Accommodation establishments around Kruger National Park have reported a significant year-on-year increase for Q1 2024, reaffirming its status as one of South Africa’s top tourist destinations.

KNP’s status was further boosted after Brand Africa highlighted it as one of the top three destinations ‘that have placed South Africa on the global map’.

The popularity is also reflected in the data, as Kruger Gate Hotel reports. The iconic property’s year-on-year increase for the average daily rate for Q1 saw a 64.47% increase, while the average length of stay remained unchanged.

The property saw a further 11.84% year-on-year increase in the number of room nights booked between January and March. 

“While we’re pleased with these numbers, there’s always room for more growth. KNP is a world-class destination, a bucket list safari experience, and the more guests we welcome the better it is for the local economy,” said Anton Gillis, CEO of Kruger Gate Hotel. 

Interestingly, the hotel saw online bookings double from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024, while the top four source markets remained the same, namely South Africa (19.77%), Germany (13.89%), the US (9.69%) and the UK (9.32%).

In Q1 of 2023, the fifth place was held by the Netherlands, making way in Q1 2024 for Brazil (6.29%).

Gillis added that the growth the property experienced had had a direct impact on the local economy in and around KNP, and into Mpumalanga province. 

Limited-service accommodation provider, SleepOver, which has 11 properties around South Africa, including six properties strategically placed around KNP, has also reported a significant year-on-year increase in Q1. SleepOver’s properties consist of 30-40 standalone units and a reception area with a coffee bar/restaurant.

Revenue increases

SleepOver’s KNP properties – Orpen Gate, Kruger Gate, Phabeni Gate, Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA), and Komatipoort – reported revenue increases of 89% in Q1 2024 when compared with Q1 2023. SleepOver’s Punda Maria Gate property is not included in this analysis as it only opened in March this year.

“While much of SleepOver’s appeal is its versatility across industries, our Kruger Cluster represents the leisure market. However, these figures include a non-leisure contract that may skew that sector,” Patrick Scott, CEO of SleepOver told Tourism Update.

“In terms of our ‘core’ Kruger properties, namely SleepOver Orpen Gate, SleepOver Kruger Gate and SleepOver Phabeni Gate, our revenues were up 67%. SleepOver KMIA and SleepOver Komatipoort attract different sectors, so the aforementioned three properties are the best indicator for leisure travellers,” Scott added.

SleepOver’s average length of stay has also increased across its Kruger properties to two nights, up from an average 1.6 in 2023.

Flights from Cape Town

Earlier this year, low-cost airline FlySafair, introduced a direct flight between Cape Town and KNP, joining the ranks of CemAir and Airlink.

“These direct flights enable especially international visitors to easily and conveniently get from the Mother City to Kruger. We know that the ease of intra-country travel is an important consideration for tourists, so efforts like these are a significant step in the right direction on the tourism industry’s growth trajectory,” Gillis said.

Scott admitted that Q1 2024’s performance has been down on 2023 for SleepOver KMIA. However, there has been a distinct increase in room nights sold during May for the property.

“We are also seeing it picking up more in June and we would attribute this to the affordable FlySafair flights now on offer linking Cape Town’s unfavourable winters to the glorious winters experienced in the iconic Kruger,” Scott said.

Forecasts

Forecasts for the second half of 2024 and into 2025 look positive for Kruger Gate Hotel.

“Enquiries and booking via our online channels remain robust, and we’re satisfied with our forecasts,” Gillis noted. 

He anticipates that the hotel will see an increase in the average length of stay as people opt for a slower pace of holiday.

For SleepOver, early signs for June show an enormous increase year-on-year for the group, in particular with its Kruger Cluster.

“We have our work cut out to ensure the brand is recognisable to all domestic travellers, so there is a market share we need to work for. Beyond that, we remain bullish based on favourable feedback and an awareness of excellent value to be had in our convenient locations,” Scott said.

He added that its ops team had been bolstered to ensure client satisfaction and this had had a significant impact on return visitors, as well as word-of-mouth advertising.

“Our partnership with a world-class digital agency appears to be showing great promise as our forward bookings are ahead of last year’s,” he said.

SleepOver will also be adding to its Kruger Cluster with SleepOver Malelane slated to open by October, along with starts on two to three more properties in 2024.

“We are experiencing the first season of inbound business and are excited about the opportunities this presents to the inbound market in terms of adding exceptional value to their itineraries,” Scott concluded.