Our Reporter
THE South African National Parks (SANParks) says it registered a huge increase of visitors to national parks during this year’s SA National Parks Week from 16 to 25 September 2023 compared to the same period last year.
This year, SANParks registered 94 203 free day visitors compared to last year’s 72 166.
The National Parks Week campaign runs under the theme ‘Know Your National Parks’ allowing South Africans an opportunity to spend a day at a national park of their choice for free.
SANParks CEO, Hapiloe Sello, said the objective of the week is to give all South Africans a chance to enjoy and experience the beauty and majesty of the breath-taking national parks.
“We had just over 94 000 people visiting the parks during the focus week this year which is 30% higher than 2022 numbers. National Parks Week aims to create a culture of pride in all South Africans in their relationship with the country’s natural, cultural and historical heritage,” said Sello.
“When people start to take pride in the national parks, then we believe that they will start to understand the importance of conservation.”
Since its inception in 2006, National Parks Week has seen an influx of 785 621 day visitors in all participating parks. The annual SA National Parks Week was made possible with support from TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa and First National Bank.
Without their partners, Sello added, the campaign would not have materialised“and South Africans would not be able to visit our parks free of charge”.
He said they were thankful to all South Africans who took part in the campaign this year, especially educators and school groups.
“The survival of the South African national parks system and our natural and cultural heritage lies in the people of South Africa, and we are focused on involving young people and communities, to cultivate knowledge of the importance of conservation and an appreciation for the country’s natural heritage,” said Sello.
