Abstract
M.Sc.
OBJECTIVES Tourism in the Kruger National Park is closely linked to nature conservation. Tourism being
the revenue earner and conservation the resource provider; this results in a mutually beneficial
symbiosis. This finely tuned interdependence between tourism and conservation should be
properly managed to ensure that tourism does not become a self-destructive process,
destroying the very resources on which it is based.
Mounting pressure from central government is forcing the National Parks Board to become
financially independent of State grants. Tourism provides the most viable solution towards
achieving financial independence. All the national parks in South Africa will therefore have
to make a concerted effort to accommodate and attract more tourists. The Kruger National
Park, being the largest national park (1 948 528 hectares), will have to make a major
contribution towards financial independence. In order to achieve this goal, tourism in this
Park will have to be planned and managed more effectively.
It is within this context that this study was initiated. In order to facilitate future tourism
planning and management, the study will investigate the number of tourists visiting the
Kruger National Park as well as the occupation of accommodation by tourists. These results
will in turn be used to investigate the tourist carrying capacity of the Park and to make
suggestions regarding the Park's tourism management policies.
RESEARCH METHOD
As a result of the primarily descriptive nature of the investigation relating to the number of
tourists visiting the Park as well as the occupation of accommodation by tourists, the research
will include diagrammatic and cartographic representations of the data. In order to explain
the temporal and spatial variations of the tourists in the Kruger National Park, a correlation
and regression analysis was used in conjunction with non-tourist variables (which include both
socio-economic and physical variables). The results obtained in the above investigation were used to study the physical and perceptual
tourist carrying capacity. Physical tourist carrying capacity was researched by indicating the
percentage occupation of available accommodation and available day visitor quota. As a
result of the its subjective nature, the balance between the costs and benefits associated with
gaining a holiday experience was used in conjunction with the number of visitors to the Park
in order to determine the perceptual tourist carrying capacity.
RESULTS
The number of visitors to the Park as well as the occupation of accommodation by tourists
both indicated that large temporal and spatial variations exist.
The temporal variations in tourist data were best explained by school holidays. An obvious
relationship exists between school holidays and the number of visitors to the Park. The
spatial variation was best explained by distance from the PWV and rainfall. The distance
from the PWV (now Gauteng Province) indicates the strong influence of this region as a
source area for tourists to the Park. Rainfall in the Park influences the type of vegetation,
which in turn influences the distribution and population densities of animals which are sought
after by tourists.
With regard to the tourist carrying capacity, the results showed that the physical tourist
carrying capacity is utilised below the optimum levels. More tourists can therefore be
accommodated, particularly during non-school holiday periods. With reference to the
perceptual tourist carrying capacity, it was found that it has been reached. The most
important reason for this is the higher tariffs that are being charged.