The National Parks of South Africa have 3 fundamental spheres of focus:
 
-the conservation of a representative sample of the biodiversity of the country;
-to maintain a relationship of community upliftment and capacity building amongst people living in the areas in and around the parks;
-to provide a recreational outlet to the public to experience and enjoy the wonders of the parks.
 
The third of these responsibilities is achieved through tourism and is necessary to provide the financial resources required by the organisation in order to sustain the first and second responsibility. Tourism manifests itself in many ways but in SANParks' situation, the definition involves the movement of people into the parks to interact with the park environment. Once there, visitors will use facilities and take part in activities. One specific facility type is accommodation. Park run accommodation is offered in 14 of the national parks.