He described Kenya as ‘a beautiful country – full of wonderful people, wildlife and landscapes’ where every visit ‘is always a fantastic experience’ He went on to say that Kenya ‘offers a vast landscape of untouched beauty’ that ‘always gives one such a sense of peace.’ And that ‘there’s a unique sense of harmony about Kenya that you won’t find anywhere else on Earth.’

In 2013 Branson developed Mahali Mzuri, a 12-tented luxury safari camp in Kenya’s Olare Motorogi Conservancy in the Masai Mara. Mahali Mzuri was an addition to Virgin Limited Edition, Branson’s award-winning collection of exquisite and stunning retreats ‘chosen for their beautiful locations and magnificent surroundings’ each offering ‘a sense of fun, style, luxury, and exceptional personal service.’ A video series celebrating the achievements of its first 10 years can be seen here.
Mahali Mzuri is located in one of the world’s greatest wildlife destinations and one of the greatest biodiversity regions in the world, where up to one million wildebeest plus hundreds of thousands of other game undertake a journey of roughly 1,600km through Tanzania and Kenya. And this does not even include another 150,000 Loita wildebeest that just live in the area and are not interested in the migration.

According to Fodor’s Complete Guide to African Safaris, the Masai Mara which covers 1,510 km (938 miles) is ‘considered by many to be the world’s greatest game park because of the abundance of animals located here’ Branson told the Robb Report that “Opening Mahali Mzuri, which means ‘beautiful place’ in Swahili, has given me access to the best wildlife viewing in the world.’ He went on to ascribe to Kenya the catalyst for some of his deepest inspirations by saying “There’s something about Kenya that makes you feel like there’s magic in the air, wonder at every turn, and an ever-present sensation of oneness with nature. I always come back with a clear mind ready to take on my next challenge ‘In terms of the impact of the wildebeest migration on him, Branson said, ‘I truly believe that there is nothing more magical than witnessing the grasslands of the Maasai Mara begin to rustle as millions of migrating wildebeests head for the plains of the southern Serengeti.’

Mahali Mzuri went on to distinguish itself by being voted the “World’s Best Hotel” in 2021, by the Travel & Leisure readers, based on location, facilities, service, food and overall value over the previous three years. It also won the #1 Safari Lodge in the 2021 Awards. Nayara Tented Camp at Arenal Volcano National Park in Costa Rica came second in the awards, followed by The Opposite House in Beijing.

True to his very strong interest in Kenya and her tourism potential Branson went on to acquire another iconic hotel in the Mara, the award-winning Finch Hattons Luxury Safari Camp. Finch Hattons is named after Denys Finch Hatton who was a lover of Karen Blixen, a relationship that was immortalised in Blixen’s Out of Africa movie starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. Caroline Eden writing in the Guardian called it ‘The film that made us fall in love with Kenya.’ And ‘Hollywood’s greatest tribute to Kenya’’ that ‘sold Kenya as a destination in a way that no holiday brochure ever could.’ Hatton, during the early part of the twentieth century was a big-game hunter and host extraordinaire and ‘cultivated a reputation for leading classy, exclusive safaris for American tycoons and British royalty, among others.’ The hotel has lived up to its founder’s legacy and has been frequently voted the “Best Tented Camp in Africa” by top writers and travellers, and billed as a place ‘where your every whim is catered to, your every dream of Africa comes true, and where you’ll dine at a table sparkling with silver and crystal’

When opening Finch Hattons, his second Kenyan hotel Branson once again poured praise on Kenya and her wildlife attractions:

“Africa is one of my favourite parts of the world. Each cornerstone offers something entirely unique, surrounded by rich heritage and culture. I’m delighted Finch Hattons and all the incredible wildlife in the Tsavo National Park will join our Virgin family and I can’t wait to visit soon.”

Branson’s unofficial role as Kenya’s high end ultra luxury tourism’s brand champion has elevated Kenya’s wildlife attractions and facilities to the height of the global tourism ultra luxury industry. He was a onetime advisor to Saudi Arabia’s biggest Red Sea tourism project. What impact would his formal engagement as an advisor to the government have on Kenya’s tourism?

Branson would bring to Kenya’s tourism a tremendous sense of vision. In his autobiography Losing My Virginity, Branson writes ‘My parents had brought me up to think that we could all change the world.’ And therefore his ‘interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable , challenges and trying to rise above them’ And on the future of Virgin he said “We’re a company that likes to take on the giants. In too many businesses these giants have had things their own way. We’re going to have a lot of fun competing with them.”

Secondly Branson would bring an extraordinary capacity for entrepreneurship and innovation in the tourism industry. Julie Zeveloff writing for Business Insider noted that whereas Branson ‘may be known as the world’s greatest entrepreneur’ it is ‘his innovative thinking in the field of travel (that ) sets him apart as a true visionary’ An entrepreneur who had ‘created an unparalleled travel empire that extends from land to sky, and from ocean to outer space.’

When Branson told his cousin and fellow shareholder Simon Draper, that he was thinking seriously about starting an airline, Simon told him he wasn’t serious, he was mad. He went on to say that Richard was a megalomaniac and that he could only ‘go ahead with this over my dead body.’ He threatened to quit the company as he was convinced the venture was so risky and dim-witted that it would destroy the existing company’s balance sheet. Such was the inauspicious start of Virgin airlines.

Yet this ‘mad’ entrepreneur with zero experience in aviation, and driven by forces no one understands, would create an airline that:

• Would outperform British Airways, the national carrier, and the entire British aviation industry for 7 years up to 2023, as the only airline in the UK to have received a 5* Global Airline Rating in the APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) Official Airline Ratings.
• Would be awarded the APEX 2023 APEX Passenger Choice Awards Best Airline in Europe for the 3rd year in a row.
• Would join SkyTeam in March 2023 as the global alliance’s first and only UK member airline,
• Would grow into Britain’s second-largest carrier
• Would be in 2001 be the only profitable airline flying across the North Atlantic.
• Would be the first airline to install bullet – proof doors in cockpits.
• Would be the first US domestic airline to form after 9 / 11.
• Would be the first to create on – demand dining experience in US aviation.
• Would the first airline to offer fleet – wide WiFi.
• Would come on top in nearly every major survey of US airlines.

Finally, Branson not only has the brand, he is also the brand. When looking for a brand that had a universal appeal and could compete with Coca Cola, Gerry Pencer, the chief executive of Cott Corporation that specialised in bottling own – label colas did not look for an established drinks label, he reached out to Branson who had never bottled a single cola in his life. He told Branson:

You’ve got the X factor, the Y factor – you’ve got every factor there is…People like Virgin; they trust the name; they’ll buy a product because it’s a Virgin product.