Talking Stick

Talking Stick is a family-run UK representation agency that has been working with African travel brands since 2006. Founded by Marc Reading, the company is now run day-to-day by his son David Reading — a TTG 30-under-30 in 2018 and an active member of the ATTA Board. The team is based in Somerset and the office still genuinely feels like the family business it is, complete with a Champagne Cockapoo as Chief Barketing Officer.

The Talking Stick portfolio is broad and Africa-anchored. Headline African clients include the Oceana Beach and Wildlife Reserve, Boutique Lodge South Africa, Legacy Hotels and Resorts (with properties across South Africa, Namibia and West Africa), Wild Frontiers (the Uganda and Tanzania camps and DMC), Wellworth Hospitality (Tanzania and Zanzibar), Cresta Mowana Safari Lodge in Botswana's Chobe, the Zambezi Queen Collection of houseboats, The Palm River Hotel and The Ilala Lodge in Victoria Falls, the Soroi Collection of Kenyan camps in the Mara, Tsavo and Samburu (joining the portfolio in January 2026), and Out and About Africa as the Southern African DMC. The portfolio extends beyond Africa to India, Australasia and the Middle East.

What makes Talking Stick distinctive is the depth of relationships across the UK trade. With twenty years inside the UK market, the team has trained, presented to, FAM-tripped or sold alongside most of the buyer-side product managers in luxury Africa today. That history opens doors — particularly for new African clients trying to break into the UK market — that would take a newer rep years to build.

At AATE 2026, the Talking Stick team will be at Pall Mall to introduce UK buyers to the African portfolio, including the new Soroi Collection partnership and the latest at Wild Frontiers.