SANParks has reported exceeding its occupancy rate and revenue increase targets at South Africa’s national parks although the development of new tourism products has been held back by struggles to adapt to changing public-private partnership (PPP) models.
Occupancy rates at accommodation in national parks recorded year-on-year increases of 2% and 1.3% respectively in the third and fourth quarters of the 2024/25 financial year, according to a performance report presented by SANParks CEO Hapiloe Sello in Parliament on July 1.
Average occupancies stood at 66.8% in the third quarter and 64.9% in the fourth quarter while total visitor numbers increased by 3.15% to over 10.7 million. This helped to drive a revenue increase of just over 3% for the full 2024/25 financial year to R3.96 billion (€189.2 million).
“The consistent marginal growth across all key indicators – guest numbers, occupancy rates and tourism revenue – demonstrates strong and sustained demand for our parks,” SANParks Head of Communication JP Louw told Tourism Update.
Louw attributed the increases to improved infrastructure and visitor amenities, including upgrades of accommodation units in key parks such as the Kruger National Park and Table Mountain National Park.
He said performance was further bolstered by enhanced marketing and brand positioning, “especially around regenerative tourism experiences”.
In addition, tourism grading assessments were conducted at 38 rest camps across the country’s 19 national parks in the fourth quarter, exceeding the target of 13 rest camps.
Overall, the organisation achieved 81% of its targets in the third quarter and 78% in the fourth quarter.
Failure to implement new products
A notable concern highlighted in the performance report was failure to implement any of the eight new tourism products targeted for the latter half of the financial year.
Louw said difficulties arose in the execution of the PPP models governing the projects.
“Executing these projects comes with emerging challenges, with some new products, and systems and services being delayed,” said Louw, pointing out that evolving new and revised PPP models required alignment with SANParks’ newly devised Vision 2040 masterplan.
“Additionally, there were capacity constraints in evaluating and implementing innovative tourism products,” Louw said.
He acknowledged that the development of new products is critical for diversifying revenue streams, enhancing visitor experience and promoting inclusive economic participation such as co-ownership with communities.
Looking ahead
In its 2025-2030 strategic plan, approved in May, SANParks further identifies the sluggish development of new products and outdated tourism strategies as barriers to the organisation’s revenue growth.
The strategy prioritises an investment in “modernising tourism strategies, expanding into new markets to attract diverse visitor segments and developing infrastructure to enhance visitor experiences.”
Some of this is set to be achieved through the Kruger-Kirstenbosch-iSimangaliso Icon Status Strategy (KISS), which is part of the delivery agreement for SANParks with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. KISS focuses on cementing the three flagship attractions’ statuses as world-class tourism destinations.
“Diverse and responsible tourism products – such as immersive wildlife experiences, cultural and heritage tourism, luxury lodges and safari experiences – will further assist in cementing Kruger National Park as a world-class destination,” SANParks’ strategic plan states.
SANParks has embedded Vision 2040 into the strategic plan with one of the six pillars of the strategy being regenerative tourism. Over the next five years, the organisation is aiming to develop facilities that integrate renewable energy while securing eco-tourism investment to fund green infrastructure and technology solutions.
Louw said SANParks has advanced with the development of a new Tourism Property Management System. Pilot testing is set to start in late 2025. Due for implementation in early 2026, the system is designed to modernise property and asset tracking while supporting dynamic pricing and inventory management.
