ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING TOURISTS’ EXPERIENCE TO SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL PARKS

Abstract

The conservation role of South African National Parks (SANParks) is primarily to protect South Africa’s biodiversity which is ranked third in the world (Spenceley, 2005: 141; Retief, 2006: 104). Land under conservation and managed of SANParks increases, whereas government funding decreases. To compensate for the lack in enough government funding, SANParks are becoming correspondingly more dependent on income generated through tourism to support conservation (Phillips, 2009). As a result, SANParks management is being pressured to permit more tourists to enter national parks to cover the shortcomings of government funding. However, the rising number of tourists to national parks led to increased environmental impacts (Shafer & Inglis, 2000: 73). These environmental impacts not only affect the sustainability of the natural environment but also impacts upon on the experience of tourists to national parks (Hillery, Nancarrow, Griffen & Syme, 2001: 853; Chin, Moore, Wallington & Dowling, 2000: 21).

Research done by Deng and Bender (2007: 183) and Alant and Bruwer (2004: 34) furthermore established that visitation frequency of tourists to natural areas will influence their perception regarding environmental impacts. Consequently, to sustain tourism to national parks it is imperative for the park management to identify environmental impacts caused by tourism that will reflect negatively on the experience of tourists to national parks (Bresler, 2007: 167).