The aim of this paper is to examine how new technologies shape the experience of the tourist. This is to further the understanding of tourism’s place in a technologically-driven age. The methodology of the study includes an analysis, comparison and evaluation of elements and factors involved in contributing to a quality tourist experience. The experience of the tourist is a personal and individualistic occurrence and can be improved with the help of both new technologies and the tourist guide. The finding that is made is that both the personal touch of the tourist guide as well as the interactive features of technology have a place in the provision of quality tourism experiences. This in turn implies that both tourist guides and new technologies should be included in the tourism experience. Only then can a quality tourism experience be provided for the 21st century tourist. There are many papers examining the experience of the tourist. However, few have looked at the implications of the development of new technologies on the experience of the tourist. This article suggests a scale on which the tourist experience can be based on, in relation to both tourist guides and new technologies. Show less

The aim of this paper is to examine how new technologies shape the experience of the tourist. This is to further the understanding of tourism’s place in a technologically-driven age. The methodology of the study includes an analysis, comparison and evaluation of elements and factors involved in contributing to a quality Show more

Global tourism has grown steadily over the last 60 years and is predicted by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to reach 1.8 billion international arrivals by 2030. As an economic sector it has outperformed the global economy for the seventh year running, growing by 4.6% against 3%. This has not been the case in South Africa despite the fact that South Africa currently gains the lion’s share of international arrivals to the African continent. According to StatsSA, the contribution of tourism to the economy has declined from 3.3% in 2006 to 2.8% in 2017. Despite this tourism is increasingly being perceived as an important economic driver that can help turn South Africa’s fortunes around. Globally tourism is influenced by shifts and megatrends, and South Africa, as part of this global industry, is also affected by these megatrends. This raises the question of whether South Africa can harness the opportunities presented by these megatrends to stimulate the growth of the tourism sector to contribute more to economic growth in South Africa. The aim of this study was to identify the megatrends that affect tourism globally, to assess the impact of these trends on the South African tourism industry and to develop a number of scenarios that depict the possible direction of tourism in South Africa. The future scenarios provide the alternative directions in which tourism can develop towards 2030 within the context of both certainties and uncertainties in the South African tourism sector. Five major trends were identified using a qualitative approach comprising the analysis of secondary sources and in-depth interviews with tourism industry leaders and policy makers: Economic; Political; Social; Technological and Environmental. Four future scenarios were developed through a consultative workshop. Each scenario depicts the level of competiveness and industry integration that could potentially be achieved under different sets of circumstances with the best-case scenario showing an industry that is highly competitive and fully integrated. Show less

Global tourism has grown steadily over the last 60 years and is predicted by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to reach 1.8 billion international arrivals by 2030. As an economic sector it has outperformed the global economy for the seventh year running, growing by 4.6% against 3%. This has not been the case in South 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

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

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

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

The planning, development and management of tourism is a cornerstone for the socio-cultural, economic and natural growth of the tourism industry. In this regard, tourism has come to be known as a major economic force in many countries and regions throughout the world, seeking to increase jobs and thus alleviate unemployment and poverty. It is generally accepted that the growth of tourism depends largely on effective planning, developing and management of resources (facilities and activities), particularly in developing countries so as to escape poverty and inequalities (Wahab, 2000). The major research question in this study is whether there is an adequate legislative framework that effectively addresses issues of planning and development of tourism resources, facilities and activities. What makes some municipalities perform better than others in tourism resource management and development? Are there sufficient planning guidelines that facilitate integrated tourism development approaches? Lastly, what is the role and level of involvement of tourism practitioners and stakeholders in the planning, development and management of tourism resources, facilities and activities. Some other research questions that need to be attended to are as follows: What are the major relationships between national and local policies on tourism resource planning and management?. What levels of tourism planning and management capacity in municipalities need to be identified and improved? What are the existing practitioners and stakeholders‟ perceptions of tourism management and development in the provinces of South Africa? The study is limited to two provinces in South Africa, namely KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, also covering various district and local municipalities within these regions. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies are used. The total sample size for municipalities in both provinces is 384 respondents. The details of the methodology are discussed later, laying emphasis on the target Show less

The planning, development and management of tourism is a cornerstone for the socio-cultural, economic and natural growth of the tourism industry. In this regard, tourism has come to be known as a major economic force in many countries and regions throughout the world, seeking to increase jobs and thus alleviate unemployment and Show more

Sustainability has become one of the key elements of development for most tourist destinations. Some cities have adopted a sustainable development strategy as a long-term solution in improving socio-economic, cultural, and environmental practices. Traditionally, destinations have used events to achieve community enrichment, protect the natural environment, and create or maintain national pride. The aim of this research was to analyse the impact of events on sustainable tourism development in Durban. The study analysed the perceptions of key stakeholders regarding the contribution of events to socio-economic growth of the city of Durban. In carrying out the research, a mixed method approach was used. A total of 400 questionnaires were administered and 25 in-depth interviews were conducted. The results show that there are economic spin offs resulting from visitor spending during major events in the City. Furthermore, the study shows that although events can be used as a tool for sustainable tourism development, the challenge is the unbalanced racial structure within the industry, poor state of the economy, and limited access to business start-up capital for SMMEs. The study concludes that events play a vital role in socio-economic growth and development of the tourism sector in Durban and recommends multi-stakeholder collaboration and partnerships to ensure sustained tourism growth. Show less

Sustainability has become one of the key elements of development for most tourist destinations. Some cities have adopted a sustainable development strategy as a long-term solution in improving socio-economic, cultural, and environmental practices. Traditionally, destinations have used events to achieve community enrichment, Show more

Sustainability has become one of the key elements of development for most tourist destinations. Some cities have adopted a sustainable development strategy as a long-term solution in improving socio-economic, cultural, and environmental practices. Traditionally, destinations have used events to achieve community enrichment, protect the natural environment, and create or maintain national pride. The aim of this research was to analyse the impact of events on sustainable tourism development in Durban. The study analysed the perceptions of key stakeholders regarding the contribution of events to socio-economic growth of the city of Durban. In carrying out the research, a mixed method approach was used. A total of 400 questionnaires were administered and 25 in-depth interviews were conducted. The results show that there are economic spin offs resulting from visitor spending during major events in the City. Furthermore, the study shows that although events can be used as a tool for sustainable tourism development, the challenge is the unbalanced racial structure within the industry, poor state of the economy, and limited access to business start-up capital for SMMEs. The study concludes that events play a vital role in socio-economic growth and development of the tourism sector in Durban and recommends multi-stakeholder collaboration and partnerships to ensure sustained tourism growth. Show less

Sustainability has become one of the key elements of development for most tourist destinations. Some cities have adopted a sustainable development strategy as a long-term solution in improving socio-economic, cultural, and environmental practices. Traditionally, destinations have used events to achieve community enrichment, Show more