Private land now hosts more of South Africa’s wildlife population than national parks.
This is according to a new study led by Professor Peet van der Merwe and Professor Andrea Saayman from the North-West University titled, “Assessing the contributions of hunting tourism to the South African economy: a post‑Covid analysis,” which calculates hunting tourism’s annual contribution to South Africa’s economy at a staggering USD2.5 billion(about R44.03 billion).
They said the figure is not just large, but transformative.
The study argues that hunting revenue has underwritten significant rewilding efforts.
The researchers also point to a powerful conservation dividend. They said, contrary to popular belief, regulated hunting creates financial incentives for landowners to protect and repopulate wild species.
Without such incentives, they said, many might revert to traditional farming, leading to habitat loss and diminished biodiversity.
The analysis said hunting tourism’s lifeblood flows into rural economies, often bypassed by mainstream tourism. It said provinces like Limpopo benefit enormously from the inflow, with private game farms-many converted from struggling livestock operations-thriving through sustainable use.
The professors said perhaps the most striking finding is employment, as approximately 95 000 jobs in South Africa depended on hunting tourism. Many of these roles, such as trackers, farm hands and cleaners, require limited formal education, making the sector a vital source of income in a country grappling with a 32.9% unemployment rate.
Over 60% of these jobs fall within low-skilled categories, underscoring hunting tourism’s outsized impact on South Africa’s most vulnerable workers.
While to some, hunting remains morally fraught, this study emphasises that economic survival for many rural communities hinges on this industry. Importantly, its authors said the research does not gloss over ethical concerns.
Instead, they said it calls for measured policy, recognising hunting tourism’s proven contribution to jobs, conservation and poverty alleviation.
Moreover, they said the sector’s resilience post-Covid is telling as international travel resumes, South Africa has found in hunting tourism a niche that not only endures but thrives.
They said this speaks to a broader shift in post-pandemic tourism: towards immersive, exclusive, and at times, controversial experiences.
With sectors like agriculture, hospitality, and logistics all feeding off the hunting economy, the study urges policymakers to acknowledge and protect this value chain.
It said that legislation around land use, conservation and hunting quotas must be grounded in economic realities and not mere ideological preferences.
They said that missteps in that regard could jeopardise both wildlife and livelihoods.
“Hunting tourism may not be everyone’s idea of a sustainable economy. Yet, in South Africa’s post-pandemic landscape, it is delivering where others have faltered. It supports rural economies, funds conservation, and employs tens of thousands, many of them low-income workers with few alternatives.”
The professors said that in a world seeking green growth with social equity, the rifle may be a more unexpected ally than critics cared to admit.
Local hunters, who are mostly middle-aged men from provinces like Gauteng, make up the bulk of this economic activity.
With each local hunter spending an average of USD3,594 per season, their collective annual spend tops USD718 million.
International hunters, often affluent retirees from the United States, spend far more per trip, an average of USD32,663. primarily on game, trophies, accommodation, and daily rates. Though fewer in number, their spending adds another USD169 million to the tally.
But the study said the significance goes beyond raw expenditure. It said that employing a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM), the researchers found a production multiplier of 2.97. In lay terms: for every USD1 spent, an additional USD1.97 is generated in economic activity.
The ripple effect spreads across agriculture, trade, accommodation, transport, and personal services.
Delivering the Department of Tourism Budget Vote last week, Minister Patricia de Lille said over the past financial year 2024/25, South Africa experienced an upswing in tourism, with an increase in international visitors, reaching a peak of 9.1 million.
She said domestic overnight travel continued its upward trajectory, with 40 million trips recorded, up from 37.7 million in the previous year.
International tourists contributed a total foreign direct spend of R92.8 billion in the previous financial year, while domestic tourism grew by 7.6%, reaching R133.1 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.
On a policy level, the department said it completed and implemented the Tourism Master Plan and finalised the Tourism White Paper and Tourism Route Development Marketing Plan.
