Proefschrift Universiteit Maastricht. / Auteursnaam op omslag: Bas Amelung. Met lit. opg. - Met samenvatting in het Nederlands.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Zürich, 1984. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 183-192).

The primary objective of this study was to develop an ecotourism model for South African National Parks. South African National Parks' current ecotourism/tourism management strategies were analysed and it was found that no clear guidelines regarding the development and management of ecotourism in South Africa National Parks exists. As South African National Parks (SANParks) is one of the largest conservation and ecotourism providers in South Africa, and because ecotourism tends to occur in sensitive ecological and human communities, the need for an ecotourism model for South African National Parks is crucial. The absence of such a model will prevent the effective and sustainable management, monitoring and control of ecotourism in South African National Parks. A literature study was conducted into sustainable–, responsible– and ecotourism as well as current national and international policies concerning ecotourism in national parks or nature–based tourism. Sustainable tourism requires that tourism development should be of such a nature that a balance is kept between the economy, socio–cultural environment and the physical environment. This is referred to as the triple bottom line. The goal of sustainable tourism is to maximise the positive impacts and minimise the negative impacts on the just mentioned triple bottom line aspects. Responsible tourism has the same goals as sustainable tourism, but stresses the importance of all stakeholders taking responsibility of ensuring a sustainable tourism industry. It should therefore be seen as a pathway to achieve sustainable tourism, rather than as an end in itself. Ecotourism forms part of the sustainable/responsible tourism paradigm. From the literature, four main pillars were identified on which ecotourism is based, namely: conservation and enhancement of natural and cultural attractions; environmental education; sustainable management practices and the provision of an enlightening tourist experience. The literature review also indicated some principles supportive of the pillars that are important if ecotourism is to take place, namely: natural and cultural environment; local community upliftment; long–term planning; ethical behaviour of all stakeholders; environmentally–friendly practices and tourist satisfaction. Quantitative research was conducted. An explorative research approach was followed by the means of a self–administered questionnaire with the aim of determining the perceptions, of both the demand side (visitors to South Africa National Parks) and from the supply side (managers of South African National Parks) on the subject of ecotourism. Fifty–six (56) constructs pertaining to aspects of ecotourism were measured on a five–point Likert scale. The constructs were based on a literature review regarding responsible– and ecotourism. Sources that were used to a large extent to develop the questionnaire include the works of Frey and George (2010), Saayman (2009), Fennell (2008), Spencely (2008), Björk (2007), Diamantis (2004),DEAT (2003) The questionnaire for the visitor survey was launched on the website of South Africa National Parks during March 2011 and ran for one month. During this time, 993 respondents completed the questionnaire. The same questionnaire was sent via electronic mail to the managers of SANParks, namely regional and general managers, hospitality services managers and managing executives. A total of 25 questionnaires were completed. The results of the empirical research were processed by the North–West University's Statistical Consultation Services (Potchefstroom Campus). The data was analysed by means of the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) software programme. Statistical methods that were used include: descriptive statistics; exploratory factor analysis; factor correlation matrix and a t–test. The results of the descriptive statistics revealed that the following ecotourism aspects were rated as most important by visitors: everyone (staff and visitors) has a responsibility to maintain a litter–free environment; animals should not be fed; everyone (staff and visitors) has a responsibility to save water and electricity. The managers, however, rated the following as the most important ecotourism aspects: to ensure managers, staff and contract employees understand and adhere to all aspects of the South African National Parks' policy to prevent negative impacts on the environment and local communities; do not feed the animals; and to comply with all relevant national, provincial and local legislation, regulations, licences and permits as may be required. Six factors were identified from the exploratory factor analysis: Factor 1: Product development; Factor 2: Local community involvement; Factor 3: Environmentally friendly practices; Factor 4: Ethics; Factor 5: Food and activities; Factor 6: Policies. The factors recorded serve as important guidelines for the development and management of ecotourism products in South African National Parks. For instance, the factor with the highest mean value was “ethics”. Visitor respondents felt very strongly that rules and regulations should be adhered to by visitors and that severe penalties should be implemented in the case of non–compliance. This was also the definite view of staff members. The research made the following contributions to the discipline of tourism and specifically ecotourism: * This research presents the first ecotourism model for South African National Parks which can assist park management in creating ecotourism products that provide a sustainable ecotourism experience and secure the future of ecotourism in national parks. * It was the first time that the perception of ecotourism was determined from both a demand and supply side in South Africa National Parks, which assisted in identifying the key factors for ecotourism products from. * The results of this research paved the way for SANParks in the development of an ecotourism policy for South African National Parks. * The results further made a contribution to the future development of a national ecotourism policy for South Africa (which currently does not exist). Such a policy can then be applied to provincial parks, private game reserves and game farms in South Africa. * The research contributed to the development of a sustainable ecotourism rating criteria for South African National Parks to allow them to grow closer to an ideal managed system that is in line with sustainable / responsible management aspects. * The results were presented at the First International Conference on Tourism and Management Studies in the Algarve, Portugal on the 27th October 2011. * A contribution was also made to the literature on ecotourism in terms of clarification of what is expected by the users (tourists) of ecotourism products and what SANParks' managers view as important aspects of ecotourism and how ecotourism should be developed and managed. * Finally, this study contributed to the research concerning national parks in terms of ecotourism development and management. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The primary objective of this study was to develop an ecotourism model for South African National Parks. South African National Parks' current ecotourism/tourism management strategies were analysed and it was found that no clear guidelines regarding the development and management of ecotourism in South Africa National Parks exists. As South African National Parks (SANParks) is one of the largest conservation and ecotourism providers in South Africa, and because ecotourism tends to occur in sensitive ecological and human communities, the need for an ecotourism model for South African National Parks is crucial. The absence of such a model will prevent the effective and sustainable management, monitoring and control of ecotourism in South African National Parks. A literature study was conducted into sustainable–, responsible– and ecotourism as well as current national and international policies concerning ecotourism in national parks or nature–based tourism. Sustainable tourism requires that tourism development should be of such a nature that a balance is kept between the economy, socio–cultural environment and the physical environment. This is referred to as the triple bottom line. The goal of sustainable tourism is to maximise the positive impacts and minimise the negative impacts on the just mentioned triple bottom line aspects. Responsible tourism has the same goals as sustainable tourism, but stresses the importance of all stakeholders taking responsibility of ensuring a sustainable tourism industry. It should therefore be seen as a pathway to achieve sustainable tourism, rather than as an end in itself. Ecotourism forms part of the sustainable/responsible tourism paradigm. From the literature, four main pillars were identified on which ecotourism is based, namely: conservation and enhancement of natural and cultural attractions; environmental education; sustainable management practices and the provision of an enlightening tourist experience. The literature review also indicated some principles supportive of the pillars that are important if ecotourism is to take place, namely: natural and cultural environment; local community upliftment; long–term planning; ethical behaviour of all stakeholders; environmentally–friendly practices and tourist satisfaction. Quantitative research was conducted. An explorative research approach was followed by the means of a self–administered questionnaire with the aim of determining the perceptions, of both the demand side (visitors to South Africa National Parks) and from the supply side (managers of South African National Parks) on the subject of ecotourism. Fifty–six (56) constructs pertaining to aspects of ecotourism were measured on a five–point Likert scale. The constructs were based on a literature review regarding responsible– and ecotourism. Sources that were used to a large extent to develop the questionnaire include the works of Frey and George (2010), Saayman (2009), Fennell (2008), Spencely (2008), Björk (2007), Diamantis (2004),DEAT (2003) The questionnaire for the visitor survey was launched on the website of South Africa National Parks during March 2011 and ran for one month. During this time, 993 respondents completed the questionnaire. The same questionnaire was sent via electronic mail to the managers of SANParks, namely regional and general managers, hospitality services managers and managing executives. A total of 25 questionnaires were completed. The results of the empirical research were processed by the North–West University's Statistical Consultation Services (Potchefstroom Campus). The data was analysed by means of the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) software programme. Statistical methods that were used include: descriptive statistics; exploratory factor analysis; factor correlation matrix and a t–test. The results of the descriptive statistics revealed that the following ecotourism aspects were rated as most important by visitors: everyone (staff and visitors) has a responsibility to maintain a litter–free environment; animals should not be fed; everyone (staff and visitors) has a responsibility to save water and electricity. The managers, however, rated the following as the most important ecotourism aspects: to ensure managers, staff and contract employees understand and adhere to all aspects of the South African National Parks' policy to prevent negative impacts on the environment and local communities; do not feed the animals; and to comply with all relevant national, provincial and local legislation, regulations, licences and permits as may be required. Six factors were identified from the exploratory factor analysis: Factor 1: Product development; Factor 2: Local community involvement; Factor 3: Environmentally friendly practices; Factor 4: Ethics; Factor 5: Food and activities; Factor 6: Policies. The factors recorded serve as important guidelines for the development and management of ecotourism products in South African National Parks. For instance, the factor with the highest mean value was “ethics”. Visitor respondents felt very strongly that rules and regulations should be adhered to by visitors and that severe penalties should be implemented in the case of non–compliance. This was also the definite view of staff members. The research made the following contributions to the discipline of tourism and specifically ecotourism: * This research presents the first ecotourism model for South African National Parks which can assist park management in creating ecotourism products that provide a sustainable ecotourism experience and secure the future of ecotourism in national parks. * It was the first time that the perception of ecotourism was determined from both a demand and supply side in South Africa National Parks, which assisted in identifying the key factors for ecotourism products from. * The results of this research paved the way for SANParks in the development of an ecotourism policy for South African National Parks. * The results further made a contribution to the future development of a national ecotourism policy for South Africa (which currently does not exist). Such a policy can then be applied to provincial parks, private game reserves and game farms in South Africa. * The research contributed to the development of a sustainable ecotourism rating criteria for South African National Parks to allow them to grow closer to an ideal managed system that is in line with sustainable / responsible management aspects. * The results were presented at the First International Conference on Tourism and Management Studies in the Algarve, Portugal on the 27th October 2011. * A contribution was also made to the literature on ecotourism in terms of clarification of what is expected by the users (tourists) of ecotourism products and what SANParks' managers view as important aspects of ecotourism and how ecotourism should be developed and managed. * Finally, this study contributed to the research concerning national parks in terms of ecotourism development and management. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The goal of this study is to develop a sustainable tourism strategy for the Soshanguve Township. The motivation for this study arose out of the acute developmental challenges facing many township communities in South Africa, mainly due to the absence of economic opportunities. This results in a high unemployment rate, poverty and an elevated number of crime incidences. A sustainable community tourism strategy could alleviate this situation by availing itself of the opportunities presented by the booming tourism industry to the Soshanguve township, and other communities with similar characteristics. To this end, a firm conceptual framework was laid through the review of literature on the tourism system and indicators of sustainability, tourism development planning, tourism development in South Africa, and community tourism. Literature on the tourism system was instrumental in conceptualising the components required for tourism development to take root in Soshanguve township, namely the potential demand for Soshanguve tourism (including tourists’ region of origin), the infrastructure and services required for visitors en route to the destination, and the readiness of the local community and tourism industry in Soshanguve for tourism development (products, facilities and services). The concept of sustainability and indicators thereof are explored in order to provide a benchmark for monitoring tourism development in Soshanguve, and to ensure that the gains from tourism are preserved for the future. Literature on tourism development planning provided the necessary organisational dimension needed to avoid chaotic development and any potential negative impacts. Furthermore, an analysis of tourism development in South Africa was instrumental in positioning the Soshanguve tourism development strategy within the national, regional and local government context. Finally, the community tourism development component provided vital input from existing research on community tourism initiatives. The research paradigm was both quantitative and qualitative. Following the exploratory research approach, three surveys were conducted by means of self-administered questionnaires. The aim was to explore the demand side of the Soshanguve tourism product through a survey of potential visitors to the Soshanguve township, as well as the supply side through a survey of residents of Soshanguve (ascertaining perceptions of tourism impacts on their community) and another survey of tourism business managers (to assessing product availability and quality). This process was complemented by a qualitative study by means of interviews with three community leaders to explore in greater detail the unique selling points in Soshanguve, tourism planning issues, and the objectives of tourism development in the community. The following literature sources constituted the pillars of the questionnaires, World Economic Forum, 2008:38; Keyser, 2008:37; Simpson, 2008:1 and Oyola et al., 2012:662-665. The interview questions were largely drawn from tourism planning literature (Commonwealth of Australia, 2004:7; Lee, 2012:2; Chi & Dyer,2010; Nunkoo & Ramkissoo, 2011). The demand side questionnaire was administered to 401 (N) visitors to City of Tshwane between the 23rd and 27th of September 2013. These were considered to be potential tourists to Soshanguve because these visitors were in the Pretoria Central Business District which is just about 45 kilometres away from Soshanguve. The second survey (supply side) was administered to 429 (N) residents of the Soshanguve community between 5th October 2013 and 9th October 2013. The product managers’ questionnaire was administered to all 29 (N) managers of tourism businesses identified in Soshanguve from 11th October 2013 to 16th of October 2013. Finally, interviews with the three community leaders were held between the 28th of September 2013 and the 10th of October 2013. The data collected was processed by the Statistical Consultation Services of the North-West University (Potchefstroom campus) using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software programme. The results were analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, factor correlation analysis, Spearman’s rank correlations, ANOVA tests and t-tests. The results of the descriptive analysis revealed the travel behaviour of the visitors as highly favourable to day visits with most holidays lasting between two and three days. The majority of respondents used hotel accommodation and arrived at the destination by car. The greatest motivation for taking a holiday was to relax, with the most preferred holiday activity being to visit historical places, followed closely by appreciating nature. The most important determinant of the holiday destination choice was finances, with security featuring next. It was also evident that most of the visitors were not familiar with townships around the City of Tshwane as just about half of them had visited a township in the past. The greatest motivation for visiting a township was to experience traditional dance, drama and music. The study further conducted three factor analyses on visitor motivations for taking a holiday, visitor holiday activities, and holiday destination choice determinants. The exploratory factor analysis identified five factors in the travel motivations (socio-cultural motivators, interpersonal motivators, physical motivators, status motivators, and recovery motivators), four factors among the preferred activities (adventure activities, cultural activities, social activities, and outdoor activities), and five factors among the holiday destination choice determinants (familiarity, physical well-being, economic factors, safety and recommendations/references). The factor correlation matrix revealed no significant correlations between them, although there were visible correlations between the socio-cultural motivators for taking a holiday and recovery motivators. The same could be said of adventure activities and cultural activities. The t-test indicated no significant differences between visitors who had previously been to the township and those who had not. Regarding the results of the supply side analysis, the focus was on the residents of Soshanguve, the tourism product managers in the community, and interviews with the community leaders. The descriptive statistics revealed that many residents had a strong attachment to their community as they would not consider living elsewhere. Generally, they have a positive perception of tourism impacts on their community, as most of them agree that tourism development would be beneficial to both the community and themselves. The product managers think business has been good, but the quality of the products is questionable considering that most of the tourism businesses neither belong to an industry association for peer evaluation nor have received any grading. Results of the qualitative study indicated that even though there is a tourism product development plan for Soshanguve at the City of Tshwane tourism office, none of the community leaders interviewed was aware of this. This seems to suggest that the public consultation process was either not followed or was flawed. The interviews also unearthed the rich history, natural environment and cultural heritage of the Soshanguve people. Finally, a factor matrix analysis was performed on the perceptions of the residents on the impacts of tourism development on their community and the general tourism business success factors in Soshanguve. Five impact factors (economic, social, infrastructure, environmental, and recreational) were identified with the factor correlation analysis revealing visible correlations between infrastructure and recreation/entertainment. An ANOVA test was conducted to determine if there are any correlations between the community attachment of respondents and their perceptions of tourism impacts. No significant correlations were found. The exploratory factor matrix analysis on the general tourism industry success factors yielded six factors, namely facilities and services, communication tools, access, visibility, human resources, and safety. The factor correlation analysis indicated no significant correlations between the factors. The key contributions of this study can be noted as follows: * The development of a pioneer sustainable community tourism strategy for Soshanguve, in particular and townships in general; * The proposed inclusive stakeholder consultative approach in the development of sustainable township tourism; * The holistic approach to tourism destination planning that takes into consideration the tourists origin region, conditions in the transit route region and the host destiantion; * Finally, the application of methodological triangulation in township tourism research. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The goal of this study is to develop a sustainable tourism strategy for the Soshanguve Township. The motivation for this study arose out of the acute developmental challenges facing many township communities in South Africa, mainly due to the absence of economic opportunities. This results in a high unemployment rate, poverty and an elevated number of crime incidences. A sustainable community tourism strategy could alleviate this situation by availing itself of the opportunities presented by the booming tourism industry to the Soshanguve township, and other communities with similar characteristics. To this end, a firm conceptual framework was laid through the review of literature on the tourism system and indicators of sustainability, tourism development planning, tourism development in South Africa, and community tourism. Literature on the tourism system was instrumental in conceptualising the components required for tourism development to take root in Soshanguve township, namely the potential demand for Soshanguve tourism (including tourists’ region of origin), the infrastructure and services required for visitors en route to the destination, and the readiness of the local community and tourism industry in Soshanguve for tourism development (products, facilities and services). The concept of sustainability and indicators thereof are explored in order to provide a benchmark for monitoring tourism development in Soshanguve, and to ensure that the gains from tourism are preserved for the future. Literature on tourism development planning provided the necessary organisational dimension needed to avoid chaotic development and any potential negative impacts. Furthermore, an analysis of tourism development in South Africa was instrumental in positioning the Soshanguve tourism development strategy within the national, regional and local government context. Finally, the community tourism development component provided vital input from existing research on community tourism initiatives. The research paradigm was both quantitative and qualitative. Following the exploratory research approach, three surveys were conducted by means of self-administered questionnaires. The aim was to explore the demand side of the Soshanguve tourism product through a survey of potential visitors to the Soshanguve township, as well as the supply side through a survey of residents of Soshanguve (ascertaining perceptions of tourism impacts on their community) and another survey of tourism business managers (to assessing product availability and quality). This process was complemented by a qualitative study by means of interviews with three community leaders to explore in greater detail the unique selling points in Soshanguve, tourism planning issues, and the objectives of tourism development in the community. The following literature sources constituted the pillars of the questionnaires, World Economic Forum, 2008:38; Keyser, 2008:37; Simpson, 2008:1 and Oyola et al., 2012:662-665. The interview questions were largely drawn from tourism planning literature (Commonwealth of Australia, 2004:7; Lee, 2012:2; Chi & Dyer,2010; Nunkoo & Ramkissoo, 2011). The demand side questionnaire was administered to 401 (N) visitors to City of Tshwane between the 23rd and 27th of September 2013. These were considered to be potential tourists to Soshanguve because these visitors were in the Pretoria Central Business District which is just about 45 kilometres away from Soshanguve. The second survey (supply side) was administered to 429 (N) residents of the Soshanguve community between 5th October 2013 and 9th October 2013. The product managers’ questionnaire was administered to all 29 (N) managers of tourism businesses identified in Soshanguve from 11th October 2013 to 16th of October 2013. Finally, interviews with the three community leaders were held between the 28th of September 2013 and the 10th of October 2013. The data collected was processed by the Statistical Consultation Services of the North-West University (Potchefstroom campus) using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software programme. The results were analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, factor correlation analysis, Spearman’s rank correlations, ANOVA tests and t-tests. The results of the descriptive analysis revealed the travel behaviour of the visitors as highly favourable to day visits with most holidays lasting between two and three days. The majority of respondents used hotel accommodation and arrived at the destination by car. The greatest motivation for taking a holiday was to relax, with the most preferred holiday activity being to visit historical places, followed closely by appreciating nature. The most important determinant of the holiday destination choice was finances, with security featuring next. It was also evident that most of the visitors were not familiar with townships around the City of Tshwane as just about half of them had visited a township in the past. The greatest motivation for visiting a township was to experience traditional dance, drama and music. The study further conducted three factor analyses on visitor motivations for taking a holiday, visitor holiday activities, and holiday destination choice determinants. The exploratory factor analysis identified five factors in the travel motivations (socio-cultural motivators, interpersonal motivators, physical motivators, status motivators, and recovery motivators), four factors among the preferred activities (adventure activities, cultural activities, social activities, and outdoor activities), and five factors among the holiday destination choice determinants (familiarity, physical well-being, economic factors, safety and recommendations/references). The factor correlation matrix revealed no significant correlations between them, although there were visible correlations between the socio-cultural motivators for taking a holiday and recovery motivators. The same could be said of adventure activities and cultural activities. The t-test indicated no significant differences between visitors who had previously been to the township and those who had not. Regarding the results of the supply side analysis, the focus was on the residents of Soshanguve, the tourism product managers in the community, and interviews with the community leaders. The descriptive statistics revealed that many residents had a strong attachment to their community as they would not consider living elsewhere. Generally, they have a positive perception of tourism impacts on their community, as most of them agree that tourism development would be beneficial to both the community and themselves. The product managers think business has been good, but the quality of the products is questionable considering that most of the tourism businesses neither belong to an industry association for peer evaluation nor have received any grading. Results of the qualitative study indicated that even though there is a tourism product development plan for Soshanguve at the City of Tshwane tourism office, none of the community leaders interviewed was aware of this. This seems to suggest that the public consultation process was either not followed or was flawed. The interviews also unearthed the rich history, natural environment and cultural heritage of the Soshanguve people. Finally, a factor matrix analysis was performed on the perceptions of the residents on the impacts of tourism development on their community and the general tourism business success factors in Soshanguve. Five impact factors (economic, social, infrastructure, environmental, and recreational) were identified with the factor correlation analysis revealing visible correlations between infrastructure and recreation/entertainment. An ANOVA test was conducted to determine if there are any correlations between the community attachment of respondents and their perceptions of tourism impacts. No significant correlations were found. The exploratory factor matrix analysis on the general tourism industry success factors yielded six factors, namely facilities and services, communication tools, access, visibility, human resources, and safety. The factor correlation analysis indicated no significant correlations between the factors. The key contributions of this study can be noted as follows: * The development of a pioneer sustainable community tourism strategy for Soshanguve, in particular and townships in general; * The proposed inclusive stakeholder consultative approach in the development of sustainable township tourism; * The holistic approach to tourism destination planning that takes into consideration the tourists origin region, conditions in the transit route region and the host destiantion; * Finally, the application of methodological triangulation in township tourism research. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Thesis (doctoral)--Åbo Akademi University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 228-239) and index.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Zürich, 1984. / Bibliography: p. 183-192.

The purpose of this study was to critically assess the key success factors of social media as a marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. Numerous studies have been done on social media, but none of them were focused on optimising the success of social media in the South African tourism industry. Relationship marketing and social media is interrelated, where relationships form the foundation of social media. Social media has become the world’s latest marketing marvel, disseminating the lives of its users. Social media also plays a crucial role in the marketing efforts of organisations in the service sector, such as the tourism industry. However, it has become evident that there are still a number of tourism organisations that are currently not optimally utilising social media in their marketing strategies and this gap needs to be addressed. This study was aimed at three empirical objectives which were addressed with data gathered by means of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed by fieldworkers at the O.R. Tambo International Airport. Stratified sampling was used in order to ensure a representative sampling size. 450 questionnaires were distributed, of which 446 completed questionnaires could be used for statistical data analysis. Firstly, for article one the factors inhibiting the use of social media were determined, as well as whether it differ for international and national tourists. Factor analysis was done in order to determine the main factors inhibiting the use of social media, and an independent samples t-test was applied to determine similarities/differences between international and national tourists. The results indicated that the main factors inhibiting the use of social media included Content Challenges, Privacy Issues, and Personal Perceptions. No significant differences were found on the factors inhibiting the use of social media by international tourists versus national tourists. Novel to this study is the fact that from the results it was clear that tourists who are currently not participating in social media do have access to social media sites and have the technical skills and competency to use social media, and are well informed about the different types of social media. Even though social media users spend almost one third of their time on social media sites, there are also a number of people who are not participating in social media. This part of the market is totally untapped. Thus, it is also important for tourism organisations to give attention to the factors inhibiting the use of social media. In article two, the purpose was twofold: firstly to determine how and why tourists used social media for travel and tourism purposes, and secondly to determine whether there was a correlation between the tourists attitudes towards social media and the factors identified for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes. In this article a factor analysis for the reasons for participating in social media for travel and tourism purposes, correlations between the attitude of tourists toward the use of social media and the factors of the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were done. It was evident that three factors for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes existed: Information Gathering, Interaction and Communication and Content Sharing. Novel to this study, it was clear that significant correlations exist between the attitudes of tourists towards the use of social media and the factors identified for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes. However, it was significantly identified that strategies that focus on information gathering and content sharing should enjoy primary attention and resource allocation. In the third article, the purpose was to assess whether tourists’ attitudes and their opinions regarding the success factors for social media can contribute to increased tourism social media activity. A summary of the factor analysis of the reasons for using social media for travel and tourism purposes, a factor analysis of the critical success aspects for the use of social media and standard multiple regression of the attitudes and most important aspects influencing the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were discussed. The results indicated that tourists’ attitudes toward the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were dependent on the Degree of Trust and Willingness to Participate in social media. These respondents utilised social media specifically for Information Gathering, Interaction and Communication as well as Content Sharing. The results also revealed that tourists’ Degree of Trust and Willingness to Participate in social media are predictors for Information Gathering for travel and tourism purposes; tourists’ Willingness to Participate in social media and the Perceived Beneficial Aspects they can gain from using social media are predictors for Interaction and Communication through social media for travel and tourism purposes; and tourists’ Willingness to Participate in social media and Content Accessibility and Sharing are predictors for Content Sharing on social media sites for travel and tourism purposes. Conclusions, contributions and recommendations regarding the outcome of the study were made. The main contributions of the study include contributions to the theory of the field, methodological contributions, as well as practical application contributions. With regard to the theoretical contributions, a framework was developed to optimise and explain the interrelatedness of relationship marketing and social media. This framework can be adopted by researchers and scholars to understand and argue that social media is closely related to the principle of building relationships. Also, due to a lack of a universally accepted definition for the term ‘social media’, and analysis was done in order to assess the most common principles of the term, to develop a definition that can be regarded as universally acceptable by tourism researchers and scholars. Contributions in terms of the methodology entail the development of suitable questionnaire to gather the necessary information for the data analysis of this study. This questionnaire was developed due to a lack of a suitable questionnaire to gather the necessary information for data analysis for the outcome of the research study. The high internal consistency of the questionnaire allows for it to be adopted by other researchers in the field of social media and the tourism industry. Lastly, the main contribution of the study to practical application of the results, a framework was developed to optimise the use of social media as a marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. This framework can be practically implemented by tourism organisations for International and National tourism markets within the South African tourism industry to ensure the optimisation of online social media marketing efforts. The framework was developed in a way that will ensure it is easily understandable, as well as the fact that it will comprise the minimum amount of effort when implementing the framework in the development of social media marketing strategies of tourism organisations. Adequate knowledge and information regarding the above-mentioned aspects can contribute to more effective marketing strategies, increased brand awareness and increased market share. This study also contributes to the existing literature of social media, the effective and successful implementation of social media marketing strategies and has a positive impact on future research with regard to the application of social media as marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The purpose of this study was to critically assess the key success factors of social media as a marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. Numerous studies have been done on social media, but none of them were focused on optimising the success of social media in the South African tourism industry. Relationship marketing and social media is interrelated, where relationships form the foundation of social media. Social media has become the world’s latest marketing marvel, disseminating the lives of its users. Social media also plays a crucial role in the marketing efforts of organisations in the service sector, such as the tourism industry. However, it has become evident that there are still a number of tourism organisations that are currently not optimally utilising social media in their marketing strategies and this gap needs to be addressed. This study was aimed at three empirical objectives which were addressed with data gathered by means of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed by fieldworkers at the O.R. Tambo International Airport. Stratified sampling was used in order to ensure a representative sampling size. 450 questionnaires were distributed, of which 446 completed questionnaires could be used for statistical data analysis. Firstly, for article one the factors inhibiting the use of social media were determined, as well as whether it differ for international and national tourists. Factor analysis was done in order to determine the main factors inhibiting the use of social media, and an independent samples t-test was applied to determine similarities/differences between international and national tourists. The results indicated that the main factors inhibiting the use of social media included Content Challenges, Privacy Issues, and Personal Perceptions. No significant differences were found on the factors inhibiting the use of social media by international tourists versus national tourists. Novel to this study is the fact that from the results it was clear that tourists who are currently not participating in social media do have access to social media sites and have the technical skills and competency to use social media, and are well informed about the different types of social media. Even though social media users spend almost one third of their time on social media sites, there are also a number of people who are not participating in social media. This part of the market is totally untapped. Thus, it is also important for tourism organisations to give attention to the factors inhibiting the use of social media. In article two, the purpose was twofold: firstly to determine how and why tourists used social media for travel and tourism purposes, and secondly to determine whether there was a correlation between the tourists attitudes towards social media and the factors identified for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes. In this article a factor analysis for the reasons for participating in social media for travel and tourism purposes, correlations between the attitude of tourists toward the use of social media and the factors of the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were done. It was evident that three factors for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes existed: Information Gathering, Interaction and Communication and Content Sharing. Novel to this study, it was clear that significant correlations exist between the attitudes of tourists towards the use of social media and the factors identified for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes. However, it was significantly identified that strategies that focus on information gathering and content sharing should enjoy primary attention and resource allocation. In the third article, the purpose was to assess whether tourists’ attitudes and their opinions regarding the success factors for social media can contribute to increased tourism social media activity. A summary of the factor analysis of the reasons for using social media for travel and tourism purposes, a factor analysis of the critical success aspects for the use of social media and standard multiple regression of the attitudes and most important aspects influencing the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were discussed. The results indicated that tourists’ attitudes toward the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were dependent on the Degree of Trust and Willingness to Participate in social media. These respondents utilised social media specifically for Information Gathering, Interaction and Communication as well as Content Sharing. The results also revealed that tourists’ Degree of Trust and Willingness to Participate in social media are predictors for Information Gathering for travel and tourism purposes; tourists’ Willingness to Participate in social media and the Perceived Beneficial Aspects they can gain from using social media are predictors for Interaction and Communication through social media for travel and tourism purposes; and tourists’ Willingness to Participate in social media and Content Accessibility and Sharing are predictors for Content Sharing on social media sites for travel and tourism purposes. Conclusions, contributions and recommendations regarding the outcome of the study were made. The main contributions of the study include contributions to the theory of the field, methodological contributions, as well as practical application contributions. With regard to the theoretical contributions, a framework was developed to optimise and explain the interrelatedness of relationship marketing and social media. This framework can be adopted by researchers and scholars to understand and argue that social media is closely related to the principle of building relationships. Also, due to a lack of a universally accepted definition for the term ‘social media’, and analysis was done in order to assess the most common principles of the term, to develop a definition that can be regarded as universally acceptable by tourism researchers and scholars. Contributions in terms of the methodology entail the development of suitable questionnaire to gather the necessary information for the data analysis of this study. This questionnaire was developed due to a lack of a suitable questionnaire to gather the necessary information for data analysis for the outcome of the research study. The high internal consistency of the questionnaire allows for it to be adopted by other researchers in the field of social media and the tourism industry. Lastly, the main contribution of the study to practical application of the results, a framework was developed to optimise the use of social media as a marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. This framework can be practically implemented by tourism organisations for International and National tourism markets within the South African tourism industry to ensure the optimisation of online social media marketing efforts. The framework was developed in a way that will ensure it is easily understandable, as well as the fact that it will comprise the minimum amount of effort when implementing the framework in the development of social media marketing strategies of tourism organisations. Adequate knowledge and information regarding the above-mentioned aspects can contribute to more effective marketing strategies, increased brand awareness and increased market share. This study also contributes to the existing literature of social media, the effective and successful implementation of social media marketing strategies and has a positive impact on future research with regard to the application of social media as marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015