A three month stint in a lodge in Kenya, followed by 9 months of travel using buses, bicycles, mopeds, boats, hitching lifts and crossing 7 borders they made it to Cape Town on the back of a vegetable lorry....Kate was hooked.
18 months later they were living in Uganda and sitting round the camp fire pondering their next step. Kate had just finished her Masters degree in International development and Education and Dom was itching to take the next step into starting his own venture. With Kate’s passion for working with local communities and Dom’s passion for travel and tourism they decided to combine their two loves and create a company that offered 'Experiential Travel to the more discerning traveller'. The Responsible Safari Company was born.
They arrived in Malawi 3 months later, Kate had a job lined up at an international school and Dom had the number of someone to speak to at immigration - how hard could it be to set up a company in Africa? Harder than they thought! It took 6 months to get registered and a lot of hoops to jump through, but the first enquiry came through on Christmas Eve and two years later Kate stopped her teaching job and joined Dom full time on the business to run the accounts, marketing and projects. They were joined by an incredible team of passionate young Malawians who remain at the heart of RSC today.
The couple married in 2010 and currently live in Devon, UK where they established the UK Marketing branch, Orbis Expeditions, and are so grateful for the decision they made that night around the fire in Uganda.
With a new manager arriving in May our Malawi Team has been run off it's feet in the busiest high season on record for RSC. Our staff, led fantastically by Elizabeth, have been welcoming group after group at Chileka Airport, working on numerous community projects across Southern Malawi, assisting African Parks with the Malawi Elephant Translocation and working till late each night in our stunning Blantyre based office- The Travel Barn. #bepartofsomething Team RSC!
Read MoreRSC is committed to ensuring the protection of Malawi’s ecosystems through our ‘Payment for Ecosystem Services Scheme.’ 1.5% of every booking goes towards protecting the ecosystems you will benefit from during your stay in Malawi. Since 2013 RSC has donated $21,580 to assisting local conservation, environmental and cultural preservation initiatives.
RSC facilitates continued support between clients and the communities they have visited. We ensure a sustainable support programme is offered that leads to long term support and income generation for the communities we work for. 2013-2016 RSC facilitated donations have totaled $36,500.
Inclusive business in tourism stands for a distinct attitude. While pro-poor tourism is deemed as “tourism that results in increased net benefits for poor people”, inclusive business has as its goal the collaboration of companies and poor people as business partners in order to achieve mutual benefits. Conceptually, it incorporates development goals into business strategies and is therefore well-suited to collaboration between the private and public sectors. Nevertheless, many useful insights can be gained from the literature on pro-poor tourism.
Inclusive business in tourism offers one means of achieving sustainable and responsible tourism. Whereas responsible tourism is deemed as that which “maximises the benefits to local communities, minimises negative social or environmental impacts and helps local people conserve fragile cultures and habitats or species”, sustainable tourism involves the commercial perspective in achieving the so-called triple bottom line of sustainability. Inclusive business differs once again in its attitude: it focuses on the impact of tourism on poverty without losing sight of environmental effects and commercial viability.
We believe that empowering Malawi’s people through tourism offers a chance for communities to develop out of the poverty cycle.
We believe that when promoting a fragile destination it is vital to ensure the benefits reach the local communities.
We are committed to building the local economy in Malawi. By employing local people and creating sustainable growth through social enterprise, we aim to reduce the dependence on the aid industry.
We believe in balance. Our tailored, educational and culturally diverse experiences awaken minds and inspire future generations.
We believe that everyone should take the chance to #bepartofsomething.
