Tourism in the Kruger National Park: Past Development, Present Determinants and Future Constraints.
Proclaimed on 26 March 1898, the Sabi Game Reserve was the largest game reserve established in South Africa at the time. In 1902, at the end of the Anglo-Boer War, the reserve was re-established by the British caretaker government. The game reserve later faced considerable opposition, and the idea o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AfricaJournals
2018-02-01
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| Series: | African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure |
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| Online Access: | https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_15_vol_7__2__2018.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818596515221864448 |
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| author | Michael R. Brett |
| author_facet | Michael R. Brett |
| author_sort | Michael R. Brett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Proclaimed on 26 March 1898, the Sabi Game Reserve was the largest game reserve established in South Africa at the time. In 1902, at the end of the Anglo-Boer War, the reserve was re-established by the British caretaker government. The game reserve later faced considerable opposition, and the idea of a national park was gradually developed. The enlarged game reserve was finally proclaimed by the South African Parliament in 1926 and became the country’s first national park. The first visitor
overnight accommodation was constructed in 1928. A rapid increase in visitors soon placed pressures on visitor facilities. Over the intervening 90 years the Kruger National Park has become
the most visited national park in Africa where wildlife viewing is the core attraction. Visitor numbers have increased from 27 in 1927 to 1.8 million in 2016/2017. At a 6% rate of increase, visitors will
double to 3.65 million by 2029. Since 1961 the number of accommodation nodes within the park has increased from 14 to 27, totalling 4179 beds and 1896 visitors in campsites. A total of 1047 beds are also available in 24 privately-owned concession lodges. The park has an 883-kilometre network of tarred roads and 1679 kilometres of gravel roads. Of the four management regions, 47.7% of visitor accommodation and 32.9% of visitor roads are concentrated in the southern region, which accounts for 21.9% of the park’s area. As the southern region is closest to the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, the research reveals that it attracts more visitors and the rest camps in this region
exhibit the highest occupancy rates. However, out of 308 social media respondents, 90.9% believe that the southern region is currently overcrowded. Proposals for the future include better
management of OSV visitors, separate branding for the four regions and the establishment of peripheral accommodation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T11:33:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e66f2b5349124cb892429e92f4c6e530 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-814X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T11:33:08Z |
| publishDate | 2018-02-01 |
| publisher | AfricaJournals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure |
| spelling | doaj.art-e66f2b5349124cb892429e92f4c6e5302022-12-21T22:33:11ZengAfricaJournalsAfrican Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure2223-814X2018-02-0172Tourism in the Kruger National Park: Past Development, Present Determinants and Future Constraints.Michael R. Brett0Department of Social Sciences University of Zululand, South AfricaProclaimed on 26 March 1898, the Sabi Game Reserve was the largest game reserve established in South Africa at the time. In 1902, at the end of the Anglo-Boer War, the reserve was re-established by the British caretaker government. The game reserve later faced considerable opposition, and the idea of a national park was gradually developed. The enlarged game reserve was finally proclaimed by the South African Parliament in 1926 and became the country’s first national park. The first visitor overnight accommodation was constructed in 1928. A rapid increase in visitors soon placed pressures on visitor facilities. Over the intervening 90 years the Kruger National Park has become the most visited national park in Africa where wildlife viewing is the core attraction. Visitor numbers have increased from 27 in 1927 to 1.8 million in 2016/2017. At a 6% rate of increase, visitors will double to 3.65 million by 2029. Since 1961 the number of accommodation nodes within the park has increased from 14 to 27, totalling 4179 beds and 1896 visitors in campsites. A total of 1047 beds are also available in 24 privately-owned concession lodges. The park has an 883-kilometre network of tarred roads and 1679 kilometres of gravel roads. Of the four management regions, 47.7% of visitor accommodation and 32.9% of visitor roads are concentrated in the southern region, which accounts for 21.9% of the park’s area. As the southern region is closest to the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, the research reveals that it attracts more visitors and the rest camps in this region exhibit the highest occupancy rates. However, out of 308 social media respondents, 90.9% believe that the southern region is currently overcrowded. Proposals for the future include better management of OSV visitors, separate branding for the four regions and the establishment of peripheral accommodation.https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_15_vol_7__2__2018.pdfKruger National Parkecotourismtourist accommodationvisitor increasesconstraints |
| spellingShingle | Michael R. Brett Tourism in the Kruger National Park: Past Development, Present Determinants and Future Constraints. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Kruger National Park ecotourism tourist accommodation visitor increases constraints |
| title | Tourism in the Kruger National Park: Past Development, Present Determinants and Future Constraints. |
| title_full | Tourism in the Kruger National Park: Past Development, Present Determinants and Future Constraints. |
| title_fullStr | Tourism in the Kruger National Park: Past Development, Present Determinants and Future Constraints. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tourism in the Kruger National Park: Past Development, Present Determinants and Future Constraints. |
| title_short | Tourism in the Kruger National Park: Past Development, Present Determinants and Future Constraints. |
| title_sort | tourism in the kruger national park past development present determinants and future constraints |
| topic | Kruger National Park ecotourism tourist accommodation visitor increases constraints |
| url | https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_15_vol_7__2__2018.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michaelrbrett tourisminthekrugernationalparkpastdevelopmentpresentdeterminantsandfutureconstraints |