The Addo Elephant National Park and Camdeboo National Park, both in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, have noted record numbers of visitors.

During the 2016/2017 financial year, Addo Elephant National Park outside Port Elizabeth recorded in excess of 300 000 visitors for the first time in its 87-year history. More than half of these visitors were international tourists. Park Manager, Nick de Goede, notes: “Not only does it tell us that the park is a destination of choice for so many people, but that confidence both in the area and in the country is picking up.”

Similarly, Camdeboo National Park near Graaff-Reinet in the Great Karoo, noted that 28% of its visitors in the last year were international. This comes off the back of a 5% increase in total visitors during the 2016/2017 financial year.

Park Manager, Mzwandile Mjadu, says: “It means that more and more people are getting to know about the park and experiencing the natural environment. We hope that their time spent in Camdeboo deepens their love of conservation and nature.”

Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom provided the two parks with the most visitors. Germany tops the list at a remarkable 55% of total international visitors to Addo and 48% of total international numbers to Camdeboo.