Re: New Developments (camps, hides, picnic sites etc) as per Strategic Plan 2019/20 - 2023/24
Posted: Fri Jun 14, 2019 3:45 pm
All these units together amount to guest bed numbers of a new large camp.
Go wild for Wildlife and help to keep our Conservation Areas pure, natural and green.
https://africawild-forum.com/
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.
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).
At current rates, visitors to the Kruger National Park will double within 11 years, but SANParks has no plans to double roads or accommodation.
Camping sites and picnic sites do not generate incomeIn 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.
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).At current rates, visitors to the Kruger National Park will double within 11 years, but SANParks has no plans to double roads or accommodation.
I'd prefer to have a proper waterfront first with lotsa shops and restaurants