In the 24 years since roll-out, South African National Parks’ (SANParks) Commercialisation Strategy has been integral in the development of the country’s national parks and a key driver of both revenue growth and socio-economic contributions.
The organisation hosted a panel discussion themed ‘Celebrating 30 Years of Sustainable Eco-Tourism and Business Growth Through Partnerships’ on the sidelines of Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) in Durban today (May 15). The discussion centred on the value that public-private partnerships have brought to the conservation authority’s eco-tourism strategies.
In April 1997, Cabinet approved the establishment of an interdepartmental task team tasked to explore how Public Private Partnerships (PPP) could improve infrastructure and service delivery efficiency, and reduce dependence on state funding.
“It was against this background that the SANParks Commercialisation Strategy came into being in 2000,” said Pam Yako, Chairperson of the…