SANParks and the COVID 19 pandemic

Information and Discussions on Management Issues in SANParks
Post Reply
User avatar
Richprins
Committee Member
Posts: 75834
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 3:52 pm
Location: NELSPRUIT
Contact:

SANParks and the COVID 19 pandemic

Post by Richprins »

Mello, you won't lose the money for the bookings at SANParks if worst happens, just put it in credit with them! \O


Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
User avatar
Mel
Global Moderator
Posts: 28221
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Germany
Location: Föhr
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus cripples Africa’s safari industry

Post by Mel »

Richprins wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2020 7:07 pm Mello, you won't lose the money for the bookings at SANParks if worst happens, just put it in credit with them! \O
Not sure if that'll still work a week or a few days before the actual booking? -O-


God put me on earth to accomplish a certain amount of things. Right now I'm so far behind that I'll never die.
User avatar
Lisbeth
Site Admin
Posts: 67237
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Lugano
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus cripples Africa’s safari industry

Post by Lisbeth »

Travel insurance will pay, if it's a governmental thing I suppose -O-


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
User avatar
RogerFraser
Site Admin
Posts: 6000
Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2013 9:36 pm
Country: South Africa
Location: Durban
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus cripples Africa’s safari industry

Post by RogerFraser »

https://www.fin24.com/Economy/South-Afr ... s-20200311

SA safari bookings suffer as coronavirus spreads

South African National Parks, which manages the country's safari destinations - including the premier Kruger National Park - said this week it has seen a number of postponements by international visitors due to the coronavirus.

The World Health Organisation on Wednesday declared the outbreak a pandemic.

According to SANParks spokesperson, Isaac Phaahla, visitors mainly from Europe, North America and Asia have been postponing their trips, as opposed to cancelling, in a development he described as out of the organisation's control, as countries around the world enforced precautionary measures to limit movement of people.

"We were trying to make inroads with Asia, and this is going to destabilise our marketing effort, which is done through SA Tourism," he said.

He added that the number of postponements was still "negligible" compared to the overall number of visitor still coming through the gates.

"These are not outright cancellations, which means people can travel again once the situation returns to normal."

The Kruger Park, which saw more than 1.5 million visitors in 2018, according to a recent annual report, is a magnet for international tourists, mainly from Europe and North America.

Tourism is one of the key drivers of South Africa's sluggish economy, and a drop in activity is likely to be felt. On Friday, ratings agency Moody's lowered South Africa's growth forecast for 2020 from 0.7% to 0.4%, citing the impact of the virus on economic activity. The agency also slashed projections for the G20 countries, which South Africa is part of.

The country has recorded three cases of coronavirus, as the deadly flu which was in January declared a public health emergency by the Word Health Organisation (WHO), after infections spread around the world from the China's Wuhan province, which is the epicentre.

Two of the people are a couple which was part of a group which had travel to Italy, one of the European countries that has been hit by the virus.

A PwC report last month indicated that the tourism industry was one of the sectors expected to come under pressure from the effects of the virus. About 95 000 Chinese tourists visit South Africa every year.

In January, the Flight Centre Travel Group urged travellers to reconsider all non-essential travel to China as a result of the outbreak.


User avatar
Lisbeth
Site Admin
Posts: 67237
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Lugano
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus cripples Africa’s safari industry

Post by Lisbeth »

It will get much worse before it gets better O**


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
User avatar
Richprins
Committee Member
Posts: 75834
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 3:52 pm
Location: NELSPRUIT
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus cripples Africa’s safari industry

Post by Richprins »

SANParks hold on to the payments for dear life, so more chance of a credit than a refund... :twisted:


Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
User avatar
Lisbeth
Site Admin
Posts: 67237
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Lugano
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus cripples Africa’s safari industry

Post by Lisbeth »

IMO a chance of a refund from Samparks is close to 0 O**


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
User avatar
Mel
Global Moderator
Posts: 28221
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Germany
Location: Föhr
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus cripples Africa’s safari industry

Post by Mel »

Whereas I appreciate the necessity of this decision, I'm devastated cause now we're not able to take up the booking of our lifetime. :-(


God put me on earth to accomplish a certain amount of things. Right now I'm so far behind that I'll never die.
Klipspringer
Global Moderator
Posts: 5862
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2013 12:34 pm
Country: Germany
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus cripples Africa’s safari industry

Post by Klipspringer »

Some EU tourists may be disappointed :-(

But locals should now visit the parks - you must help your nation now: go and visit during the easter holidays :-)


User avatar
Flutterby
Posts: 44150
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:28 pm
Country: South Africa
Location: Gauteng, South Africa
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus cripples Africa’s safari industry

Post by Flutterby »

Mel, I was thinking about you when we listened to the announcement last night. So sorry. :-(


Post Reply

Return to “General Management Issues - SANParks”