Are tourists paying way too much for their South African experiences? It would seem so.
I was lucky enough to spend a few days at Bongani Mountain Lodge (Ed’s note: Go there, it’s a phenominal bush break!) for my birthday, where my wife and I met some very nice people.
One couple, some newlyweds from India, had been travelling South Africa for the past 15 days and were staying at Bongani for a few nights before ending their 22-day honeymoon road-trip from Cape Town all the way up to Sun City.
Bongani’s very close proximity to the Kruger National Park obviously meant that a trip to the Park was something to explore for them as part of their “total South African experience”.
We told them that on Indian passports, they could drive there and gain entrance for about R140 each in conservation fees. As they did not have a hire car for this particular part of their travels they had to rely on a tour operator to pick take them to Kruger. But the price that they were quoted was nothing short of obscene.
A day trip to the Kruger with a private tour operator would set the couple back R1,500 per person for the day, which many ordinary South Africans would consider highway robbery. Well, we certainly did, considering that they were not going to be the only ones on the tour.
It begs the question, are tourists taken advantage of in SA, particualrly the Euro-, Dollar- and Pound-carrying ones? It seems to be the case.
R1,500 per person for a day trip to the Kruger is 100x more than the regular entrance fee to thePpark for foreigners and, even if you factor in car rental for the day and petrol, you’re still going to be way under that ridiculous amount by a long shot.
Tourism is an industry that is flourishing in South Africa and the growing number of tourists that come to the country means that a lot of people working in this industry are going to do very well for themselves – if they build a good repuation for the industry and contribute to its sustainability.
The 2010 Fifa World Cup finals, to be held here in SA in a few years time, will proably attract even more people to the tourism industry in the hopes of cashing in on unsuspecting foreigners that have many Euros to spend on the possibility of experinceing African culture or seeing the Big Five.
People need to make a living, yes, and before I ignite a flurry of comments from tourism workers who see nothing wrong with this picture, it’s everyone’s right to ask an amount of money for a service rendered. It also costs money to run a business, I concede that.
But ethics play a big part in it too. And quite frankly, this level of exploitation leaves a bad taste in the mouths of everyone involved. It’s just not ethical.
(Ed’s note: Welcome to the world of captalism!)
It could do the industry more harm than good in the long run – overcharging for services. And
the key to developing a sustainable tourism industry here in SA is not milking the rich foreigners of their money while the industry is booming, it’s about making the beauty of our country as accessible to as many people as possible.
Which leads to the next question, which has to be asked: how are the millions spent in the tourism industry used to benefit the very thing that makes the industry so appealing and successful (i.e. the people, the attractions, the parks and the wildlife)?
I don’t have an answer to that, but until somebody gives me the facts, I’d hazard a guess and say not much.
The best advice tourists to South Africa can have is SHOP AROUND. You don’t have to be ripped off to have a very good trip to South Africa.
And the more tourists shop around and demand better deals, the less likely it is that tour operators will get away with asking ludicrous amounts for simple pleasures like trips to the Kruger Park.
I was at Woolworths yesterday to buy some odds and ends for lunch. Have not been there for a while (I do most of my shopping at trusty ol’ Pick n’ Pay) but I have to say I was absolutely gob-smacked at the prices Woolies is charging for basic items.
