South African National Park (SANParks) saw 39 841 visitors to the parks from November 16-22.
The campaign, under the established theme ‘Know Your National Parks,’ allowed locals with valid identity documents an opportunity to spend a day at a national park of their choice free of charge.
According to SANParks CEO Fundisile Mketeni, the objective of the week is to give all South Africans a chance to enjoy and experience the beauty and majesty of our breath-taking National Parks.
“We had just under 40 000 people visit the parks during the focus week this year. National Parks Week aims to create a culture of pride in all South Africans in their relationship with the country’s natural, cultural and historical heritage. When people start to take pride in the national parks, then we believe that they will start to understand the importance of conservation," said Mketeni.
Since its inception in 2006, National Parks Week has seen an influx of 591 234 day visitors in all participating parks. “These numbers are encouraging and tell us that more people are taking advantage of this free week at our National Parks.
"The survival of the South African national parks system and our natural and cultural heritage lies in the people of South Africa. We are focused on involving young people and communities, and to cultivate knowledge of the importance of conservation and an appreciation for the country’s natural heritage, saidMketeni.
The annual SA National Parks Week was in partnership with First National Bank and Total South Africa.
Total South Africa, Corporate Affairs Manager Nne-Mpho Siaga said the annual SANParks Week is such a great initiative as it allows SA citizens and to experience the parks first hand.
CEO FNB Public Sector Banking Sipho Silinda said the annual event was a noteworthy milestone in the company's commitment to continue to enable South African citizens to explore our country’s natural heritage.