Serengeti Balloon Safaris becomes World’s first B corp-certified balloon company

SERENGETI: SERENGETI Balloon Safaris has become the world’s first hot-air balloon company to achieve Certified B Corporation status, giving the Tanzanian tourism operator an internationally recognised benchmark for its environmental, social and governance practices.

The certification, awarded in August 2026, follows an assessment by B Lab of the company’s governance, treatment of workers, community impact, environmental performance and customer practices.

Serengeti Balloon Safaris said it achieved a B Impact Score of 97.1, compared with a current median score of 50.9 for businesses completing the B Impact Assessment.

“We are thrilled and honoured to have achieved this recognition for the way we run our company,” said Mr. John Corse, managing director of Serengeti Balloon Safaris.

“At SBS we are passionate about promoting a positive impact for each and every stakeholder we have – our team, our guests, our community and the environment we live and work in.”

The certification gives the company a new sustainability credential as international tourism businesses face increasing pressure from travellers, investors and business partners to demonstrate measurable environmental and social performance.

B Lab, the non-profit organisation behind the certification, assesses companies against standards covering governance, workers, communities, customers and the environment. More than 10,000 companies globally have achieved B Corp certification.

For Serengeti Balloon Safaris, the designation also has a direct commercial dimension because its business depends on protected wildlife landscapes that underpin Tanzania’s tourism economy.

The company began commercial balloon flights over the Serengeti in 1989 and now operates in Serengeti, Ruaha and Tarangire national parks. It says it has carried more than 300,000 passengers.

The company also says it was the first operator to train and employ Tanzanian commercial balloon pilots on a full-time basis. Its chief pilot, Capt. Abeid Soka, became Tanzania’s first balloon pilot examiner after his appointment by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority.

Mr. Pascal Kirigiti, commercial manager of Serengeti Balloon Safaris, said the company had invested in developing the sector alongside its own expansion.

“We are often referred to as the Balloonist’s Ballooning Company because of our passion for pioneering new routes, standards and developments in the industry,” Mr. Kirigiti said.

Safety remains subject to regulatory oversight by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority, while the company competes in the high-value segment of Tanzania’s wildlife tourism market.

The B Corp certification follows another sustainability milestone. In 2026, Serengeti Balloon Safaris became the first commercial balloon operator in Tanzania to achieve Travelife Certified status after an assessment covering environmental management, labour practices, community impact and customer communication.

The company says its procurement, staff development and environmental management practices are intended to reduce its impact while strengthening the communities and ecosystems on which its business depends.

Mr. Corse said the B Corp assessment formalised practices that had been embedded in the company’s operations for decades.

“Every decision we make from our procurement process to our staff training is guided by these principles,” he said.

The certification does not mean the company has zero environmental impact. Rather, it provides an external framework for assessing how the business is governed and how its operations affect workers, communities, customers and the environment.

For Serengeti Balloon Safaris, the designation adds an internationally recognised sustainability standard to a tourism business whose commercial model is built around Tanzania’s protected wilderness.