SOUTH African National Parks (SANParks) will from September 1, 2009, be implementing an annual rates increase, earlier than its usual increase date of November 1.
This, says SANParks director for tourism and marketing, Glenn Phillips, is due to the rapidly increasing inflation rate experienced over the past few months.
“We have considered many options, including an additional increase as from November 1, 2008. However, due to the fact that so many of the guests had already booked and in some cases paid for their holidays to national parks, it was decided not to implement this option, but rather to increase the fees for new bookings from September 1, 2009. Conservation fees and activity rates will also increase from that date,” says Phillips.
Phillips confirms, however, that customers will experience “some relief” in that additional person rates in guest houses have been restructured so that children will be charged at half the adult rate as from November 1. “Children in guest houses were charged full additional person rates in the past and with this change, we trust it will be easier for family groups to visit national parks.”
