New hotel for Kruger National Park given green light
21:00 / 25 APR 2016
POLOKWANE, April (ANA) – The planned building of a luxury 240-bed hotel at the Kruger National Park has been welcomed following an extensive Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) process.
South African National Parks on Monday said the lodge would be built to cater to a rising demand from emerging markets.
“We are happy with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and we are satisfied with the process which was followed from the beginning of the study to the end thereof,” said Kruger National Park’s Glenn Phillips.
Phillips said the 240-bed facility was not going to be a high-rise building in the mould of the general perception of a hotel with the “bells and whistles” of a city hotel, but a development in line with the hallmark SANParks environmental ambience that will complement its surroundings”.
“All applicable environmental scrutiny has been applied independently and all EIAs are reflecting the ecological feasibility of the development.”
“Its impact will definitely be far less than the sprawling towns of Skukuza and Satara… in fact it should be noted that the total development footprint in the Kruger National Park is still less than 4%, making it a national park with the lowest development footprint in the world.”
Phillips said the lodge was meant to operate at a level higher than the ordinary camps in the park and would cater for those tourists who needed to be served rather than the traditional self-catering service.
According to Phillips, there was a demand from the emerging market for a product that provided “a full service in addition to the safari experience of the park”.
“KNP currently offers self-catering facilities throughout the park which are hugely popular but fall short in meeting the needs of the emerging market.”
The proposed hotel will be a full-service facility that will be constructed on the periphery of the park at the Malelane Gate Precinct.
“This is in line with the peripheral development policy which allows for development on the periphery of the park rather than within the park where there will be a greater ecological impact. The geographical location of the facility will make it accessible for 24 hours and eliminate the undesirable risk associated with late arrivals and driving to the nearest camp.”
African News Agency
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