Tourism ‘slowly but steadily recovering’
DURING South African National Parks Week, which ran from September 12 to 18, a total 72,166 people visited participating parks for free. Under the theme "Know Your National Parks”, this programme gave locals with appropriate identification documents the opportunity to spend a day at a national park of their choice, for free.
According to Sanparks acting CEO Hapiloe Sello, the goal of the week was to provide all South Africans with the opportunity to enjoy and experience the beauty and majesty of our spectacular national parks.
"We had over 72,000 individuals visit the parks during the focal week this year, which is 81% more than in 2021," said Sello.
“National Parks Week strives to instil a sense of pride in all South Africans regarding the country's natural, cultural, and historical legacy. We believe that as people begin to take pride in their national parks, they will begin to realise the need for conservation."
Since its commencement in 2006, National Parks Week has seen an increase in day visits of 691,418 in all participating parks.
"The last two years, the week was postponed to November due to national lockdown measures and travel restrictions, which saw only 39,841 in 2020 and 28,018 in 2021," Sello explained. “The figures for this year are just slightly lower than those for 2018. This is really promising and indicates that more people are taking advantage of the free week at our national parks and returning to travel around the country. It is clear that tourism is slowly but steadily recovering from the disastrous consequences of Covid-19. "
Sello thanked Totalenergies Marketing South Africa and First National Bank for helping to make the annual SA National Parks Week possible. "This week would not have happened without our partners, and South Africans would not be able to visit our parks for free.”
Mariam Kane-garcia, the CEO and executive VP, Southern Africa of Totalenergies Marketing South Africa, said: "With our ambition to be a major player in the energy transition and being a partner of Sanparks for more than 60 years, we remain committed to the conservation of wildlife and the collective heritage of South Africans, which are fundamentally associated with sustainable development.
“It is an honor for Totalenergies Marketing South Africa to take part in deserving initiatives
to preserve nature in South Africa. We are especially proud of the yearly SA National Parks Week, which offers free access to the inhabitants of SA and lets everyone visit the parks.
Sipho Silinda, the CEO of FNB Public Sector Banking, said: “The 17th annual SA National Parks Week is a remarkable milestone in our continuous commitment to enable South African citizens to discover our country's natural
heritage.
“We are not forgetting that the tourism sector is one of the industries still recovering from the pandemic and that it continues to be essential and crucial to the expansion of our economy. As a result, we implore our communities and people to keep up their support for our national heritage and culture.”
Sanparks acknowledged all South Africans who participated
in the week, especially instructors and school groups. "The survival of the South African national park system and our natural and cultural heritage lies with the people of South Africa, and we are focused on involving young people and communities," said Sello.
"We want to cultivate knowledge of the importance of conservation and an appreciation for the country's natural heritage."