How One Stellenbosch Entrepreneur is Transforming African Tourism Marketing
Lizanne Du Plessis is a passionate and resourceful entrepreneur, driven by curiosity and a knack for connecting the dots in a unique and unexpected way.
As a student, Lizanne fueled her love for travel by sourcing unique tribal wares from places like Morocco, Thailand, India, Kenya, and Zanzibar, selling them to upmarket curio shops in Stellenbosch. This entrepreneurial spirit not only supported her travels but also enabled her to pursue her studies, leading to a Cum Laude Master’s Degree in Environmental Ethics, including a focus on ecotourism.
Armed with both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience from traveling the world, Lizanne launched her second entrepreneurial venture, Fairfield Mountain Cottages, a secondary business on a fruit farm outside Ceres. This ecotourism venture earned her a Fair Trade Tourism accreditation and a Fair Trade Tourism Award for Excellence in the Broader Community. “What I truly enjoyed was marketing the business and increasing our bookings, which led me to realize my passion for tourism marketing and attracting guests to the experience that nature provided there,” she says.
After moving to Stellenbosch, Lizanne decided to take her passion to the next level. She further enhanced her skills by completing courses at Red & Yellow School Creative School of Business, eventually founding Eco Africa Digital—an agency dedicated solely to digital tourism marketing. For Lizanne, this was the perfect opportunity to combine her love for nature, travel, and marketing innovation while making a meaningful impact on tourism across Africa.
Now, twenty years after those first studies on ecotourism, Lizanne is diving deeper into new technologies, preparing to embark on a certificate program at Cornell University in New York to leverage Marketing AI. “As a lifelong learner, I’m always curious, always exploring, always finding ways to create value as we go along. Whether through travel or technology, my mission remains the same—promoting and protecting the wild places we love for generations to come,” she explains.
Founded in 2012, Eco Africa Digital has grown steadily and organically, allowing Lizanne to balance her entrepreneurial ambitions with raising two young children. Initially scaling gradually, the business was gaining momentum when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, putting the global tourism industry on hold.
Despite the challenges, the business has not only recovered but thrived. Since then, Eco Africa Digital has tripled its pre-COVID turnover, consistently delivering an average return on marketing investment of at least 300% per year for its clients. This marks a key milestone, demonstrating the agency’s resilience and innovation during one of the most challenging periods the tourism industry has ever faced.
As the company grew, so did the caliber of talent it attracted. Lizanne now leads a team of bright, young tech specialists who keep the agency at the cutting edge of digital marketing. This talented team has been key to the agency’s success, earning recognition along the way, including awards like the Silver Award for the Most Compelling Agency Story at the World Travel Market Africa and the Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award at the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum.
One of the toughest challenges was starting from scratch, without the blueprint of a traditional agency background. Everything was built based on client needs, which meant the team constantly evolved and learned on the job.To bridge the knowledge gap, Lizanne prioritized hiring experienced staff from established agencies like King James and bringing on board the latest workflow technologies and platforms.
Another challenge was growing organically without substantial startup funding for things like salaries, software, or infrastructure. Eco Africa Digital grew alongside its clients—starting with smaller businesses and scaling as it attracted larger tourism establishments and hotel groups.
Another challenge has been navigating the Millennial and Gen Z tendency to move on after a year or two. Instead of resisting, Lizanne embraced this as an opportunity, ensuring the agency’s systems, workflows, and service offerings continually improved with each new team member.
On scaling Eco Africa Digital, Lizanne credits a recent Women in Leadership certification from Cornell University for helping her refine her long-term vision. “As a leader, I focus on three key goals: attracting top talent, driving our clients’ direct bookings and marketing ROI, and scaling the company’s turnover. Balancing these goals ensures sustainable growth.”
Currently, Eco Africa Digital is prioritizing Google Ads management, as it delivers the fastest and most cost-effective ROI for clients. They’ve also launched Base Camp Academy, a set of self-paced online courses to help tourism businesses master social media marketing.
The agency has forged key partnerships to enhance its services. Recently, they joined the London based Africa Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA), delivering digital marketing Masterclasses to members and becoming involved in ATTA for Change, the sustainability arm of the organization.
Some other collaborations include G2 Design for high-end website development and Horison Productions for compelling video content that has taken their social media campaigns to new heights.
Lizanne’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: Stay deeply connected to your passion, but remain adaptable in how you bring that passion to life. Success takes time, so be patient and resilient. Surround yourself with skilled people, stay open to collaboration, and always focus on adding real value to your clients.
To get in touch with Lizanne and find out more about Eco Africa Digital, click here.
