‘BEST VACATION EVER’: Serengeti Leaves 120 US Travel Agents Awestruck
The vantage view from the sky was a particular highlight.
MONDAY November 10, 2025
By The Tranquility News Reporter, Tanzania
Tanzania rolled out a red carpet for high-profile travel agents to explore the country’s untapped tourism opportunities as part of its fresh marketing strategy.
A contingent of 120 travel agents from the United States concluded an impactful familiarisation tour of Tanzania, with the agents unanimously pledging to aggressively promote the country—and its third-largest national park, the Serengeti—back home and in overseas markets.
The delegation, hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT) to gain firsthand experience of the country’s tourist jewels, enjoyed a trip ranging from seven to 12 days, experiencing game drives and the park’s signature hot air balloon safaris.
The agents were overwhelmed by the unique experiences the Serengeti offers. Melissa Bolenis, a travel agent from Ohio, described the trip as “amazing, the burst I’ve ever experienced in the bush. It’s great!”
The vantage view from the sky was a particular highlight. Justin Garfield, the Executive Director of Excellent Guide Tours and Safaris based in Los Angeles, California, described touring the Serengeti skies aboard a hot air balloon as “something out of this world”, recommending the experience to anyone visiting Tanzania.
Following the incredible flight, the agents were treated to a ‘fabulous bush breakfast’.
The vastness of the landscape and the abundance of wildlife in its natural state proved to be a powerful selling point.
Erick Watson from Kent, Ohio, praised the ‘vast beauty’ of the Serengeti plains as “amazing and truly stunning,” adding that the encounter with the animals is “just truly an experience you cannot get anywhere else in the world”.
Catherine Alexander focused on the sheer scale of the wildlife. “I saw super heard of 18 giraffes yesterday. That was just one of amazing days I’ve never seen in my life. The opportunity to see that has been life changing,” she stated as she emphasized the beauty she witnessed was in the Serengeti’s “vast layer with all of its animals in their true environment.”
For many, the trip was a profoundly personal and unforgettable experience. Patricia Walker affirmed that she would “tell everybody she knows,” declaring: “This is the best vacation I’ve been on.”
The agents also assured that the Serengeti is highly marketable due to its safety and quality of service, encouraging all tourists to visit the “awe inspiring and life changing destination,” where “people take care of guests like nowhere in the world.”
The success of the tour is crucial for Tanzania, as figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (2022) show the US is already the country’s leading tourist market source, with American travelers typically seeking safaris and longer stays. The US is followed by France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and PolandΩ
