Original Research

Socio-demographic and behavioural determinants of visitor spending at the Kruger National Park in South Africa

Andrea Saayman, Melville Saayman
South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences | Vol 12, No 4 | a191 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v12i4.191 | © 2011 Andrea Saayman, Melville Saayman | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 20 April 2011 | Published: 26 April 2011

About the author(s)

Andrea Saayman, North West University, South Africa
Melville Saayman, North West University, South Africa

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Abstract

The Kruger National Park is one of the most visited national parks in the world and one of South Africa’s prime tourism destinations.  It attracts more than 1 million visitors per year and, as such, plays an important role in the regional and national economy.   The article aims to assess the extent to which socio-demographic and behavioural indicators influence the spending of tourists to the Park.  From 2001-2007 surveys have been conducted amongst tourists to the Park including a number of socio-demographic, behavioural and motivational questions, totalling 2 904 questionnaires used in the analysis.  The methodology includes both cross-sectional regression analysis and pseudo-panel data analysis to identify and compare possible influences on spending.  Findings indicate that, even though a combination of socio-demographic, behavioural and motivational factors influence spending at National Parks, behavioural indicators seem to be the most important and consistent influencer.

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Crossref Citations

1. Who are the big spending tourists travelling to South Africa?
Alicia Fourie, Melville Saayman, Elmarie Slabbert
Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences  vol: 11  issue: 1  year: 2018  
doi: 10.4102/jef.v11i1.205