Tour operators, lodges and wheels operators are recovering from the devastating impacts of the January flooding in the Greater Kruger National Park (KNP) with 52% of respondents to a recent Tourism Update survey describing the impact on revenue as “severe”.
This was due primarily to the impact on road access (selected by 84% of respondents), cancelled or postponed guest bookings (88% of respondents) and affected guest activities (79% of respondents).
In addition to significant infrastructure damage in the KNP, many lodges in private reserves (including Timbavati, Klaserie and Balule) suffered varying levels of damage that forced temporary closures ranging from a few weeks to more than six months.
Don Scott, Co-Owner of Tanda Tula in the Timbavati, said the lodge is filling up with guests again following its reopening on January 28.
“A lot of work needed to be done on our road networks to open up accessibility but, thankfully, we now sit with a full camp. The biggest impact has been in terms of business interruption as we had to, of course, cancel several bookings,” said Scott, stating that many guests were diverted to private reserves in the Eastern Cape.
He said numerous lodges banded together to prepare business interruption insurance claims.
“This spirit of collaboration has been a common thread throughout this disaster. In the safari sector, we are in the business of caring for people. We all came together to share information and to do what we could to assist others,” said Scott.
Other lodges suffered more severe infrastructural impacts. After sustaining significant damage to chalets and main areas, Hideaways Africa’s Amava River Lodge in the Balule Nature Reserve will remain closed until at least December 31.
Local tour operators struggling
Business for local tour operators in the Hoedspruit area has virtually ground to a standstill, according to Elize Olivier, Owner of Bushbaby Adventures, who also sits on the KNP Steering Committee.
“It’s like we are back in COVID times. I am speaking not only for myself but numerous operators and guides when I say that we are sitting without income. We’ve had to cancel multiple bookings, refund clients and turn down requests for tours,” said Olivier.
The closure of Phalaborwa Gate for day tours is a major issue for Hoedspruit-based operators while other activities, such as cultural tours, are still impossible due to access challenges, she pointed out.
“The guides are crying out for support. So much of the attention and funding relief efforts are channelled into the KNP while little recourse is available for local tour operators,” Olivier said.
Effect on forward bookings
Just under half of respondents to our survey (44%) stated forward bookings were affected by the flooding.
Mark Schurr, Owner of Mohlabetsi Safari Lodge in the Balule Nature Reserve (which received over 500mm of rain in some parts), said three upcoming bookings from overseas guests were cancelled despite the lodge reopening on Sunday, January 25.
“Fortunately, our April bookings are off the charts and we are expecting a strong high season coming up,” said Schurr.
Tom Vorster, Chair of the Maruleng Tourism Association (MTA), said the relaunch of flights by FlySafair on February 14 will be a significant boon for the region.
“We have already seen guests coming back in on the Airlink and Cemair flights so that is gratifying. Things are slowly returning to normal. We are additionally urging road agencies and provincial and local authorities to urgently fix damaged roads.”
MTA has also collaborated with the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism to create a live map showing affected camps and roads in and around KNP.
