Society ‘obscures itself’ by presenting a world that is self-contained and logical (Barthes, 1973) – a world underpinned by a transparency of its underlying systems of meaning. This formulation maps the theoretical location of the dissertation, by which an investigation into tourism, as an economic and political expression of contemporary culture, occurs. More specifically, the dissertation addresses the type of tourism that bisects narratives of history and of cultures – that popularly described under the label of cultural tourism. Thus it employs an array of critical tourism and cultural theory, to offer an exposition on how best to understand the articulation of meaning in the consumption of ‘place’, formations of heritage and Otherness. The study also explores the epistemological nature/agendas of the so-called ‘Image of Africa’ and the ‘Absolute Other’, and how these are recycled in the parameters of modernity. Using a genealogical approach to studying discursive formations articulating some kind of Zulu Otherness, the dissertation grounds these conventions of identity predominantly in the symbolic practice of a colonial Western society. This exposes the arbitrary, constructed nature by which contemporary society governs itself. Methodologically, the research applies participant observation and semiotic analyses, predominantly in the cultural/filmic village of Shakaland, near Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal, to explore how the constructions of identity manifest and are negotiated and consumed in the activity of this tourism. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2011.

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

Cultural tourism is a vehicle for economic growth. Cultural representations are made in order to make the cultural tourism sector a more vibrant one. Given this argument, research in cultural tourism should take a critical stance in the analysis of cultural representations. An understanding of the meaning of culture is necessary to analyse the comparison of daily life with cultural representations. Observing the daily lives of host communities creates a conductive environment for realising and understanding the gaps between tourists experiences and the daily realities of the host communities. This research analysed how people represent their culture to tourists through the sale of crafts and dance performances. The research was carried out in Leboeng village, on the border between Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces, near the small town of Ohrigstad.

Bibliography: leaves 71-78. Prospects and challenges to ecotourism promotion are explored through a case study on Yakushima. Recommendations to national/local governments, the tourism industry, NPOs and local people are made forecotourism promotion in Japan

Bibliography: leaves 102-105. Presents an ecological management plan for Riung to ensure that the unique environment and traditional culture are protected while ecotourism thrives. Provides strategies and actions; and designed as a model for an Indonesian ecotourism management plan.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor Technologiae in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / The study investigated tourism as a catalyst to local economic development of the Transkei Wild Coast. The Transkei Wild Coast is an area which stretches from the Kei River mouth south of East London, to Durban South Coast, with seven local municipalities located in the area. These local municipalities are Mquma, Mbhashe, King Sabata Dalindyebo, Nyandeni, Port St Johns, Ngquza Hill and Mbizana. Infrastructure and partnership models were identified as key to the development and growth of the tourism industry in the Transkei Wild Coast. It was found that the status of infrastructure and partnerships is lacking and delivers little or no economic benefits and advances in the Transkei Wild Coast. Factors contributing to the poor performance of tourism-led local economic development by the local municipalities in the Transkei Wild Coast include poor roads, poor communication, lack of infrastructure, erratic electricity supply, and poor quality of water supply. Partnerships both at strategic and implementation levels lack commitment, role clarification and acceptable beneficiation metrics to all involved stakeholders. Infrastructure and partnerships are explained as basic and key necessities in developing a successful tourism industry in the Transkei Wild Coast. The study argues that local municipalities need support to grow the tourism industry to become a key contributor to the local economic development strategy. The Transkei Wild Coast has a wealth of natural resources, culture and history to offer tourists to this area. Local economic viability of the Transkei Wild Coast will improve, which inevitably will lead to an improved standard of living of the host communities. Growth of the tourism industry will lead to growth and development of related industries/businesses. The findings revealed that the majority of Transkei Wild Coast inhabitants support investment in the tourism industry. Prioritisation of tourism as a catalyst to local economic development in the Transkei Wild Coast will unlock other potential economic sectors in the area. For this to succeed, it is imperative that capital infrastructure is improved and credible and beneficial partnerships are created and maintained. Recommendations are proposed to fulfil the State-led mandate for socioeconomic development and advancement at local municipal level in South Africa generally and the Transkei Wild Coast in particular.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree: Master of Management Sciences: Marketing, Department of Marketing and Retail Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Social media is increasingly playing an important role in promoting tourism. The SAT Strategy (2013: 12) suggests that the opportunities in the tourism industry are so numerous but are not yet fully exploited where more marketing is needed to create more awareness. Leung, Law, Hoof, and Huhalis (2013: 5) add that travellers have widely adopted social media in order to search for information, organise, share and annotate their experiences and stories through micro blogs and blogs, online communities, media sharing sites, and other tools collaboratively. Tourism marketers are also considerably using social media to engage with actual and potential tourists throughout the decision making journey (Hudson and Thal 2013: 157). According to Hanekom (2015: 1) tourism is regarded as a critical component on the National Development Plan of South Africa because of its capacity to spur growth across the wider economy and create jobs. There is a need for ongoing efforts to promote the tourism industry for it to remain competitive and continue contributing to the welfare of the people. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of social media in promoting tourism business activities in Durban, South Africa. The primary objective of the research is to examine the value of social media in promoting tourism in Durban. Durban is regarded as the leading tourism destination in South Africa and is globally marketed by an official marketing unit known as Durban Tourism-a part of the eThekwini Municipality (Durban Tourism 2012.4). The study followed a quantitative research method in order to attain the set objectives of the study. Non-probability sampling technique was employed in recruiting the participants. Convenience and purposive sampling techniques were used to generate the sample population in this study. The target population for the study were all the tourists that visited the Durban tourist destinations. The researcher managed to secure a 90% response rate as 272 questionnaires out of 300 were collected. A structured self-administered questionnaire with 42 questions was used in the survey that was conducted to obtain primary data. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 23.0 was used to analyse the data. The results suggest that social media is of strategic importance in promoting tourism in Durban. Theorists in the literature review highlight that the influence of social media is more pervasive and compelling than conventional mass media because of its ability to influence a larger number of people, the ability to deliver rich information, and the minimal effort required from individuals to make influence attempts (Guo (2014: 3). The majority of tourists indicated that they are active on social media platforms of which, WhatsApp and Facebook had the highest numbers of users. The study also revealed that social media is not an optional extra in the tourism industry and suggests that, tourism companies, like any other company, must participate on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and other social media sites in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive business environment (Kaplan and Haenlein 2010:62). The study recommended that tourism authorities must encourage South Africans to visit their own country, adopt and integrate new social media applications, use social media to create awareness of the positive transformations that have taken place in the city, and offer more secure online holiday-purchase provisions. The study recommends further research to be undertaken on the influence of specific social media sites to allow more understanding and use of appropriate social media platforms by marketing practitioners. / M

Wu, Huanyu. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-170). / Abstracts in English and Chinese; includes Chinese. / Illustrations --- p.vi / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1. --- Research Question --- p.4 / Chapter 2. --- Literature Review --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1 --- "Theoretical Background: Tradition, Modernity, and Social Change" --- p.5 / Chapter 2.2. --- Research Perspective: Food studies --- p.11 / Chapter 2.3. --- Utsat Studies --- p.15 / Chapter 3. --- Methodology --- p.17 / Chapter 4. --- Chapter Organization --- p.21 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- An Islamic History of Utsat --- p.22 / Chapter 1. --- Arabian-Persian Merchants --- p.22 / Chapter 2. --- Champa Immigrants --- p.27 / Chapter 3. --- Mainland Muslims --- p.32 / Chapter 3.1 --- The Pu (蒲）Lineage --- p.33 / Chapter 3.2 --- The Hai （海） Lineage --- p.37 / Chapter 3.3 --- The Book of Utsat Genealogies (《通屯宗谱全书》) --- p.39 / Chapter 3.4 --- Some Observations --- p.42 / Chapter 4. --- Being Hui --- p.47 / Chapter 5. --- Summary and Analysis --- p.54 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- The Contemporary Utsat Community --- p.57 / Chapter 1. --- Location and Demography --- p.57 / Chapter 2. --- The Local Religious Practice --- p.58 / Chapter 2.1 --- The Mosques --- p.58 / Chapter 2.2 --- Core Duties and Beliefs --- p.61 / Chapter 3. --- Education --- p.65 / Chapter 3.1 --- Religious Education --- p.65 / Chapter 3.2 --- Secular Education --- p.66 / Chapter 4. --- Kinship and Communal Interaction --- p.70 / Chapter 5. --- Tourism and the Local Economy --- p.74 / Chapter 6. --- Summary --- p.76 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- Qingzhen and Islamic Food Laws --- p.78 / Chapter 1. --- The Meaning of Qingzhen --- p.78 / Chapter 2. --- Qingzhen and Islamic Foodways --- p.81 / Chapter 3. --- The Utsat Understanding of qingzhen --- p.86 / Chapter 3.1 --- Our Hui Food --- p.87 / Chapter 3.2 --- Ethnic Food --- p.100 / Chapter 4. --- Summary --- p.104 / Chapter Chapter 5: --- Tourism and Law-breaking Behaviors --- p.105 / Chapter 1. --- The Development of Sanya Tourism --- p.105 / Chapter 1.1 --- A General Background --- p.105 / Chapter 1.2 --- Making a Fortune: A Success Story of an Utsat woman --- p.109 / Chapter 1.3 --- "Islam, Gender, and Social Change" --- p.113 / Chapter 2. --- The Changing Utsat Foodways --- p.115 / Chapter 2.1 --- Lawful Ways of Changing --- p.115 / Chapter 2.2 --- Law-breaking Behaviors --- p.125 / Chapter 3. --- Summary & Discussion --- p.149 / Chapter Chapter 6: --- Conclusion --- p.152 / Chapter 1. --- The Nature of Utsat Social Change --- p.152 / Chapter 2. --- Reflections on the Study of Social Change --- p.156 / Bibliography --- p.159 / Appendix I --- p.171

Abstract not available

The development of tourism and more importantly eco-tourism has emerged as a primary objective for the government of Belize, Central America. This study examines two villages Seine Bight and Placencia located on a peninsula occupied by separate ethnic groups (Garifuna and Creole) that is located on a peninsula in Southern Belize. Seine Bight and Placencia are undergoing a change in economic activity to tourism. The study attempts to understand the role of ethnicity, socio-economic status, amount of contact with tourists, and the environment in regard to attitudes towards tourism utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods. The study also attempts to understand the organization and disorganization of productive activity on the peninsula and ethnicity over space and time. The point of diffusion and contact of different groups is reflected archeologically and historically in the marine landscape. The peninsula served not only as a natural harbor for those sailing up and down the coastline over time but also served as a point of diffusion of different groups reflected in changing place names, such as Placentia, Point Patient, and Pasciencia.