Revenue collection company Earthview Management has partnered with card-payments processor, Paynet Group, to roll out a cashless payment system at some of Kenya’s busiest national parks and games reserves.

Earthview management is the Kenyan company dedicated to the collection and reporting of revenues for entry into parks and wildlife areas.

Meanwhile, card-payments firm Paynet Group processes local and international card and electronic payments for major banks in the East African country.

According to a statement, the Paynet Group plans to supply smart-cards to Earthview Management tour operators to pay for tourists’ game park entry fees at the gate.

“The partnership will see the introduction of efficient park entry fee payment solution, foolproof revenue recording as well as the issuance of smart cards to tour operators,” reads the statement.

On game drives tour operators pay on behalf of tourists as tourists would’ve contracted operators prior to their travel.

The introduction of the smart cards means everything will rely on real-time communication between the card processor’s financial switch in Nairobi and real-time payment devices to be installed at park gates.

By swiping the smart card at the gate of a game reserve or park the tour operators would immediately pay the entry fees.

“Game parks have been losing money through the system of manually collection game park entry fees. The adoption of smart cards will inject efficiency and accountability in revenue collection,” said Kamau Ngunyi, communications director at Wheels Media.

He added, “It means collection from tourists of game park entry fees will not be cash based in the conservancies operated by Earthview Management.”

According to Richard Coate, managing director of PesaPoint a subsidiary of the Paynet Group, the cards also have multiple functions such as paying tour drivers’ salaries.

“To pay their drivers using the card, tour companies will simply credit money onto the card from their offices and their drivers and tour operators in the wild will receive it, and then can then pop into any gate that has the system to withdraw their money,” he said.

“They could also get their money at any PesaPoint ATM or agent or at any PesaPoint branded ATMs doing away with the need to travel to their employers’ city offices,” said Coate.