From December 1, commission levels at SANParks camps will not only be determined by the revenue an operator brings in terms of bookings, but also according to the average occupancy of the camp booked, in the hope that it will encourage a better spread of tourists across the different parks.

In a recent column, Onne Vegter, looked at why the new commission structure wouldn’t have the desired effect of spreading occupancy and relieving pressure from the most popular camps and parks.

He said the trade accounted for only a small percentage of SANParks’ turnover. “It would make much more sense to increase rack rates across the board at over-subscribed parks and camps, while providing incentives to both trade and direct booking channels for lower occupancy parks and camps, by lowering rack rates,” said Vegter.

To read the full column, click here.