Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2008 / The South African Tourism Industry has developed phenomenally since the country adopted and entered into a democratic era in 1994. Between 1966 and 1990, tourist arrivals struggled to reach the 1 million mark. The tourism development history of South Africa was such that international sanctions, poor tourism research and development, and a disjointed and exclusive tourism growth strategy all contributed to an industry that showed very little prospect of major sustainable growth and future success. The tourism industry was never thought capable ofbecoming a major contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, let alone perceived to possess the potential of becoming a vehicle which would eventually lead to unprecedented, and much needed poverty alleviation and job creation. The myopic strategies and policies of government and government-influenced agencies and organisations were the reason why the period from the 1970's through to the late 1980's showed a general tendency towards tourism stagnation. During this period, there was low investment in the sector and a focus on the narrow white domestic market. As Black South Africans were not allowed to be accommodated in the same hotels as whites or even visit the same beaches as whites, domestic tourism under apartheid geared itself to serve the interests of the privileged white minority population alone (Mkhize, 1994). The period commencing from 1990 until 1998 was characterised by a growth in the tourism industry. The reasons for this growth period are manifold, and include the dismantling ofApartheid, the release of Nelson Mandela, the lifting of international sanctions, the first democratic elections, and the welcoming of South Africa back into the global community of nations. These political milestones also opened up the doors of tourism activity to the previously marginalised sector of the South African population. Tourism arrivals, which had reached the I million mark in 1990, exceeded the 8.4 million mark in 2007. The change in government meant a change in overall policy, which in turn created an enabling environment for future growth of the tourism industry. The process was ushered in with a period oftourism policy and legislation review, all aimed at democratising the sector. The institutional rearrangement of government departments and government-appointed structures and organisations addressed the tourism legislative imperatives - this process resulted in a general reorganisation of the then current exclusive racially orchestrated structures, creating increased accessibility to the mainstream tourism industry. This research has been undertaken in the light ofthe above transformation, and sought to investigate the process of change that has been brought about in the tourism industry, with special reference to the development of the tourist guiding sector. It was imperative to take a closer look at the education and training aspect of the tourist guiding sector and the establishment and structure of the Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Education and Training Authority (THETA). In addition, a focus on international tourist guiding training models as well as emphasis being placed on the tourist guiding centre at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology was provided and finally, an overview of tourist guiding representative bodies and associations was looked at. In concluding, the research would have been incomplete without investigating the development of the broader tourism industry and the legislation, campaigns and initiatives that have been implemented to bring about the much-needed reforms in the tourism industry.

Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2006 / The focus of this study is on the management and impacts of sport tourism events. The study specifically evaluates the Red Bull Big Wave Africa (RBBWA) event as a case study. RBBWA is a unique surfing event taking place at the heart of the community and in an environmentally sensitive area (Sentinel) which is part of the Cape Peninsula National Park. Of cognisance in this study is the stakeholders' involvement, perceptions, attitudes and an understanding of costs and benefits linked to the event. The study examines the involvement of stakeholders and cost and benefits associated with the event as providing a critical view on the management aspects of the event and what impacts are evident from different stakeholders' point of view. Stakeholders involved in this study include: participants, spectators, organisers, sponsors, established businesses, informal traders and residents. Research methods deployed in this study included questionnaires, direct observations and interviews, as an attempt to gain a broader perspective of the research topic. The study reveals that there is a greater need to look at the relationship between participants and spectatorship, a dire need for community involvement, current and possible event leveraging business opportunities for local businesses, environmental control and responsibility as critical aspects in understanding the management and impacts of the event. The study contends that involvement of all stakeholders in the organisation of the RBBWA event will result in a better management of the impacts associated with the event, provide a better sport tourism experience and contribute greatly to the development of a sustainable sport tourism event industry in South Africa.

Adissertation of limited scope submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the course-work degree of Masters of Recreation and Tourism in the Centre for Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, 2006. / The study on tourism promotion and development of the previously disadvantaged communities in Umkhanyakude District Municipality was conducted against the background that, the area has got all it takes to be considered a well developed tourist destination. It was surprising to see that the majority of school leavers in the area are loitering around the streets and eventually caught up in drug addiction. In most families, the head and bread winners are women and relatively unemployed. Women and men are also caught up in liquor consumption. Very few or none of these communities in the study area conceive of tourism as salvation industry that would create employment opportunities for them. The study had specific objectives, some of which are: (a) To established the level of tourism understanding and awareness among the Umkhanyakude communities. (b) To investigate the adequacy and provision of the tourism infrastructure in the study area. (c) To find out whether the previously disadvantaged communities in the study area participate in tourism activities. (d) To determine the perceptions of previously disadvantaged communities towards tourism and tourism opportunities in the study area. (e) To ascertain the strategies used by the Umkhanyakude Municipality to encourage local communities to participate in tourism. A number of hypotheses directly related to the objectives of the study were postulated and assessed towards finding answers to the research question, undergoing a series of analyses and interpretation of research data collected. The findings of the study were considered to be constructive, despite shedding substantial negative viewpoints on aspect of tourism understanding and awareness, provision of the tourism infrastructure, participation in tourism activities, availability of tourism business opportunities in the study area as well as the role of Umkhanyakude District Municipality in improving the situation. The study is concluded by recommending the intensive participation of the local Municipalities in providing funds; training and development of the local communities.

A dissertation of limited scope submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the course-work degree of Master of Recreation and Tourism in the Centre for Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, 2003. / Tourism is an industry that will be able to alleviate poverty problems for many developing countries. The great multiplier effect in this industry means that every unit of tourist expenditure goes through several rounds of income creation before its effect is exhausted. South Africa, regarded as one of the new destinations, has a chance to plan tourism activities so as to promote sustainable development and avoid the known pitfalls and negative effects of this industry. This means that all its tourism related policies, such as Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Sports and Recreation and Reconstruction and Development, should be based on the principles of sustainable development. The Durban Metropolitan Area, and its sub-areas, is one of the popular destinations in the KwaZulu-Natal. The mission of the Durban Metro, also called Ethekwini Municipality, is to turn this region into South Africa's premier 'playground'. Its strategies to realise this dream include among other things: the development of Ushaka Marine Island Park, the Suncoast casino, the Sugar Mill casino, and many other initiatives. Amanzimtoti District is part of Ethekwini Municipality, known as the South Operational Entity (SOE). It therefore should share the vision of the Durban Metro, and also contribute to alleviating unemployment as well as congestion problems for the total area. This study was conducted with a view of finding out if there were any recreation and tourism-related developments taking place in Amanzimtoti, as well as its potential and standing as a tourist destination. On the whole, the lack of tourism awareness in the study area has been identified as a major hindrance to a superior level of tourism development, promotion and delivery. There seem to be lapses in communication between the tourism stakeholders such as authorities, local communities, service providers and the tourists themselves. The findings of this study went a long way and conclusively established that Amanzimtoti, as an important component of the Durban Metropolitan area, has not reached its full potential as a tourist destination in terms of the existing recreation and tourism infrastructure and facilities. In addition, perceptions of local authorities, communities and visiting tourists, indicate that the area has not reached maturity as a tourism resort, service area and destination.

Thesis (M. Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2007 / Refer to document

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.

For attainment sustainable tourism requires the growth of tourism‟s contribution to the economy and society as well as the sustainable use of resources and the environment. The achievement of both relies on dependable and sound understanding, appropriate development and management of the tourism demand. As demand patterns and economic structures change, no industry, and in particular no industry at the national or regional level, could or should assume that there is a constant or increasing flow of demand for its outputs and thus focus solely on resource issues (Butler, 1996). According to Elliot (1997:19) local government plays an important role in tourism, as it is only governments that have the authority to provide political stability, security and the legal and financial framework which tourism requires. Connell et al (2009) argue that one of the more important roles of local government is the development and implementation of community planning, legislation and policy. However, while tourism-related developments are usually integrated with economic development or official community plans, often there is no guiding policy framework or identified area of responsibility for tourism, which can be problematic for effective and sustainable tourism development. The effectiveness of local tourism governance in achieving the goals of sustainable tourism depends on the effectiveness of institutional structures and processes, and the rational resources and skill sets available (Healy, 2006). This study examines the arrangements of selected municipalities and the effectiveness of their local tourism governance and its relevance to sustainable tourism.

M.Comm. / The fundamental aim of this study is to investigate some of the main development strategies for promoting tourism to Thailand and to make suggestions for tourism development in South Africa. Thailand's tourism performance over the past several years is a good lesson for the successful development of tourism in South Africa. It is generally believed that a country can gain from the promotion of tourism through employment creation, income generation, and foreign exchange earnings. Since one of the major problems of developing countries is the high level of unemployment and under-employment, tourism can help generate investment in various businesses such as hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, and tour agencies which can create a large number of jobs for these countries. Through the multiplier effect, the country can generate even higher national income. Due to the importance of the tourism industry as mentioned above, ways should be found to maintain or increase the growth rate of the industry. In order to do so, a better understanding of the tourist industry must be made available to policy-makers.

Tourism has increasingly been viewed as an important means to challenge poverty, especially in developing countries. Since the beginning of democracy in South Africa, the ANC government has emphasised the importance of overcoming poverty, and identified tourism as an important intervention in pursuit of this objective. The study will assess “pro-poor” tourism initiatives in Alexandra Township since 1994, with particular focus on the arts and crafts at St Michaels Church and SA Jewel. It will investigate whether projects similar to bead craft, initiated at the same time with the same objectives have benefited the residents of Alexandra. Finally, the study will consider if tourism initiatives being implemented in Alexandra conform to ‘sustainable development’ objectives. The research report reviews the literature on Tourism Development domestically and Local Economic Development. Furthermore the report extends to literature reviews specifically in Sustainable Tourism and Pro-Poor Tourism, its definitions and its examples in the tourism industry. It examines the various arguments for tourism development and alleviating poverty through these initiatives. The research findings that follow provide my opinion and those of the different stakeholders involved in tourism in Alexandra and those who were affected by the initiatives in Alexandra.

In this research paper a database of accommodation establishments was compiled, and certain supply and demand aspects of the tourism industry in the George / Wilderness area were measured with a view to determine whether planning by the private sector and local authorities could benefit therefrom. Attention was given to the peculiar nature of tourism demand and tourism supply and how selected components thereof could be measured. The research methodology followed included: a literature survey to facilitate an understanding of the nature of tourism supply and tourism demand; the construction of a database of accommodation establishments in order to identify all participants in the George / Wilderness tourism industry; a telephone survey to determine the supply of bed nights in the area; and a questionnaire survey to determine the demand by tourists for bed nights in the area. The following recommendations and conclusions were made: The database compiled during this study should be kept up to date and be expanded to include visitor profiles such as country of origin, length of stay, and primary reason for travel in order that private and public sector concerns may draw statistics / data to be used in the planning and / or marketing of the tourism industry to tourists. Greater co-operation and co-ordination between private and public sectors of the tourism industry are needed to obtain data concerning the tourism market required for planning purposes as well as a concerted marketing effort. Failing this, legislation should be introduced, compelling accommodation establishments to make available supply and demand data to the regional services council for statistical purposes. The study should be extended to cover the entire Southern Cape region in order to obtain statistics applicable to the region as a whole. This will then facilitate both local and regional planning as well as a coordinated marketing effort.