362 client trips in 2021. It was the most we'd ever run in a calendar year, and it happened in nine months — the first three were still restricted. The demand that had been building for eighteen months came back with a force we had prepared for but hadn't quite believed would be this concentrated.
South Africa was the story. We ran 44 South Africa departures — up from 18 in 2019. Every single one was sold before July. The waiting list for October and November Leopard Creek slots was, at one point in August, 23 people long. The courses there had used the Covid closure to complete course renovation work that had been planned for years, and the condition of Leopard Creek, Fancourt, and Pearl Valley in 2021 was, by consistent client report, the finest any of them had been in living memory.
Japan stayed closed to tourists until late 2022. Every Japan client rebooked without complaint. This is the trust relationship that a decade of being honest with people builds — when I said 'Japan isn't possible this year but I will book you for next available window and it will be exactly what you were expecting,' not a single client asked for their deposit back.
The number I'm most proud of from 2021: 78% of our client volume was either return clients or referrals from return clients. That means 78% of the people who went on a Dormie trip in 2021 either came back themselves or were sent by someone who had. That is the metric that matters most to me. Not the total volume. The proportion that comes from trust.
2022 plans: Japan reopening (fingers crossed), the full debut of our Azores itinerary, and the first formal Morocco programme. All three have been in development since 2020. We're ready.
James Kinloch
Golf Travel Specialist · View profile →
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