MNP is one of the smallest and youngest national parks in the portfolio of South African National Parks (SANParks). The park is also a World Heritage Site because it contains the remnants of the ancient Kingdom of Mapungubwe, which was one of the first sophisticated southern African societies. The park currently faces challenges associated with mining in the area, the development of the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, the presence of private and agricultural lands that split the park into two parts as well as management issues. The management of national parks in South Africa is guided by a number of principles, one of which is strategic adaptive management, which is used by South African National Parks (SANParks) as the foundation of all the organisation’s management plans. In addition, guidelines and legislation set by various international organisations and national government departments provide structures according to which protected areas, World Heritage Sites and national parks should function. Sustainable tourism is the desired state for tourism. This means that tourism services should be managed towards achieving sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is considered a form of tourism that is strategic and that promotes the long-term integrity of natural and cultural resources, so that these resources are maintained as durable, permanent landscapes for future generations. Sustainable tourism strives to achieve economic viability without compromising the integrity of socio-cultural and natural environments. Therefore, sustainable tourism rests on three main pillars, namely socio-cultural integrity, economic integrity and environmental integrity. The primary objective of this study was to develop a tourism management framework for the Mapungubwe National Park (MNP). It is a young national park that faces a unique set of management challenges. Currently the tourism management plan of the park is contained within the overall management plan of the park and it does not address the major management challenges of the park. For this reason it is imperative to develop a management framework in this regard that takes into account the management challenges that face the park in order to ensure that sustainable tourism is achieved. The research approach used in this study included both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. An explorative research approach was followed through a self-administered online questionnaire with the aim of determining the perceptions of visitors about the importance of various management and sustainable tourism tasks and how effectively they perceived those tasks to be executed at MNP. Fifty-four constructs pertaining to aspects of park management and sustainable tourism were measured on a five-point Likert scale. These constructs were determined through a literature review. The sources consulted included the following: Saayman (2009), Swarbrooke (2002), George (2007), Mancini (2013), SANParks (2010), Keyser, (2002:351), Coetzee (2004:184), Himbira, Saarinen, Atlhopheng and Manwa (2010:278), Borges, Carbone, Bushell, and Jäger (2011:8), Sebele (2010:146), Vanhove, (2011:223), Logar (2010:130) and Pedersen (2002:34). The questionnaire was distributed electronically to a database of visitors who had stayed at MNP over a period of 12 months. The researcher also distributed questionnaires manually at the park. Data collection took place during March and April 2013. A total of 486 responses were received during the period of data collection. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the management of MNP and with surrounding land owners in the data-collection period. The results of the empirical quantitative data were processed at the Statistical Consultation Services at the Potchefstroom Campus of North-West University. The data was analysed using version 21 of SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software. The statistical methods utilised included descriptive statistics through frequencies and means, exploratory factor analysis and t-tests. The interviews conducted were transcribed using F4 software and analysed by means of the ATLAS.ti software package. Data analysis included the use of data coding in order to identify underlying themes in the data. The results of the descriptive data indicated that the following five management constructs were seen as most important from a visitor perspective: the cleanliness of ablution facilities, the cleanliness of accommodation facilities, the reintroduction of indigenous game species, the control of domestic animals in the park, and the professionalism of reception staff. In terms of the management effectiveness, the following five constructs were rated the highest: the cleanliness of ablution facilities, the performance of housekeeping staff, hours of operation of park reception, the value for money of accommodation at MNP, and the professional operation of tours to Mapungubwe Hill. The exploratory factor analysis identified 11 factors related to management and sustainable tourism, namely (1) information and accessibility, (2) accommodation and ablution facilities, (3) food and beverages, (4) leisure facilities, (5) professionalism of tours, (6) conservation, (7) concessions, (8) human resources, (9) regulations and marketing, (10) socio-economic impacts and (11) environmental impacts. These factors were compared through a t-test and gaps in management effectiveness were identified in all factors with the exception of concessions. Qualitative data analysis of the interviews with local land owners revealed a number of themes that highlighted the concerns experienced by these stakeholders. These themes were local land owner issues, mining issues, management issues, transfrontier conservation area issues and world heritage issues. The main themes arising from interviews with management included local land owner issues, mining issues, MNP management issues, transfrontier conservation area issues, tourism issues and world heritage issues. This research made the following contributions to the field of sustainable tourism management in protected areas: * This study contributed a critical assessment of literature based on park and protected area management frameworks. These frameworks were presented in chronological order and provide a theoretical basis for the future development of management frameworks for parks and protected areas. * This study proved that tourism management frameworks should be park specific and not generic in nature as all national parks have their own unique set of environmental conditions. * This study developed the first integrated framework for the management of tourism services at MNP. * This study has proved that SANParks has to manage all three spheres of management, namely conservation, ecotourism and constituency building, effectively in order to bring about the effective management of national parks in South Africa. In the case of MNP, management does not engage successfully with visitors (tourists) and the local community (local land owners), which has led to a mutual aversion and to misunderstandings between the parties. This highlights the necessity of involving all stakeholders in park management in order to stimulate greater cooperation and mutual understanding between all parties. * This study is the first to analyse the management effectiveness of tourism service provision at MNP and in the northern region of SANParks. This fulfils a gap, which may lead to future linear studies at other national parks in the region. * The results of this research will provide much needed input towards the overall strategic management of tourism services at MNP and SANParks by identifying ten gaps in management effectiveness. * This study is the first study to analyse the perceptions of the management of tourism in a World Heritage Site inside a national park in South Africa. * The findings of this study have been presented at various forums, including The Greater Mapungubwe Network (Musina, 26 July 2013) and the Southern Africa Institute for Management Scientists Conference (Potchefstroom, 15-17 September 2013). * Finally, this study contributed to the database of research concerning national parks, heritage management and protected area management in terms of tourism management. / PhD (Tourism Management)|cNorth-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

MNP is one of the smallest and youngest national parks in the portfolio of South African National Parks (SANParks). The park is also a World Heritage Site because it contains the remnants of the ancient Kingdom of Mapungubwe, which was one of the first sophisticated southern African societies. The park currently faces challenges associated with mining in the area, the development of the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, the presence of private and agricultural lands that split the park into two parts as well as management issues. The management of national parks in South Africa is guided by a number of principles, one of which is strategic adaptive management, which is used by South African National Parks (SANParks) as the foundation of all the organisation’s management plans. In addition, guidelines and legislation set by various international organisations and national government departments provide structures according to which protected areas, World Heritage Sites and national parks should function. Sustainable tourism is the desired state for tourism. This means that tourism services should be managed towards achieving sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is considered a form of tourism that is strategic and that promotes the long-term integrity of natural and cultural resources, so that these resources are maintained as durable, permanent landscapes for future generations. Sustainable tourism strives to achieve economic viability without compromising the integrity of socio-cultural and natural environments. Therefore, sustainable tourism rests on three main pillars, namely socio-cultural integrity, economic integrity and environmental integrity. The primary objective of this study was to develop a tourism management framework for the Mapungubwe National Park (MNP). It is a young national park that faces a unique set of management challenges. Currently the tourism management plan of the park is contained within the overall management plan of the park and it does not address the major management challenges of the park. For this reason it is imperative to develop a management framework in this regard that takes into account the management challenges that face the park in order to ensure that sustainable tourism is achieved. The research approach used in this study included both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. An explorative research approach was followed through a self-administered online questionnaire with the aim of determining the perceptions of visitors about the importance of various management and sustainable tourism tasks and how effectively they perceived those tasks to be executed at MNP. Fifty-four constructs pertaining to aspects of park management and sustainable tourism were measured on a five-point Likert scale. These constructs were determined through a literature review. The sources consulted included the following: Saayman (2009), Swarbrooke (2002), George (2007), Mancini (2013), SANParks (2010), Keyser, (2002:351), Coetzee (2004:184), Himbira, Saarinen, Atlhopheng and Manwa (2010:278), Borges, Carbone, Bushell, and Jäger (2011:8), Sebele (2010:146), Vanhove, (2011:223), Logar (2010:130) and Pedersen (2002:34). The questionnaire was distributed electronically to a database of visitors who had stayed at MNP over a period of 12 months. The researcher also distributed questionnaires manually at the park. Data collection took place during March and April 2013. A total of 486 responses were received during the period of data collection. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the management of MNP and with surrounding land owners in the data-collection period. The results of the empirical quantitative data were processed at the Statistical Consultation Services at the Potchefstroom Campus of North-West University. The data was analysed using version 21 of SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software. The statistical methods utilised included descriptive statistics through frequencies and means, exploratory factor analysis and t-tests. The interviews conducted were transcribed using F4 software and analysed by means of the ATLAS.ti software package. Data analysis included the use of data coding in order to identify underlying themes in the data. The results of the descriptive data indicated that the following five management constructs were seen as most important from a visitor perspective: the cleanliness of ablution facilities, the cleanliness of accommodation facilities, the reintroduction of indigenous game species, the control of domestic animals in the park, and the professionalism of reception staff. In terms of the management effectiveness, the following five constructs were rated the highest: the cleanliness of ablution facilities, the performance of housekeeping staff, hours of operation of park reception, the value for money of accommodation at MNP, and the professional operation of tours to Mapungubwe Hill. The exploratory factor analysis identified 11 factors related to management and sustainable tourism, namely (1) information and accessibility, (2) accommodation and ablution facilities, (3) food and beverages, (4) leisure facilities, (5) professionalism of tours, (6) conservation, (7) concessions, (8) human resources, (9) regulations and marketing, (10) socio-economic impacts and (11) environmental impacts. These factors were compared through a t-test and gaps in management effectiveness were identified in all factors with the exception of concessions. Qualitative data analysis of the interviews with local land owners revealed a number of themes that highlighted the concerns experienced by these stakeholders. These themes were local land owner issues, mining issues, management issues, transfrontier conservation area issues and world heritage issues. The main themes arising from interviews with management included local land owner issues, mining issues, MNP management issues, transfrontier conservation area issues, tourism issues and world heritage issues. This research made the following contributions to the field of sustainable tourism management in protected areas: * This study contributed a critical assessment of literature based on park and protected area management frameworks. These frameworks were presented in chronological order and provide a theoretical basis for the future development of management frameworks for parks and protected areas. * This study proved that tourism management frameworks should be park specific and not generic in nature as all national parks have their own unique set of environmental conditions. * This study developed the first integrated framework for the management of tourism services at MNP. * This study has proved that SANParks has to manage all three spheres of management, namely conservation, ecotourism and constituency building, effectively in order to bring about the effective management of national parks in South Africa. In the case of MNP, management does not engage successfully with visitors (tourists) and the local community (local land owners), which has led to a mutual aversion and to misunderstandings between the parties. This highlights the necessity of involving all stakeholders in park management in order to stimulate greater cooperation and mutual understanding between all parties. * This study is the first to analyse the management effectiveness of tourism service provision at MNP and in the northern region of SANParks. This fulfils a gap, which may lead to future linear studies at other national parks in the region. * The results of this research will provide much needed input towards the overall strategic management of tourism services at MNP and SANParks by identifying ten gaps in management effectiveness. * This study is the first study to analyse the perceptions of the management of tourism in a World Heritage Site inside a national park in South Africa. * The findings of this study have been presented at various forums, including The Greater Mapungubwe Network (Musina, 26 July 2013) and the Southern Africa Institute for Management Scientists Conference (Potchefstroom, 15-17 September 2013). * Finally, this study contributed to the database of research concerning national parks, heritage management and protected area management in terms of tourism management. / PhD (Tourism Management)|cNorth-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Since its inception, ecotourism has been promoted as a solution to some of the problems of biodiversity conservation. It has been touted as having the potential to balance the diverse interests of various publics by ensuring the protection of landscapes from development and extraction, offering unique tourism experiences, contributing economically to local communities, and fostering support for conservation efforts. Inconsistent success in achieving these goals, however, suggests that the effectiveness of ecotourism ought to be assessed on a case-specific rather than an industry-wide basis. Further, different stakeholders are likely to perceive the impacts of ecotourism in very different manners. The research on ecotourism and conservation rarely considers multiple perspectives, instead reflecting a one-sided understanding of the issues. As a step towards addressing these shortcomings, this thesis brings to light differing perspectives of ecotourism at the site of Algonquin Provincial Park. Through interviews and surveys, I uncover differences in conceptualisations of key ideas of conservation, knowledge of Algonquin Park, and perspectives of ecotourism between two primary groups of participants: tourists visiting the park and residents living in surrounding areas. Their responses reveal that, to residents, the park is a representation of livelihood; for tourists, the park represents ???pristine nature.??? The park is staged for its various publics, strategically representing only those aspects that will be looked upon favourably to a given group. These multiple constructions may be beneficial, however, as diverse viewpoints of these participants prompted attitudes and behaviours that were advantageous to the varied objectives of the park???s mandate, ultimately contributing to the success of the park as a site of landscape and biodiversity conservation.

This thesis studies sustainable tourism and climate change with discourse analysis by addressing two special issues of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, published in 2006 and 2010. Based on social constructionism assumptions, discourse theory assumes knowledge as “power-constructed reality” with the usage of language, that is, discourses. The formation of discourse thereby can be analyzed based on the texts presented. Likewise, the knowledge presented in the papers, namely the content of the special issues, is treated as empirical data containing discourses worthy of identifying and discussing. With the analytical elements proposed by Dryzek (1997), the discourse identified by the thesis suggests that the nature of sustainable tourism and climate change is that of sustaining the tourism industry with concerns for climatic resources change and GHG emission reduction. Moreover, the discourse identified is claimed to contain the features of some mainstream thinking such as neoclassical economics. Lastly, the change of the discourse identified is interpreted as a result of social practices.

This thesis examines the human and animal dimensions of whale-watching and develops a framework for management of the humpback whale-watching industry in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The short-term responses of humpback whales to whale-watching vessels during their southward migration on the south coast of NSW were assessed. The behaviour of pods was recorded from commercial whale-watching vessels during tours and compared to pods in the absence of vessels observed from shore in the same area. Pod sizes and composition were typical of southward migrating whales. Calf pods were more sensitive to the presence of vessels than non-calf pods. Whilst there was a longer dive time and a greater percentage of time spent submerged by whales in the presence of vessels, there were no associated changes in respiration intervals. Some surface behaviours were suppressed in the presence of vessels. Surface-active behaviours were prevalent in this study which indicates that social interactions amongst conspecifics are common during the southern migration. Feeding pods were observed on 24.5% of all whale-watching trips and during 14% of all observations made from shore. South-eastern NSW is probably a significant supplemental feeding ground for migrating whales. Feeding behaviour did not alter in the presence of vessels but the time between feeding lunges increased when vessels were closer than 100 m and when more than one vessel was present. The demographics, expectations, experience and satisfaction of land-based and boat-based whale-watchers in NSW were assessed by a questionnaire to participants. Land-based whale-watchers had high and often unrealistic expectations about their whale-watching experience and were moderately satisfied. Boat-based whale-watchers had high, but often realistic expectations of their experience and were highly satisfied. Satisfaction was a function of the degree to which expectations were met, the proximity of whales, the numbers of whales, their behavioural displays and the level of information available on whales. Whale-watchers showed limited increase in their knowledge and conservation-oriented behaviours over the long term. Current education about whales requires better structure and clearer conservation objectives. This study identifies research, education and vessel management as three fundamental components for the sustainable management of the whale-watching industry, and makes recommendations incorporating these components.

Tourism is promoted by the governments of many developing countries because it offers the potential for creating jobs, thus generating income for the country and revenue for the government. However, the tourism industry can also be viewed as a destructive force, associated with negative externalities such as the loss of natural landscapes, congestion, and environmental and cultural degradation. These problems are more likely to be exacerbated where there is a lack of well-designed planning and effective management of tourism development. An essential component of any management of tourism is the ability to engage with, and get a positive response from, the tourism industry. There are a wide range of enterprises involved in providing tourist products and experiences, and in many nations, both developing and developed, a large number of these businesses are small and medium in size and tend to operate at a local scale. The informal nature of tourism enterprises in the developing world can make it difficult to spread awareness of tourism policy and to measure moves towards more sustainable performance on the part of the industry. Using the case study of tourism in the city of Hue, this thesis argues that it is essential to understand both what tourism enterprises know about sustainable tourism practice and policy and also how they respond to its adoption, if we are to more fully understand tourism and its links to sustainable economic development. Located on the central northern coast of Vietnam, Hue is well known for its cultural resources and natural beauty, and the province has become a major tourism centre in Vietnam. The city of Hue itself is recognized as having international heritage value and was listed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO in 1993. During the last decade, tourism revenues have increased by nearly 35% per annum, and Hue has made great efforts to both stimulate and cater for increasing demand for its tourism products and services. The Vietnamese government has introduced a number of policies designed to enhance environmental quality generally and, more specifically, to improve the sustainability of enterprises in the tourism sector. This thesis examines the degree to which tourism enterprises in the city of Hue are aware of the broad concept of sustainable tourism and of the specific legislation designed to influence the sustainability of their businesses. I examine the structure and make-up of the industry and then analyse whether characteristics such as size, ownership type and sectoral focus play a role in influencing awareness of, and response to, government policy. The research triangulates data-gathering methods: secondary data, literature reviews, semi-structured interviews and an enterprise survey are all used to gain insights into the core research questions. Each method feeds into and is strengthened by the others, and their combination (including 50 interviews and 180 survey responses) provides a robust data set to work from. The findings reveal that many of the firms operating in the Hue tourism industry are characterized by weak institutional practices, low financial capacity, poor facilities and a lack of broader awareness of policies that influence sustainable tourism practice. The tourism industry’s awareness of general sustainable development issues is low, and much business practice focuses on short-term rather than long-term perspectives. This limits the use of environmentally friendly practices by firms, especially small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), in their daily business activities. The study reveals that there is no significant variation in the adoption of sustainable tourism practices according to the size of enterprises, especially if the practices in question are simple and can be introduced with cost savings. However, as the cost and complexity of introducing environmental measures increases, we see a greater ability on the part of larger enterprises to adopt such actions – partly because they are in a stronger position to bear the short-terms costs of implementing such approaches. There are a wide range of factors that constrain the Hue tourism industry from adopting more sustainable tourism practices. Internal constraints such as limited financial and human resources are combined with external constraints such as increasing cost-based competition, the lack of enforcement of government policies, and limited awareness of sustainable tourism pracitces. All of these factors play a crucial role in shaping the actions of enterprises in relation to sustainable tourism practices and policies. The results of this study also point to the fact that government sustainable tourism initiatives that rely on ‘command-and-control’ approaches will have limited effect; instead, a variety of institutional economic instruments offer greater potential to overcome deficiencies in the ability of the market to drive tourism enterprises towards more sustainable business practices. The thesis also argues that it is important to develop approaches that can cope with the special challenges attached to management of sustainable tourism development in destinations that are dominated by SMEs. The thesis contributes to the growing body of theory and literature in sustainable tourism development and tourism-enterprise behaviour. It also makes an important contribution to our understanding of tourism enterprises in the developing world. In particular, the findings add an important layer of understanding to those attempting to develop a more sustainable tourism industry in Vietnam. Specifically, it provides policy-makers with important insights into the ways in which different types of tourism enterprises respond to initiatives that relate to improved business sustainability.

This thesis aims to increase the sensitivity of foreign tourists who want to rent a flat on Airbnb and let tourists and households take their responsibility of Airbnb through explaining the relationship between Airbnb and social environments. In recent years, Airbnb has been one of the top choices for short-term accommodation renting. However, an issue needing to be cared about is subconsciously affecting the social environment, which is contrary to sustainable development.  The text can be divided into two parts. In the first part, the impact of Airbnb on the social environment of big cities will be analyzed from two aspects - sharing economy and gentrification. Social networks and the negative effects are the main content that will be discussed in sharing economy. At the same time, gentrification will respond to it through a typical case study in Barcelona.  In the second part, the design project will be analyzed in order to support my theoretical part. Critical design as the core element in my design projects will be analyzed through a communication plan. This plan will become my design proposal to realize the creation of a common network platform in order to attract more attention to this issue.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-12-01Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:15:31Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 perinotto_arc_me_rcla.pdf: 2115972 bytes, checksum: 43392a55ae0564bf3c80dcadb89b3e5a (MD5) / O objetivo desta pesquisa foi elaborar um esboço de proposta com o intuito de iniciar e contribuir para discussão do processo de planejamento do turismo em municípios de pequeno porte, mas de grande potencial. Tomou-se como estudo de caso o município de Analândia - São Paulo. Partiu-se de um diagnóstico qualitativo suficiente para definir objetivos, diretrizes e algumas propostas segundo as dimensões, ou pilares, do desenvolvimento sustentável apontadas por Sachs (2004). Teve como estratégia inserir o município em uma região definida pela capacidade de atração dos municípios, tendo como variável importante a distância de centros emissores. A viabilidade turística foi fortalecida pela presença de municípios com atividades semelhantes e/ou afins em implantação e consolidadas, cuja interação e complementaridade peculiar ao ramo, criam e fomentam economias de aglomeração para todos os municípios. Por fim, demonstrou-se que é viável o desenvolvimento do turismo em cidades de pequeno porte, desde que se fundamente no paradigma da sustentabilidade e adote uma estratégia regional. / The main purpose of this project was to elaborate a sketch of proposals in order to start the process of planning the tourism in small dimension counties with big touristic potential. It was taken as case study the county of Analândia (in the center-east region of the State of São Paulo, 225 km far from the capital city, southeast of Brazil). The first step was to make a qualitative diagnostic enough to define objectives, rules e some proposals following the sustainable development bases pointed out by Sachs (2004). The basic strategy was to insert the county in a region defined by the attractive capacity of the forming counties, having as important variable the distance from the emitter centers. The touristic viability was also increased by the existence of neighbor counties with same activities (in course or already consolidated) whose interaction as a whole is able to create and input agglomeration economy to all counties in that region. It was possible to demonstrated that the development of the tourism is viable in a small county if the activity is based on sustainable paradigm in a regional context.

Thesis (DTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010. / Media reports show that South Africa is engulfed by the clouds of abject poverty and unemployment. These conditions lead to many social ills: hunger, a lack of self esteem, the poor performance of children at school due to malnutrition and the general low morale within communities. This condition seems to worsen as one moves towards the rural areas. As a result, the government has embarked on a number of projects in an attempt to help the destitute. This requires support from all South Africans. In view of the above, this study aimed to investigate the possibility of developing sustainable education and employment opportunities in the hospitality industry through the provision of cultural tourism at a proposed homestead Lodge. The study's objectives were firstly to explore the possibility of offering development in the form of sustainable education in the rural community of Shobeni village, located along the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Secondly, the study aimed to explore the possibility of establishing a Homestead Lodge at Shobeni to provide employment opportunities to the community, while facilitating tourist access to an authentic rural experience. Lastly, it wanted to examine the possibility of linking to a teaching institution such as the Durban University of Technology to ensure the continuity of fresh ideas through research and education. The data collected revealed that the rural villages are rich in cultural tourism. The approach taken for data collection was of a qualitative nature, as thirty study participants were interviewed based on their knowledge of the subject under study. For the analysis of field data an auto/ethnographic approach was adopted. further exercise was completed to select the kind of cultural products deemed suitable for such a project. A participatory approach was employed to ensure that the community had a say in the decision-making process. The study concluded that it is possible to create a project of this nature. The recommendation is that the implementation stage should start immediately after all stakeholders have been consulted.

Although much research has been conducted on sustainable tourism and the education thereof internationally, a limited number of studies have focussed on education of sustainable tourism in South African secondary schools. A literature overview identified various approaches to the education of sustainability on the international front. Despite South Africa’s reliance on the tourism industry, the concept of sustainability has received little focus in classrooms where this pertinent issue should be receiving attention in order to ensure that future sustainability is ensured in the South African tourism industry. From the literature overview it was possible to identify topics pertaining to sustainability in the Tourism Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement implemented in the Further Education and Training Phase (FET) in South African secondary schools. These assisted in the development of the research tool for this study. The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP), an instrument used to establish the level of environmental concerns of groups of people, also provided guidance in the development of the research tool. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the perceptions of Tourism educators in secondary schools towards sustainability. A framework to investigate this was developed and three hypotheses formulated. To give effect to this, an empirical investigation was conducted. Tourism educators who were successful in their application to mark 2014 National Senior Certificate Tourism examinations were included in the sample of this study. The result of the descriptive statistics performed on the data showed that the level of education of the respondents was the main contributing demographic that impacted on their perceptions of sustainable tourism. It is, however, of concern to note that a very low percentage of the respondents (6.2%) have received formal training in Tourism. This situation should be cause for concern for Tourism education in the Eastern Cape. Two of the three hypotheses were accepted. The researcher believes that specialised subject relevant training is required to empower educators to teach sustainable tourism in the South African secondary school classrooms in order to ensure future sustainability in the tourism industry of South Africa.