‘Somak Celebrates 50+ Years Of Excellence’

An Interview With The Chairman Mr. Suresh Sofat

Mr. Suresh Sofat Mr. Sofat you are widely considered one of the very first, a pioneer if you will, in offering ‘East African Safari Experiences & Travel’ throughout the region. Where did your deeprooted passion for travel in Africa stem from?

I would say my deep-rooted passion and love for travel first began when I joined the aviation industry with East African Airways, upon completion of my education. Soon thereafter my interest & enthusiasm for aviation led me to join the United Arab Airlines, popularly known as Egypt Air today. During this period the British government placed conditions on nationals living within Kenya, to either stay within the country or move back to the UK on 28th February 1968. The demand and need for affordable flights to and from the UK quickly grew, as most of the previous generations who had setup base in Kenya stayed, whilst the younger generations moved back to further their education and business interests.

By this time I had a well-established network within the aviation industry, and aimed to provide a cost effective solution for families to travel back and forth. This led to the formation of Somak, the pioneers of VFR travel (Visiting Friends & Relatives) in Kenya via chartered aircrafts. My constant fascination with the wilderness, safari experiences and the natural beauty of Kenya was something I also always wanted share with the world.

Hence the Somak group was formed which includes Somak Safaris, Somak Travel & Somak Holidays; a perfect match.

Although your company needs little or no introduction amongst your industry peers, and virtually anyone who ‘actively’ buys travel experiences within the East African region… In your own words describe what the Somak group does?

The Somak group is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning destination management company (DMC) & tour operator with over 50+ years of experience. We specialize in VFR travel and organizing a wide variety of holiday, leisure and corporate travel experiences including; tailor-made and packaged safaris, beach holidays, romantic excursions & honeymoons, school trips, group incentives and much more. We serve tens of thousands of travelers annually offering an extensive array of itineraries and accommodation facilities to suit every interest & budget, with a network that spans throughout East Africa, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa just to name a few.

An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, your company has grown from strength-to-strength now handling in excess of 30,000+ leisure travellers coming into and travelling around the African continent each year. Tell us about some of your successes and hurdles you’ve faced along the way?

We are humbled to have had numerous successes and continued growth year-on-year within the Somak group. With our superior knowledge about this exotic yet complicated continent, our ability to curate truly unforgettable travel experiences, our strong network & work ethic, and of course our outstanding personalized guest services has led us to win countless international accolades & awards. However as with every industry, there are ups and downs that can’t be avoided.

Some of these hurdles have included the Likoni clashes, post-election squirmishes in 2007, terror-related insecurities and being labelled as an Ebola high-risk zone by the international media (which we are definitely not) have all led to an unstable yet resilient tourism landscape.

“To Be Successful Within The Tourism Industry, Whatever Service You May Offer, First And Foremost You Must Love, Appreciate And Enjoy What You Do.”

Somak Safaris retains its stellar reputation as one of the very best DMC’s on the African continent, yet many in the travel industry say there has been a major shift in the way tour & travel businesses operate. Given the constantly changing landscapes of global travel in Africa, what is the best advice you would impart onto others within the same industry?

To be successful within the tourism industry, whatever service you may offer, first and foremost you must love, appreciate and enjoy what you do. Remember you are working with people. Work with passion, commitment, honesty & integrity, and offer a quality and memorable range of experiences to your customers. They are the best judge of your services, and if they’re happy the word travels. In-turn through this process it all eventually comes full circle, and you will most definitely get more referrals and more businesses.

A hearty congratulations, Somak is now celebrating 50+ Years of Excellence since its inception in 1968. How does that make you feel as the founder of the company, and what does it take in this day and age to run a global entity of such size and stature (as compared to 50 years ago)?

As the Chairman and founders (with my beautiful wife Sadhana) of the company we are immensely proud of our teams, both past and present, for the hard work, determination, dedication, clear focus as a unit, and tenacity to be the very best in what we do. To your second question, to run a company of this size requires a strong company structure and great systems in place to be able to consistently deal with any type of enquiry, opportunity or eventuality.

What would you say are some of the most important characteristics that your HR teams, or you personally look out for, in potential employees looking to join the Somak group?

Individuals who display clear understanding and overall view of the industry, have strong knowledge, a deep appreciation and are passionate about Kenya as a destination, its flora, fauna & wildlife, and are able to work as part of a team. We have cultivated a culture where we provide equal opportunity to both genders and every team member has the freedom to bring to the table new ideas and concepts. They must be honest, work with integrity and always be committed to ensuring our clientele are well looked after and enjoy themselves during their trips & excursions.

As with all successful companies it is extremely important to put the right foundations, structures and individuals in place to allow for continuous growth throughout the organization. Name some of these individuals and the roles they play.

The Somak Group is well-heeled with solid structures and systems in place, as well as the right individuals and teams to carry forth and ensure the continuous growth & development of our brand globally. I would like to pay special tribute to my sons Ash Sofat & Anil Sofat who are currently based at our UK offices, and Ms. Bushra Sultan our MD based here in Kenya.

All business aside, what does Mr. Suresh Sofat like to do in his free time?

In my free time I enjoy watching live tennis, cricket and football matches, and although many here may not know this I am a regular at the Lords Cricket Ground in London – where we also have an Executive Match Day Box.