Hotel reports notable growth in Q1 2024 – Kruger National Park a key destination for locals, foreigners

by Tia

Earlier this week Brand Africa named Kruger National Park as one of the top three destinations that “have placed South African on the global map”. The park has long been the jewel in the country’s tourism crown with recognitions like these further cementing that position.

The popularity reflects in the data, as Kruger Gate Hotel Reports. The year-on-year increase for the average daily rate for the same period saw a 64.47% increase, while the average length of stay remained unchanged. The property saw a further 11.84% year-on-year increase in the number of room nights booked between January and March 2024. 

“While we’re pleased with these numbers, there’s always room for more growth. Kruger National Park is a world-class destination, a bucket list safari experience, and the more guests we welcome the better it is for the local economy,” says Anton Gillis, CEO of Kruger Gate Hotel. 

Interestingly, the hotel saw online bookings double from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024, while the top four source markets remained the same, namely South Africa (19.77%), Germany (13.89%), the US (9.69%) and the UK (9.32%). In Q1 of 2023 the fifth place was held by the Netherlands, making way in Q1 2024 for Brazil (6.29%) 

Gillis adds that the growth the property experiences had a direct impact on the local economy in and around the Kruger National Park, and into Mpumalanga province. 

Tourism is a significant economic driver in the region and it’s an industry that can grow relatively easily, creating more job opportunities for particularly low-skilled workers. 

Kruger National Park is one of the biggest jewels in the globe’s tourism crown with the park attracting more than one million visitors annually, with roughly a fifth of them being foreign tourists.Those kinds of numbers mean that the Kruger National Park ranks among the top five most visited tourist attractions in South Africa. It’s also worth noting that a high proportion of visitors to the park are repeat visitors, with some families going back at least once a year. 

Efforts to improve access to the region are vitally important too. Earlier this year low-cost airline FlySafair joined the ranks alongside Airlink and CemAir, introducing a direct flight between Cape Town and Kruger National Park. “These direct flights enable especially international visitors to easily and conveniently get from the Mother City to Kruger. We know that the ease of intra-country travel is an important consideration for tourists, so efforts like these are a significant step in the right direction on the tourism industry’s growth trajectory,” Gillis says. 

Forecasts for the second half of 2024 and into 2025 look positive. “Enquiries and booking via our online channels remain robust, and we’re satisfied with our forecasts. We’re on the doorstep of the magnificent Kruger National Park, what more could a hotel ask for,” Gillis explains.

Gillis anticipates that they will continue to see an increase in the average length of stay as people opt for a slower pace of holiday, in line with global trends to the same effect, and as more, especially foreign, visitors realise the magnificence of a Kruger National Park experience – a world-class tourist destination where experiencing some of the greatest natural wonders of the world is not prohibitively expense, or reserved for a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip. 

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