General discussion on proposed hotels in KNP

[Flutterby]

But I think that's Mabunda's whole argument...they don't want to stay in self catering accommodation....they want the luxury of an hotel.

[Penga Ndlovu]

From the SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL PARKS ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLAN FOR 2012/13 we learn that there is no growth:

Total Number Domestic Black Visitors
406,085 in 2009/10
385,000 in 2010/11
385,000 in 2011/12

I wonder how much, percentage wise, are just people on their way to Mozambique? Ei Ei Ei Ei Ei Ei Ei

[Lisbeth]

Flutts, not even he does believe that, he only hopes that the others do

[Mel]

Rather a decline, it seems... Thanks for the statistics, Toko!

Seriously, if I had the money and liked the pampering,
I would not choose to stay in a hotel in Kruger where there are
so many other tourists roaming the roads in the south and
potentially spoiling major sightings with huge road blocks.
I'd rather go to the private reserves close by...

Maybe I'm dumb but I just don't see a market for those hotels.

[Lisbeth]

Neither do I, Mel! Maybe some American, South Corean or Japonese, but being so few, they will certainly not fill up the hotels. Group tours to South Africa are not that many, I think. They mostly go to Tanzania or Kenya and those who do go to SA are mostly concentrated on Cape Town. At least that's my experience from what I read in the newspapers and on the internet.

[iNdlovu]

There isn't a market Mel. I am a South African that works hard and gets well paid for it, but there is no way I can afford to spend 5 days at R1500 per person in Kruger. That would cost my little family R22,500 and I just can not afford that. Add the cost of traveling to SA for overseas people and tell me if that's good value for money.

[Toko]

And the private reserves do better to show their guests the big five (allowed to drive off-road and permanently monitoring where there are lions and leopards Ei )

[Mel]

Way too expensive, iNdy. But that's us who are on a tighter budget than others.
Still, why would those who have the dough go to Kruger when Greater Kruger already
has what they might desire. Like the Americans, Japanese etc. that Lis mentioned.
And if they wished to stay in Kruger, why would they prefer a hotel to the existing
concession? I mean, Rhino Post looks really nice when you look at pictures from that camp.

The hotel is a cheap new state of the art accomm for SP.
If they had to built it with their own money, I don't think it would happen.

Exactly, Toko!

[Lisbeth]

Seems that three WNs agree, but then again, we might not have the same ideas as the medium European holiday maker

[Flutterby]

Mel, I agree with you. If I wanted a luxury experience, I would rather go to one of the private concessions where you would have much more personal attention than at a hotel.