The overall aim of the study was firstly to identify and analyse global shifts as well as tourism specific megatrends that impact the tourism sector at a global, regional and local level, from both the demand and supply sides; and secondly to develop a framework that will enable the sector to proactively respond to challenges and capitalise on opportunities for the future development of sustainable tourism products and services over time. The study was conducted over two phases. During phase 1, using in-depth interviews and a futures workshop with senior tourism stakeholders, five megatrends that will impact South Africa’s tourism sector were identified. Economically, tourism will be influenced by global and local economic growth with South Africa continuing to underperform. Politically, safety and security, policy uncertainties and a rise in social unrest, will remain the biggest challenges for the sector. Socially, there will be opportunities but also challenges in meeting changing demand driven by new markets (such as China and Africa). The pervasiveness of technology and the influence of social media on tourists’ purchase paths, will present new opportunities while at the same time putting pressure on balancing potential job opportunities and losses. Environmentally, climate change and carbon emissions will have an increasingly important impact on tourists’ desire to visit destinations, especially those geographically far from markets. During the second phase of the study a Strategic Framework to respond to the impact of megatrends was developed and tested through consultative workshops with leaders in the tourism sector. The Framework represents a process through which the sector can respond to the impact of megatrends, central to which would be some form of institutional structure that drives this process from the highest level. The process begins with the identification of megatrends based on “warning signals” or observed indicators and then constructs future scenarios based on these trends. This future view allows for the setting of an agenda of priority issues depending on the perceived magnitude of emerging megatrends. Show less

The overall aim of the study was firstly to identify and analyse global shifts as well as tourism specific megatrends that impact the tourism sector at a global, regional and local level, from both the demand and supply sides; and secondly to develop a framework that will enable the sector to proactively respond to Show more

The leveraging state assets for tourism development was identified by the Department of Tourism as a focus for research in the National Tourism Research Agenda. The University of Johannesburg undertook a 2-year research project to examine the potential for leveraging the state assets for a demand-driven approach for inclusive tourism. The project examined the potential for leveraging the state assets – national and sub-national tiers – for a demand-driven approach for enhanced support and promotion of tourism SMMEs which are owned or operated by black South Africans. This policy focus is social inclusion in the tourism sector. The research project involved conducting a number of investigations about the challenge of maximizing state assets in relation to different forms of state assets and by different levels of government. In year one of this project, studies were undertaken of the leveraging of state assets in terms of the Pilanesberg nature reserve in North West province and at the municipal level the leveraging of assets for potential tourism development in the Overstrand Local Municipality, Western Cape. In year 2, parallel investigations were undertaken to those completed in phase one. The example of a large state-owned asset linked to nature-based tourism, namely Addo Elephant National Park in Eastern Cape Province was interrogated in terms of questions of leveraging for Black SMME development. In addition, a second locality study was undertaken (also based in the Eastern Cape Province) which focused on King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality. Finally, also as part of phase two, a thematic study was undertaken on the chequered development and potential of municipal caravan parks and camping. The major conclusion that comes out of the study – and which runs through all the empirical investigations is the under-performance of state assets in relation to inclusive tourism development. Overall, the UJ study argues that there is a fundamental need for improved asset management for tourism and for the development of an asset management framework specifically for tourism assets in South Africa. Show less

The leveraging state assets for tourism development was identified by the Department of Tourism as a focus for research in the National Tourism Research Agenda. The University of Johannesburg undertook a 2-year research project to examine the potential for leveraging the state assets for a demand-driven approach for Show more

In South Africa, the contribution of the public sector to economic growth cannot be understated. The contribution can take place through several channels, including via the tourism sector. The chained- tourism activities that result from direct government expenditures are characterised in this report as consisting of the public sector-generated tourism value chain. The chained-tourism activities are triggered when a meeting, conference or event requires government personnel to be away from their usual environment for at least 24 hours. Such absence requires that transport and accommodation, as well as food and beverages, be both organised and paid for. Certain suppliers benefit from the government expenditures incurred by providing transport, accommodation, food and beverages, or other services to the travelling government personnel within the value chain. The amended Tourism B-BBEE Sector Code gazetted by the Department of Trade and Industry in November 2015 seeks to ensure that the economic benefits of the booming tourism sector accrue to previously disadvantaged races as well as to the more traditionally privileged. Using government expenditures on tourism-related activities between 2013/14 and 2017/18, and the suppliers registered with the National Treasury, the study examines the value chain of the tourism sector generated from the public expenditures, and it attempts to determine the type of enterprises that benefit from within the value chain. The findings of the study are earmarked to produce policy recommendations that will aid the promotion of economic transformation that are set to enable the participation of previously disadvantaged races in the tourism value chain, particularly in terms of improving access to the procurement channels involved. Show less

In South Africa, the contribution of the public sector to economic growth cannot be understated. The contribution can take place through several channels, including via the tourism sector. The chained- tourism activities that result from direct government expenditures are characterised in this report as consisting of the public Show more

Despite the rich geological heritage encompassed within the Kruger National Park (KNP), the unemployment rate and poverty levels remain high for local communities abutting the northern part of the park. This study focused on the northern part of the KNP because no study has been conducted to identify and locate geoheritage sites and due to high unemployment rates and poverty levels in that area compared to the southern part of the park. The primary purpose of this research was to investigate and evaluate the potential for geotourism to contribute towards social sustainability and more effective local community development. Geotourism is an emerging research field and South Africa holds some fascinating geological heritage; however, geotourism has been under researched. Therefore, it was important to examine the potential for geotourism to effectively contribute towards local development. Considering that the national government of South Africa through the National Development Plan (NDP) and National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS) recognises tourism as one of the growth pillars for poverty alleviation and job creation, geotourism can contribute towards this as one of the potential solutions. Social sustainability and stakeholder framework theories linked to the concept of sustainable development allowed examination of geotourism and its potential contribution to local sustainable development in the context of this study. This study used a four phased mixed research methodology (qualitative and quantitative) to investigate the potential for geotourism development as a secondary market to supplement the current tourism market (wildlife viewing) and to examine the geotourism potentiality to assist in addressing unemployment and poverty. The first phase was a database inventory development, field ranking, evaluation and prioritisation of geoheritage sites using six indicators (geotourism value, cultural value, ecological sensitivity, accessibility, development requirements, and currently available academic literature) of 15 potential geoheritage sites. The collected field data was converted into Microsoft word and excel documents for analysis. Furthermore, excel data with geographic information and values of the six indicators of 15 geoheritage sites was imported into GIS software in order to produce evaluation and prioritisation maps. The second phase entailed semi-structured interviews (qualitative) with 16 key participants which included local community leaders (2), local residents (2), SANParks officials (4), National Department of Tourism government officials (3), local high school tourism teachers (2), Limpopo conservation agency (1) and tourism operators (2). Content analysis was used to analyse the transcripts of semi-structured interviews in order to identify the emerging themes and sub-themes to understand the perceptions of all participants towards geotourism and local social sustainability. The third phase of the research was an online survey (quantitative) of 105 valid respondents and the collected data was statistically analysed in order to understand the perceptions of respondents towards geotourism and local social sustainability. Thereafter, the findings from the first three phases of the study were analysed and interpreted together so as to draw conclusions based on divergence and convergence of findings (fourth phase). In this context, qualitative analysis and statistical analysis of results helped to draw conclusions and recommendations of the research. In conclusion, it was evident from the findings that the northern part of KNP is enriched with precious potential geoheritage sites that can be utilised for geotourism development towards achieving social sustainability, especially of local communities abutting the northern part of the park. However, geotourism has not been developed and introduced as a new tourism market segment at the KNP. The theoretical supplement from this study is that geotourism can contribute towards achieving social sustainability, especially of local communities. Fundamentally, this study shows that previous social sustainability literature lacks focus and has been limited on integrating local culture into social sustainability frameworks. As such, this case study suggests that stakeholder theory and geotourism can be used as tools in reintegrating local culture, understanding social sustainability and towards social sustainability. This study reinforces the theory of social sustainability, stakeholder and geotourism by revealing that local communities abutting the northern part of the KNP and other stakeholders could potentially benefit through socio-economic benefits (income/ employment, community well-being, cultural and shareholding benefits, tour operating, tour guiding, economic growth, supply of goods and services, accommodation and retail businesses), educational benefits (upskilling of tour guides, training of local communities and creating awareness among different stakeholders), and environmental benefits emanating from geotourism development at the KNP. It is therefore recommended that SANParks and/or government immediately introduce geotourism as a new tourism market at the northern part of the KNP. It is recommended that SANParks and/or government should ensure that local communities in the northern part of the KNP are effectively consulted and involved in the planning and decision-making process regarding development and introduction of new tourism products such as geotourism. Furthermore, SANParks and/or government should ensure that there is collaborative stakeholder engagement among all role players, local communities and tourists have access to the geoheritage sites inside the park and local communities benefit from geotourism. The findings of this study intend to assist SANParks, local community leaders, the private sector (including existing tour operators) and government departments in achieving a national database of geoheritage sites to ultimately be associated with sustainable geotourism activity led by local communities. Show less

Despite the rich geological heritage encompassed within the Kruger National Park (KNP), the unemployment rate and poverty levels remain high for local communities abutting the northern part of the park. This study focused on the northern part of the KNP because no study has been conducted to identify and locate geoheritage Show more

This article examines the impact of new technologies on the field of tourist guiding. It has been found throughout the preliminary research that a large gap in this field exists in academic literature. It is therefore important to study the role of the tourist guide in this era of emerging technologies, both in and outside the museum spectrum, to better understand the future place that tourist guiding will have in the tourism industry. Different types of new technologies are examined in relation to the field of tourist guiding, and the various benefits and limitations of these technologies are also discussed. It can be argued that only when embracing the positive aspects of both new technologies and tourist guiding can one offer tourists the best experience in the digital age. This realisation can greatly impact the way in which tourism managers design tourist experiences and tourist guides interact with both technology and tourists. Show less

This article examines the impact of new technologies on the field of tourist guiding. It has been found throughout the preliminary research that a large gap in this field exists in academic literature. It is therefore important to study the role of the tourist guide in this era of emerging technologies, both in and outside Show more

The challenge is recognised for achieving greater ‘inclusion’ in South African tourism, including provision of opportunities for formerly disadvantaged communities to benefit from sector growth. The National Tourism Sector Strategy calls for a broadening of the economic beneficiaries of tourism development, for programmes to attract more black entrepreneurs into the tourism sector and to own and operate tourism SMMEs. The achievement of inclusive tourism growth requires that benefits flow to local (black) communities as well as other groups (especially women and the disabled) that formerly remained largely outside of the mainstream of the country’s tourism economy. National government has introduced a range of initiatives to deepen specifically SMME development in tourism sector, to support wider objectives of transformation and of inclusive growth in tourism. The majority of these existing initiatives are supply-side interventions aimed to enhance enterprise support through, for example, business incubators. Recently, the DoT is concerned to complement these supply-side support interventions with a suite of demand-side initiatives. One significant facet of fresh policy thinking towards demand-side interventions is to leverage the potential of state-owned assets for tourism development and in particular for SMME upgrading. The question of leveraging state assets for tourism development was identified by the Department of Tourism in the National Tourism Research Agenda. The University of Johannesburg is undertaking a 3-year research project to examine the potential for leveraging the state assets for a demand-driven approach for inclusive tourism. Year one findings are given from this project using case studies in Pilanesberg and the Overstrand. Show less

The challenge is recognised for achieving greater ‘inclusion’ in South African tourism, including provision of opportunities for formerly disadvantaged communities to benefit from sector growth. The National Tourism Sector Strategy calls for a broadening of the economic beneficiaries of tourism development, for programmes Show more

Extant research has established that destination branding through sport events is deemed to be a valuable resource for brand development and positioning, as well as for accessing social, economic and environmental benefits for both developed and developing nations. However, the destination branding discourse remains widely contested among academics and practitioners, as there is, as yet, no commonly accepted framework for the destination branding theory. Moreover, the theory underpinning sport event leveraging towards informed branding practices, especially in the developing destination context, is lacking. The current study conceptualises the leveraging of home-grown sport events for destination brands; extending the scope of other known sport event leveraging studies in the developing context. The research critically examines key stakeholders involved in sport and destination branding by detailing their perceptions in relation to the leveraging of home-grown sport using the South African brand as a case study. Show less

Extant research has established that destination branding through sport events is deemed to be a valuable resource for brand development and positioning, as well as for accessing social, economic and environmental benefits for both developed and developing nations. However, the destination branding discourse remains widely Show more

The potential of cross-border tourism is a well–established phenomenon in that it multiplies the socio-economic effects in bordering regions. Essentially it promotes the integration of value chains, augments investments and increases tourist flows to a broader and more inclusive region. It also allows for the linking of a number of related tourist attractions into a themed experience which attracts the niche tourist with particular needs. Key to these themed tourist routes is the experiential element which creates meaning for the potential tourist. The report acknowledges that cross-border themed tourism routes are not without their challenges at a number of levels. These include aspects such as the non-alignment of the tourist guiding sectors; the discrepancies in tourism rankings; varied facilities and infrastructures; obstructive regulatory systems; safety concerns; global competitiveness; different currencies; and lack of collaboration. However, it is argued that some of these do have short term mitigations as well as long term solutions which could enable the practice of cross-border themed tourism routes. These can be addressed through: collaboration and partnership; diplomacy and supranational agreements; single regional and regionally accepted currency; investment; harmonisation of visas; harmonisation of standards; and experience diversification. Furthermore, best practice examples indicate that cross-border route experiences have been more successful with the implementation of smaller developmental projects where only a few countries are traversed. Here the enabling environment and collaborative practices have been aligned to suite the specific route. The report argues that Southern Africa has vast potential for cross border themed route experiences and proposes the development of a CBTRE Toolkit which the sector could utilise to creatively diversify the experience dimension of the tourist offering. The report maps out a range of potential avenues of collaborative themed route experiences within the Southern SADC region concluding with an example from film tourism and the case of Black Panther. Show less

The potential of cross-border tourism is a well–established phenomenon in that it multiplies the socio-economic effects in bordering regions. Essentially it promotes the integration of value chains, augments investments and increases tourist flows to a broader and more inclusive region. It also allows for the linking of a Show more

In recent years storytelling has gained increasing attention as a global marketing trend and development tool in the tourism industry. Studies have shown that a “real” or “fictive” story associated with a destination or its peoples has the distinct ability to give the specific area an advantage over its competitors, while still simultaneously providing the tourist with a more valuable and “unique” experience. This essentially means marketing domestic and international tourist destinations as “story-scapes” through the interaction between all stakeholders, including story tellers, tourist guides and tourists. This capitalises on the tourist’s adherent need for a more authentic story behind the tourism product, along with the tourist’s interest of how this “unique” story was acquired, created and then ultimately conveyed in an understandable and meaningful way. This project explored the viability and practicality of considering and incorporating the “Indigenous Story Teller” (IST) into the wider tourist guiding sector of South Africa. It recommends the creation of a new tourist guiding classification to add to the established three levels of tourist guiding already regulated and monitored within the country. It suggests the possible addition of an unit standard which will enable the culture guide to facilitate and provide a platform for the inclusion of the IST in the tourism sector. Culture guides will therefore be elevated to a position where they are enabled to facilitate the inclusion of the IST in the tourism offering and mediate between the IST and the tourist group as an intercultural communicator. They will also need to play the role of a conservator in ensuring that the IST and his/her landscape is preserved, respected and not damaged. In the case study of the Northern Cape the report illustrates that the concept IST refers to a diverse collection of local voices that contribute to the authenticity and integrity of a particular tourist attraction. This model can also be applied generically throughout South Africa with the range of indigenous and marginalised voices that abound. In essence, in this role, the cultural tourist guide becomes a co-creator of the IST experience. Show less

In recent years storytelling has gained increasing attention as a global marketing trend and development tool in the tourism industry. Studies have shown that a “real” or “fictive” story associated with a destination or its peoples has the distinct ability to give the specific area an advantage over its competitors, Show more

Coastal and Marine Tourism (CMT), as part of the oceans economy, offers significant development opportunities that can contribute to job creation and sustainability. However, a desktop study funded by the National Department of Tourism (NDT) revealed that there are limited national and international best practices to assess the economic impacts of CMT. To examine the economic impacts of CMT in South Africa, surveys were implemented with demand-side (tourists/ users/ customers) and supply-side (the accommodation sector, CMT business owners, retail outlets and tour operators) coastal and marine stakeholders. This presentation presents the descriptive analysis of survey results from key stakeholder groups. The results are used for the economic modelling as well which used the Input-Output (I-O) model and Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) approaches. A proportionate targeted sampling approach was used to survey 3 031 tourists/ users/ customers, 125 accommodation establishments, 125 restaurants and retail outlets, 94 CMT business owners and 66 tour operators. The surveys were undertaken in KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Eastern Cape. CMT locations in these provinces were purposively chosen and persons systematically selected. The demographic profile of tourist/ user/ customer respondents indicate diversity in terms of gender and historical racial groups with most having post-matric qualifications and having higher than average incomes. The majority of these respondents were also overnight and day visitors. The majority of respondents participated in in multiple CMT activities. This shows high levels of interest in CMT products/activities. CMT locations also have repeat visitors and attract new visitors. There was also high levels of satisfaction among visitors with CMT activities and experiences. Most respondents spent on food and drinks and travel. The highest average spend by tourists was for travel and accommodation during visit to South Africa. Shopping as well as food and drinks also had relatively high average spend. In terms of the supply-side stakeholder key findings, most of these businesses were operational for more than 10 years. The months regarded as high and low season were similar for all stakeholders with occupancy rates/ number of clients and average spend per client rates being substantially higher during high compared to low seasons. Research challenges were noted, especially in relation to undertaking fieldwork in Northern Cape and interviewing supply-side stakeholders. These issues were also raised during the piloting phase of the research. Differences were noted in terms of expenditure patterns among the stakeholders. However, the highest average expenditure was generally for salaries/ wages followed by capital expenditure. In terms of use of service providers/ suppliers, the highest was for restaurants and retail establishments followed by tour operators and accommodation establishments. Among all the stakeholders who used service providers, most were locally-based which indicates support for local businesses which is a key component of the transformation agenda. However, few service providers were identified as being black or female-owned. In relation to employment trends, the results show that accommodation establishments employed the most staff and CMT businesses the least. Most staff were locally-based. No discernible gender differences emerged. Africans are employed the most in many businesses which is important given that this is the main equity target group. The importance of developing a standardised framework to measure, monitor and manage the economic impacts of CMT in South Africa remains. This research will inform the development of a framework for CMT. Show less

Coastal and Marine Tourism (CMT), as part of the oceans economy, offers significant development opportunities that can contribute to job creation and sustainability. However, a desktop study funded by the National Department of Tourism (NDT) revealed that there are limited national and international best practices to assess the Show more