In common with the rest of the world, the tourism sector of South Africa experienced the radical impacts of COVID-19. The magnitude of the pandemic will reshape existing patterns of tourism demand and supply which need to be understood and researched for designing appropriate policy interventions. Little knowledge exists to understand how COVID-19 has affected the supply and demand of tourism products in South Africa. It is against the background of the rolling COVID-19 pandemic, its devastating impacts for tourism and of initiatives for re-igniting demand focused on domestic tourism that this research was undertaken. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the demand and supply of tourism products, with a view to propose interventions to meet the needs of tourists, particularly domestic tourists, post COVID-19 through an approach of undertaking case studies of local destinations offering a different mix of tourism products. The research involved a demand-side and supply-side analysis. The demand-side involved a desktop review of existing international literature relating to COVID-19 and consumer travel intentions. Material from 23 countries was accessed to reveal several themes about risk perceptions and consumer travel intentions as well as of changing demand preferences in the context of the continuing COVID-19 crisis. The supply-side of the research was done through the approach/lens of undertaking case studies of local destinations each of which offers a differing mix of tourism products and thus of challenges/opportunities. Three locality case studies were undertaken of tourism product clusters focused on Bela-Bela, Limpopo, Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga and Overstrand, Western Cape. Across these areas, 60 interviews were undertaken with key private sector tourism product owners. The interview schedule was designed to determine the issues of COVID-19 impacts including responses of enterprises, their challenges and potential support requirements/interventions to address any opportunities in relation to domestic tourism. From the demand-side and supply-side analysis, the results from this investigation point to a total of 13 policy recommendations for the Department of Tourism in addressing the impact of COVID on changing tourism demand and supply. Overall, the analysis and research findings provide the foundations of an evidence base to inform the Department of Tourism of policy opportunities in order to shape the tourism sector’s supply and demand for meeting the needs and changing demands of (especially) South African domestic tourists in the COVID-19 environment. Show less

In common with the rest of the world, the tourism sector of South Africa experienced the radical impacts of COVID-19. The magnitude of the pandemic will reshape existing patterns of tourism demand and supply which need to be understood and researched for designing appropriate policy interventions. Little knowledge exists to 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

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

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

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

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