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Diverse and Responsible Tourism

The purpose of Diverse and Responsible Tourism is to enhance tourism in order to maximise economic returns, social and environmental benefits, by creating diversified and better tourism products for people to enjoy, visit and appreciate. This is implemented through a number of interrelated units that drive specific tourism-related functions across the organisation.

Business Development

The Business Development unit manages private-public partnerships as part of SANParks’ commercialisation strategy. Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) allow the private sector to perform an institutional function on behalf of a state entity, using state assets on an exclusive basis. They provide SANParks with product and price differentiation to accommodate different market segments and have proved an effective funding and development model. SANParks’ Business Development unit implements and manages this substantial range of public private partnerships with the dual aim of maximising opportunities for SANParks’ financial independence and enabling socio-economic development.

Corporate Communications

The Corporate Communications unit manages internal and external communication with various audiences and is a crucial support function to the entire organisation, but to the Tourism division in particular. Various traditional and digital channels are used to communicate with, inform and receive feedback from the public.

Marketing

The Marketing unit positions parks, raises awareness, and generates sales. As part of its mandate to initiate and implement activities that contribute towards “Improved Tourism Performance”, the Marketing unit implements various campaigns via broadcast, digital and social media, and projects.

Revenue & Yield

The Revenue and Yield unit monitors revenue generated by tourism and regulates tourism standards across the organisation.

Visitor Services

The Visitor Services unit provides meaning and direction to the visitor experience and regulation, and coordinates tourism research in the organisation. The Visitor Services unit manages or assists with content of numerous interpretation displays in parks that promote cultural heritage.

Wild Card

The Wild Card Programme is SANParks’ loyalty programme through which the public can affiliate themselves to the parks and to conservation.