During the recession period of 2008/2009, global tourism declined by 8%. This was also
evident is South Africa with the domestic travel market shrinking by 8% as well. However,
this did not apply to the Kruger National Park (KNP) which experienced a sustained
Accommodation Unit Occupancy growth of 1.6% during the same period. Visitors to the KNP
thus see it as an attractive holiday destination irrespective of tough economic conditions
characterised by less disposable income. To sustain this growth, it is important to be aware
of the reasons visitors still visit the KNP during a recession.
The aim of this study was to determine the reasons why visitors still travelled to the KNP
during the 2008/2009 recession. This can be done by analysing the visitors’ behaviour and
the motivational factors (internal feelings of the visitors) and determinants of the demand
(income and exchange rates for instance) that influenced visitors’ choice to visit the KNP. To
achieve this aim, a survey was conducted at the KNP between 15 and 20 December 2009
(high season). A total of 355 questionnaires were completed, after which a number of
analyses were done to determine the effects of the recession on travel behaviour. For the
purpose of this study, two articles were written.
Article 1 is titled: “Motivations of visitors to the Kruger National Park during the 2008/2009
recession period”. The aim of this article was to determine the motivations of visitors to the
KNP during the recession. A factor analysis on the motivations to visit the park was
conducted, of which the following factors obtained the highest mean values: Escape, Wildlife
experience and Family benefits. Push factors to the KNP were important to such an extent
that visitors regarded visiting the park as a primary need or lifestyle. The results furthermore
showed that visitors might have adapted their spending behaviour at the park to still afford to
visit the park during the recession. This article provides a better understanding of visitors’
feelings towards the KNP, especially amidst recessions which, in turn, will improve niche
marketing and a competitive advantage.
Article 2 is titled: “Factors that influenced demand to the Kruger National Park during the
2008/2009 economic recession”. The aim of this article was to identify the determinants that
influence the demand for visits to the KNP. Due to the homogeneous nature of the park’s
market, the results of the stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed a few socio-demographic and behavioural determinants that influenced visitors’ demand to the park. The
motives Escape and Souvenirs were the only two behavioural determinants while the
provinces Gauteng and Mpumalanga were the only socio-demographic determinants. These
two provinces are the two main markets for the KNP. Visitors indicated that visiting the KNP
is a great way of escaping their busy metropolitan areas, especially in the Gauteng province.
Mpumalanga residents have many tourism attractions in their province thus lowering the
chances that they will visit the KNP. The determinant Souvenirs indicates that visitors
adapted their spending at the park to still be able to afford visits. It was also found that
demand to visit the park was not greatly influenced by the recession, because visitors could
adapt their spending at the park.
This is the first time the determinants of demand to a national park during a recession period
have been conducted. The study indicated that visiting natural areas may have become a
primary need or part of a lifestyle, especially during the 2008/2009 recession period. This
article gives park management guidelines that will ensure the sustainability of the KNP
because this information now allows for well-planned, thorough marketing and management
of the park. In the case of KNP, which has a homogeneous market, the number of
determinants identified influencing demand for visiting the park is fewer than has been found
in other studies done on heterogeneous markets. This study therefore also makes a valuable
methodological contribution in relation to analysing demand of homogeneous and
heterogeneous markets. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/4509 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Scholtz, Marco |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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