Tourism Geographies, Vol.1, No.3, pp. forthcoming (return to Table of Contents for Vol.1)

The social carrying capacity of Kruger National Park, South Africa: policy and practice

Sanette L. Ferreira and Alet C. Harmse
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of South Africa, Republic of South Africa

Abstract

This paper reviews the present management policy regarding the tourist carrying capacity of Kruger National Park in the Republic of South Africa. Furthermore, it presents a spatial analysis of the pattern of tourist activities in the park identifying early warning signals of tourist congestion. Lastly this paper attempts to establish a sustainable scale for the tourism development in the park by using the concept of carrying capacity as a planning tool.

Keywords: tourist experience, social carrying capacity, sustainability, tourist traffic, limits to growth, South Africa