Serengeti General Management Plan

Serengeti National Park General Management Plan
Campsites is open to abuse with some tour operators seasonally block-booking Special
Campsites for occasional use, or “selling on” to third parties. To rectify this problem, the proposed
revised system for Special and Premium Campsites has been developed, which will
be further developed during the implementation of the GMP and reviewed by SENAPA management
after a one-year period.
Special Campsites
For Special Campsites, the bookings will be limited to a maximum of four consecutive weeks,
with no operator allowed to return to the specific site for 14 days. This will prevent block
booking. There will be a minimum occupancy of four paying clients per day and bookings
must be confirmed and paid for in advance. The specifics of this booking system will be further
developed during the implementation of the GMP. Wherever appropriate, relevant booking
and booking cancellation arrangements already in place for local lodges will be taken into
account in designing the system.
Premium Campsites
For tour operators that require longer periods, a new category will be established of Premium
Campsites to be designated in the Plains of the High and Low Use Zones (see 0 above),
which may be booked for a season. A new tailor-made and transparent booking system and
fee structure for this new category will be developed by TANAPA HQ and SENAPA in collaboration
with TATO.
Target 4.2: Mechanisms developed for strengthening communication
and cooperation between tourism industry partners and SENAPA
management
The need to improve communication and cooperation between SENAPA managers and the
tourism industry is a recognised by both sides. The lack of collaboration negatively affects
the management of tourism, and ultimately the Park’s Exceptional Resource Values. This
includes a lack of any accreditation scheme for tourism drivers and guides, a lack of clear
mechanisms for tour operators to report incidents and infringements to the park authorities,
insufficient penalties for lawbreakers, and a lack of feedback from park managers to tour operators
concerning infringements that have been reported. Putting in place mechanisms to
build up communication, collaboration and trust between tour operators and park managers,
and to ensure that day-to-day interactions between the two sides are effective and efficient,
is clearly a top priority for this GMP, and is crucial to the fulfilment of the Park Purpose and to
the long-term maintenance of SENAPA’s Exceptional Resource Values. The follow management
actions will seek to strengthen this cooperation.
Action 4.2.1: Establish park management and tourism operator communication
mechanisms
Currently TATO has a sub-committee for national parks, which meets about three times a
year to discuss issues arising from their operations in parks. However, there is no effective
communication between park management and the tourism industry. The first step to improve
this communication channel will be SENAPA’s participation in TATO-TANAPA liaison
meetings, as and when they are convened. Within the Park, SENAPA management will convene
twice yearly meetings with the SENAPA concession holders, and a biannual Tour Drivers-Management
Meeting. The purpose of these meetings will be to provide an opportunity
for both sides to raise issues, pass on information (e.g. concerning infringements) and resolve
conflicts. Minutes of these meetings will be distributed to SENAPA concessionaires
and tour operators.
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