Luke bailes biography

One of the most influential figures when talking about African wildlife tourism is Luke Bailes, founder of renowned conservation and eco-tourism brand Singita. The brand highlights the preservation of large areas of the African wilderness through environmentally conscious and socially responsible hospitality. From the humble opening of Singita Ebony Lodge in to now 15 environmentally-centered properties dotted across Africa, Luke Bailes is not slowing down anytime soon as his campaign takes momentum.

How did it start? My family owned some land and it kind of grew bigger as we acquired more and because of my conservation ideals, I decided to have a brand to expand our conservation platform. We began with Singita Ebony Lodge because we believed that safari tourism could play a significant role in our campaign for conservation. Our main purpose is to conserve, preserve, and protect this beautiful place for the future generation.

There is already a huge devastating effect on animals in the wilderness. There are challenges stemming from overconsumption and impacts that can be felt globally. Singita highlights all of these issues and serves as our platform to talk about biodiversity, sustainability, and community. It is of paramount importance that we work with the local community to achieve something.

It involves education in all forms from large scale to small business enterprise developments. Singita is known for the incredible conservation programs, could you tell us more about some of the programs?

Jo bailes, singita

Why is conservation such a priority? We have a culinary school which is incredible because we bring students from impoverished areas. We teach them skills that make them easily employable.