The inaugural Tourism Investment Summit organised by the
South African National Parks (SANParks) will strive to present
new investment opportunities, attract developers and financiers
and profile national parks in South Africa as viable investment
hubs.
SANParks is putting its feelers out to engage in business
with the private sector, with an Inaugural Tourism Investment
Summit for South Africa’s national parks held at The Maslow Hotel
in Sandton, Johannesburg, on 27 March 2017.
National parks offer potential investors with an unparalleled
diversity of opportunities in various disciplines, which include
adventure activities, eco-tourism properties, retail and many
more,?said SANParks CEO, Fundisile Mketeni.
He said, as far back as the year 2000, SANParks adopted a
Commercialisation Strategy with a firm objective of establishing
public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives, which has resulted
in a two-tiered approach leading primarily to the granting of
concessions for the construction and management of eco-tourism
lodges and the outsourcing of retail shops and restaurants.
According to Mketeni, since the year 2000 with the adoption
of the Commercialisation Strategy, SANParks has progressively
increased the numbers of PPP transactions.
"By March 2016, there were more than 45 PPP projects in
active implementation leading to infrastructural developments
worth over R755 million with assets reverting to SANParks.
"This led to a significant funding of conservation and
creating sustainability for SANParks,?Mketeni says. “C"Commercialisation
has resulted in a total PPP income of R816 million to SANParks.?
The organisation aims to attract more key decision-makers in
tourism investments, which include financiers, lenders,
developers, tourism retail and services operators, bankers,
investment advisers, real estate, property consultants,
financial intermediaries, government tourism officials and
media.
In a most recent development, for example, the Garden Route
National Park has announced that a new Zipline attraction would
be erected near Knysna and Plettenberg.
This all forms part of SANParks' plans to "capture tourism
growth and create long-term sustainability for the organisation
whose primary mandate is the conservation of biodiversity and
cultural heritage of South Africa", Mketeni says.
