The Sunday Mail
Kimberly Mhembere
SOME prominent and influential people suffer from an identity crisis and often shy away from their roots, but that is not the case with Zimbabwean-born and foreign-based Deborah Calmeyer.
The businesswoman, who is based in the United States and Cape Town, is the chief executive officer and founder of one of the globally sought-after travel companies — ROAR AFRICA.
The safari enthusiast has been on a drive to market the country’s tourism through a unique package for executives.
She recently brought some top executives to Victoria Falls on a 12-day tour that included visits to other destinations like Kenya for the Great Wildebeest Migration; the Okavango Delta in Botswana; and the Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda.
Calmeyer’s journey in tourism was influenced by her cultural norms and roots.
“My African life seeded in me a deep love of the wild and a proud, protective instinct towards my extraordinary homeland’s people, places and wildlife,” she told The Sunday Mail Society.
“Both of my parents spent a lot of time in the African bush, seeding in me a deep commitment to the preservation and support of the people, animals and our extraordinary environment.”
She also indicated how growing up on a conservation farm, where riding horses, playing with her pet rescue lioness and water skiing in the crocodile-infested Lake Kariba cultivated her love for safari.
“A long, bloody history that has included wars instigated by regional empires, inter-tribal warfare, European and Arab slave raids, colonialism, corruption, cronyism, kleptocracy and exploitation affected us. We are, for the most part, determined to rise above and quick to forgive,” she said.
Her journey began in New York through creating itineraries, introducing contacts and giving travel advice to friends. What started as an early retirement gift to her zoologist father and a hobby is now one of the biggest travel companies.
In a bid to create an epic adventure, she launched “Greatest Safari on Earth” (2019) for 10 guests to Africa’s four most iconic wildlife destinations aboard an Emirates executive private jet.
“That is a trip; the first of its kind in the world. It has seen 100 percent growth and sold out three years in a row. We recently launched two incredible itineraries — ‘Sand, Sea, City and Safari’, and ‘The Wildest Safari on Earth’,” she said.
Asked what makes her story unique, she said: “There has always been a larger philanthropic mission attached to every ROAR AFRICA journey and a commitment to impact-led conservation and supporting African women in the patriarchal safari industry.”
The Zimbabwean-born entrepreneur has sold three tours of the Greatest Safari on Earth at a hefty price of US$148 000 per person. Calmeyer has scooped numerous international awards for her outstanding work. As part of its corporate social responsibility, ROAR AFRICA works with the Girls College of Tourism, The Tracking Academy, Uthando and The Imibala School for marginalised children.
The launch of “Greatest Safari on Earth” (2021) saw Calmeyer marketing her country and creating tourism ambassadors in the form of corporate executives.
In April, she is hosting the fourth Women’s Empowerment Retreat from April 11 to April 16 in Zimbabwe, where guests are expected to meet local speakers and hear unique stories from cultural and conservation pioneers like Lisa Hywood, Dr Moreangels Mbizah, micro-financier Virginia Sibanda and Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive officer Winnie Muchanyuka.
