The ownership model and funding.

!Xaus Lodge; the land, the infrastructure and the fittings and furnishings are wholly owned by the Mier and ǂKhomani San communities. They appointed commercial management and marketing operators, Transfrontier Parks Destinations (TFPD) on a long-term basis. TFPD have paid their Joint Management Board (JMB) a percentage of turnover as rental since the first month of operation and is in the process of transferring, free of any consideration, 17% of the shares in the operating company to the Communities trust.

!Xaus Lodge; the land, the infrastructure and the fittings and furnishings are wholly owned by the Mier and ǂKhomani San communities.

!Xaus Lodge has been set up to provide amenities and services that encourage employment. While other facilities in the park offer self-catering, and encourage self-drive game viewing, !Xaus Lodge offers full-service with local staff producing three meals a day. All walks and drives are guided. This product offering requires multiple skills, and has offered opportunities for staff to be trained as guides, in front-of-house, dining room, kitchen and housekeeping services. The policy is not to import skills into the area – rather to employ locals with the aptitude and provide the relevant training. In addition, !Xaus Lodge supports all staff who are looking for further training opportunities, be it at the SA College of Hospitality, !Khwa tuu or the Tracker Academy.

!Xaus Lodge offers full-service with local staff producing three meals a day. All walks and drives are guided. This product offering requires multiple skills, and has offered opportunities for staff to be trained as guides, in front-of-house, dining room, kitchen and housekeeping services.

Employment at !Xaus Lodge is prioritised to the local community to the point that members of the Joint Management Board approve all applications and are part of the interview process. This means that while the Lodge managers are able to ensure the ‘right person for the job,’ the community have a say in who works at the Lodge.

!Xaus Lodge provides an opportunity for local crafters to live and work at the Lodge and thus capitalise financially on their indigenous crafting skills by selling their wares directly to the Lodge guests. Drawn largely from the local ǂKhomani San community, the crafters are paid a stipend while at the Lodge and no commissions are taken on the sale of their work. Over R892,400 worth of hand-made curios have been sold directly to tourists since the opening of the Lodge.

Over R892,400 worth of hand-made curios have been sold directly to tourists since the opening of the Lodge.

In addition to the revenue that the community structures receive, the management operators have launched the TFPD Foundation which receives income from both a community levy paid by all guests, as well as other donations. These funds are currently accumulating, and will provide capital for the community’s asset development, community education and welfare projects. Current short-term support includes support of the local soccer team, as well as funds to support development meetings in the community.

The !Xaus Lodge funding model fits into a classic public-private-community partnership (PPCP) tourism model.

  • The State provides the ‘public’ support – the initial grant as well as various subsequent measures of infrastructural support;
  • The operator is private and uses commercial banks for operating funds where required and
  • The communities own the asset, its fittings and furnishings and receive an income from the Lodge operations, as well as an equity stake in the operating company.