New Developments (camps, hides, picnic sites etc) as per Strategic Plan 2019/20 - 2023/24

[Klipspringer]

All these units together amount to guest bed numbers of a new large camp.

[Lisbeth]

SANParks has gone wild. Wherever there is a possibility to add accommodations, they'll do it

When people then start moaning seriously about too many cars, they'll most likely stop self-driving and fill the park with OSVs in the hope of earning even more What about the people camping though Maybe I am running too fast

[harrys]

Lis, in my oppinion that is excactly what they are planning

[Klipspringer]

There is an excellent article about the developments from 2018:

African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, Volume 7 (2) - (2018) ISSN: 2223-814X
Copyright: © 2018 AJHTL - Open Access- Online @ http//: www.ajhtl.com

Tourism in the Kruger National Park: Past Development, Present Determinants and Future Constraints
Michael R. Brett
Department of Social Sciences
University of Zululand, South Africa
E-mail: BrettM@unizulu.ac.za


https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7 ... __2018.pdf


There is a comparison: development plans from KNP managemant plans from 2011 vs 2018

The revised management plan of 2011 included the provision of one additional entrance gate and rest camp, five tented camps, four
camping camps, eight overnight hides and nine picnic sites. The camping camps were proposed for the northern and far northern regions, as were three of the five tented camps. Taking current norms into account, the proposed facilities would probably have added an additional 12% to the bed
capacity of the park.
In the revised 2018 management plan, there has been a refinement of the proposed developments and the list has been altered to include one wilderness camp, two platforms, two overnight hides, two picnics sites, two tented camps, and two lodges on the border of the park. The camping camps have been omitted and the number of tented camps reduced to two. There has also been a reduction in the picnic sites proposed for the southern region from five to two, and the proposed peripheral development at Phalaborwa was not included in the 2011 plan. A tented camp and a rest camp has been proposed for the central region which has a lower bed density rate than the southern region.

Some other interesting stuff from the paper:

3. Peripheral developments
The 2018 management plan proposes two peripheral developments at Phalaborwa and at Shangoni near the Shingwedzi River, and two lodges have been approved at Malelane and Skukuza (SANParks, 2018a, 99).

Given the distances from Gauteng and visitor perceptions that there is less wildlife to be seen in the northen and far northern regions, it impractical to develop the northern half of the park as an alternative destination to the southern and central regions. This is acknowledged in the latest management plan, which states, “Kruger North does not have a potential to generate income comparable with that of the South” (SANParks, 2018a, 39).

The latest statisitics reveal that 1,817,724 visitors entered the park in the 2016/2017 year, which represents a doubling in 15 years from 2001/2002 (SANParks, 2017). In three of the last five years, the annual rate of increase has exceeded 6% per annum. At a 6% rate of increase, visitor numbers will double to 3.65 million by 2028/2029.

Has visitor capacity been exceeded?
The Kruger National Park currently contributes R825 million annually directly to the regional economy of the Lowveld (Kruger National Park Management Plan, 2018, 29). At present, 78.4% of the total of 1.8 million visitors are day visitors and Open Safari Vehicles (OSVs) accounted for 246,662, or 13.5%, of all visitors (Ferreira & Harmse, 2014, 28; SANParks, 2017). Visitor crowding during peak holiday periods is not a new trend in the Kruger National Park (Figure 14), but increasing visitor numbers are resulting in considerable pressure, particularly in the southern region (Figure 15).
Apart from its direct economic contribution to the region, the park indirectly supports more than 200 neighbouring lodges (Map 3). Many of these lodges are located on the private game reserves adjacent to the Kruger National Park, such as Sabi Sand, Timabavati, Klaserie and Balule. Private
game lodge owners often take their visitors to the Kruger National Park, and make use of entrance gates such as Orpen, but the majority of OSVs originate from companies based in Hazyview, White River and Nelspruit (Mbombela).

And this piece states the problem quite clear:

At current rates, visitors to the Kruger National Park will double within 11 years, but SANParks has no plans to double roads or accommodation.

[Lisbeth]

A very interesting read

In the revised 2018 management plan, there has been a refinement of the proposed developments and the list has been altered to include one wilderness camp, two platforms, two overnight hides, two picnics sites, two tented camps, and two lodges on the border of the park. The camping camps have been omitted and the number of tented camps reduced to two. There has also been a reduction in the picnic sites proposed for the southern region from five to two, and the proposed peripheral development at Phalaborwa was not included in the 2011 plan. A tented camp and a rest camp has been proposed for the central region which has a lower bed density rate than the southern region.

Camping sites and picnic sites do not generate income

At current rates, visitors to the Kruger National Park will double within 11 years, but SANParks has no plans to double roads or accommodation.

The accommodtions might not be doubled, but they are doing their best. At that time the Malelane hotel was still on the cards ( and probably still is; it has only been set aside for a moment).

The whole plan shows clearly that everything is planned exclusively for the sake of generating earnings.

SANParks with this declares openly that the necessities of the visitors are not in the least taken into consideration not to mention conservation.

[Lisbeth]

This is most likely what has been discussed in details above:

Kruger is the flagship of South Africa's 20 National Parks - making the planned upgrades over the next three years welcomed to improve the visitor experience.

The focus of the improvements will be on various aspects of accommodation in the park, conferencing venues and day visitors' facilities - as well as entrance gates and road upgrades.

Some of these upgrades are currently underway, with the demolition of artificial dams in Shingwedzi and Sirheni, up until the 28th of June 2019 - expected to impact the some tourist routes in the park. The dams to be demolished are Louis se Gat and Kanniedod Dams.

Tourism Update reports Kruger will be receiving a new day visitor site at Shingwedzi, a conference venue at Mopani and upgrades to the tented accommodation at Lower Sabie are some of the upgrades and developments planned for South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

Funding awarded by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to the value of R396 million for SANPArks infrastructure development until 2022, will see R195 million used for to the Kruger National Park.

Blake Schraader, Head of the Department of Technical Services is quoted as confirming the designs for the upgrades as 99% complete.

Traveller24 contacted SANParks and is awaiting added details as roll-out timelines, as the "team in Kruger is aligning the required maintenance plans with the available budgets and they will revert back shortly".

Punda Maria, Shingwedzi, Letaba, Satara, Orpen, Roodewal, Lower-Sabie, Berg-en-Dal and Pretoriuskop have all been pegged for improvements, with a new conference venue in the pipeline for Mopani.

Schraader says, "new day visitor facilities, similar to those at Letaba, Satara and Orpen, will be built at Shingwedzi and Olifants".

SANparks is said to be centralising commercial activities in the park, with a "swipe card system" to fast-track Wild Cardholders access.

Crocodile Bridge Camp is also going to be repositioned as a longer-stay destination, as opposed to transiting through - with the through road set to be removed.

Traveller24 will update with more details of the upgrades as they continue.

https://www.traveller24.com/Explore/Bus ... s-20190621

[Peter Betts]

What about the Casino at Punda Maria's waterfront

[Klipspringer]

What about the Casino at Punda Maria's waterfront

I'd prefer to have a proper waterfront first with lotsa shops and restaurants


What Tourism Update reports is rubbish, that has happened 10 years ago.

[Richprins]

Hubs and Shangoni going ahead again...

[Lisbeth]

Finally they have understood

Most of this would not have been necessary if they had done normal maintenance constantly, as one does with a house