South African National Parks (SANParks) has revised its terms and conditions for accommodation bookings, and changes will take effect from 1 January 2013. The new deposit rules state that:
•    A first deposit of 50% is to be paid 30 days after making a booking (up from the current 33%).
•    The second deposit, the remaining 50%, must be paid 60 days before arrival (no longer 30 days prior to arrival). 

Bheki Zwane, SANParks sales and marketing general manager, explains that the reason for the new rules is to minimise the problem of bookings not being taken up. “Customers hold bookings for longer periods and only decide at a later stage not to utilise such a booking,” says Zwane, “and this often results in loss of sales and revenue.”

With the present booking system there have been complaints that camps are labelled as ‘fully booked’, but upon arrival there may actually be several units vacant. The new deposit conditions will encourage full payment long before arrival. “No shows without payment”, as Zwane calls it, will hopefully no longer be the case.

The new deposit rules will not affect bookings that are already in the system, unless a new arrival date is requested. Because full payment is required upfront for online bookings, these too will not be affected. The cancellation fee, as it stands, still applies.

An important point to note is that the due date of the deposit will not be able to be extended by reservation consultants. The system is programmed to confirm only reservations that have the deposit paid on time, so bookings that aren’t paid for timeously will automatically be cancelled.

Contact SANParks central reservations for any queries: reservations@sanparks.org

New Rule Reminder: The first deposit will increase to 50% and is payable 30 days after making a booking; the final 50% is payable 60 days before arrival.