South African National Parks (SANParks) chairperson Beryl Ferguson says Africa’s Travel Indaba is more than a marketplace – it remains a melting pot for initiatives that expand the horizons of the tourism industry.
Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 started on Tuesday and ends on Thursday, and is being held under the theme: “Unlimited Africa: Growing Africa’s Tourism Economy”.
“It is a meeting of ideas, ambition and responsibility. It is where we collectively shape how Africa is experienced by the world and critically, how the continent’s natural and cultural heritage is valued, narrated and sustained,” she said.
Taking part in the “Conversation about Conservation” dialogue held at the Indaba in Durban, Ferguson said increasingly, global travellers are seeking experiences that are authentic, responsible and rooted in real connection to place, people and purpose.
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“We gather here at a particularly meaningful time in South Africa’s conservation journey, as we commemorate 100 years of the Kruger National Park,” Ferguson said.
Proclaimed in 1926, the Kruger National Park has grown into one of the most recognisable protected landscapes in the world, a place of extraordinary biodiversity, scientific excellence and tourism appeal.
Given this, Ferguson explained that the Kruger is more than an iconic destination. “It is a living landscape shaped by time, learning and change.”
Ferguson said over the past century, conservation in the Kruger has evolved, responding to new knowledge, new pressures and new societal expectations.
“It reminds us that conservation is not static; it is dynamic, human and deeply contextual. The Kruger’s history, like that of many protected areas globally, was shaped in an era of exclusion and dispossession, with lasting consequences for communities linked to this land.
“Recognising this truth does not detract from conservation achievements; rather, it strengthens our resolve to ensure that the future is built differently with communities recognised as rightful partners in stewardship and shared benefit,.
“In the democratic era, SANParks, together with government and community stakeholders, worked to address these legacies through land restitution, co-management arrangements, heritage recognition and benefit sharing initiatives,” Ferguson said.
The Kruger’s story is also one of resilience.
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“From ecological pressures to more recent extreme weather events and floods, the Park has demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to recover and adapt. These experiences reflect the realities facing conservation today.
“Climate change, biodiversity loss, land use pressures and shifting global travel patterns are redefining how protected areas must be managed.
“Conservation in the 21st century cannot exist in isolation from society. Protected areas must safeguard ecological integrity, while also delivering social value,” she said.
Ferguson said as SANParks, they believe that the next 100 years of the Kruger National Park and of conservation, more broadly, will be defined by collaboration, adaptability and shared stewardship.
“From grassroots environmental stewardship to global advocacy and education, to the lived management of protected landscapes, each has played a role in advancing conservation consciousness worldwide,” she said.
Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 takes place as the continent commemorates Africa Month, providing an important platform to strengthen partnerships, and shape a more inclusive tourism future that benefits communities, entrepreneurs and nations.
