SA landmarks among most popular natural wonders in the world
A new study has ranked the most popular natural areas in the world by the amount of visitors they see each year.
The study assessed data from 556 national parks and protected areas worldwide, and estimated their total economic value based on visits.
According to the research group – which included the World Wildlife Fund scientists – over 8 billion people visit national parks and nature reserves each year, bringin in over US$600 billion in revenue.
In contrast, only an estimated US$10 billion is spent on the conservation of these areas.
The most visited natural attraction is located in the USA: the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, which sees 14.4 million visits a year.
Two South African locations are included on the list, with the Table Mountain National Park seeing 1.4 million visits a year (33rd most vistied in the world), and the Kruger National Park seeing 1 million visits (46th, overall).
The research paper looked at the average number of annual visits between 1998 and 2007.
10 most visited parks in the world
The top 10 most visited natural areas in the world are all located in the USA and the UK, which are home to 80% of the world’s protected natural areas.
According to the research data, 3.8 billion of the 8 billion annual visitors to parks and reserves are found in Europe (where more than half of these areas are located), with North America accounting for 3.3 billion visitors.
This leaves under a billion visitors dispersed across the rest of the world’s natural areas.
1. Golden Gate National Recreational Area – 13.7 million visitors
2. The Lake District – 10.5 million visitors
3. The Peak District – 10.1 million visitors
4. Lake Mead National Recreational Area – 7.8 million visitors
5. North York Moors National Park – 7.3 million visitors
6. Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area – 5.1 million visitors
7. Dartmoor – 4.3 million visitors
8. New Forest – 4.3 million visitors
9. Grand Canyon National Park – 4.3 million visitors
10. Cape Cod – 4.1 million visitors
| # | National Park | Country | Annual visitors |
| 1 | Golden Gate NRA | USA | 13.7 million |
| 2 | The Lake District | UK | 10.5 million |
| 3 | The Peak District | UK | 10.1 million |
| 4 | Lake Mead NRA | USA | 7.8 million |
| 5 | North York Moors National Park | UK | 7.3 million |
| 6 | Delaware Water Gap NRA | USA | 5.1 million |
| 7 | Dartmoor | UK | 4.3 million |
| 8 | New Forest | UK | 4.3 million |
| 9 | Grand Canyon National Park | USA | 4.3 million |
| 10 | Cape Cod NS | USA | 4.1 million |
Most visited parks by continent
| Region | National Park | Country | Annual visitors |
| North America | Golden Gate NRA | USA | 13.72 million |
| Europe | The Lake District | UK | 10.5 million |
| Asia | Seoraksan National Park | South Korea | 3.06 million |
| Africa | Table Mountain National Park | South Africa | 1.46 million |
| South America | Tijuca National Park | Brazil | 737,000 |
| Oceania | Gondwana Rainforests | Australia | 510,000 |
Most visited parks in Africa
1. Table Mountain National Park
2. Kruger National Park
3. Victoria Falls
4. Addo Elephant Park
5. Serengeti National Park
| # | National Park | Country | Annual visitors |
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | South Africa | 1.46 million |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | South Africa | 1.0 million |
| 3 | Victoria Falls/Mosi-oa-Tunya | Zimbabwe | 300,000 |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | South Africa | 172,000 |
| 5 | Serengeti National Park | Tanzania | 147,879 |
| 6 | West Coast | South Africa | 99,726 |
| 7 | Lake Manyara National Park | Tanzania | 71,693 |
| 8 | Augrabies Falls National Park | South Africa | 65,987 |
| 9 | Tarangire National Park | Tanzania | 55,134 |
| 10 | Moremi Game Reserve | Botswana | 39,178 |
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