South African National Parks (SANParks) has a pipeline of over 100 new public-private partnership (PPP) opportunities identified for implementation in the next decade.
Furthermore, some key concessionaire contracts – including the Table Mountain Cable Car, Cape Point and lodges in the Kruger National Park – are about to expire over the next three to five years, according to SANParks Acting CEO, Dumisani Dlamini.
He said, following the inaugural Tourism Investment Summit hosted by SANParks in March 2017, the organisation would host its second Tourism Investment Summit this year through a virtual platform on March 31, 2022.
“SANParks has developed a PPP portfolio of 60 projects since the adoption of its Commercialisation Strategy in 2000,” said Dlamini.
He noted that the portfolio encompassed a diversity of tourism offerings, ranging from adventure activities, retail and restaurants to accommodation. “Cumulatively, these projects have contributed over R1.4bn (€84.1m) to SANParks in the last two decades while increasing infrastructure assets to the value of R955 million (€57.4m).”
He said this portfolio of PPPs had contributed significantly to the diversification of tourism offerings in the 20 national parks as well as to tourism revenue – the key driver of conservation funding and the sustainability of SANParks.
According to Dlamini, the inaugural SANParks Tourism Investment Summit achieved its objective as, in the intervening years, SANParks has seen the entry of new players into its PPP programme, many with strong BBBEE credentials, achieving in the process, the transformation and diversification of its concessionaire network.
The second SANParks Tourism Investment Summit will host keynote speakers and a panel of experts who will share insights into the PPP business model as well as lend their perspectives to the future prospects of the South African tourism sector.
Visit sanparks.org to register to attend the virtual SANParks Tourism Investment Summit.
