The South African National Park (SANParks) announced on Monday that its ‘Know Your National Parks’ campaign increased the number of visitors to its parks by 24% in 2017.
“We had an increase of just over 24 percent this year from last year’s 62,312 visitors. SA 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,” SANParks CEO Fundisile Mketeni said in a statement.
SANParks said the feature element of the campaign was the free access granted to all South African day visitors carrying their official Identity Documents, and since its inception in 2006, National Parks Week had seen an influx of 364 275 day visitors in all participating parks.
“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 Mketeni.