MCOM / Department of Business Management / Increasingly, third-world countries are relying on ecotourism to boost their economies. Similar to other forms of tourism, ecotourism as a business initiative is perceived to contribute positively to economic development. However, tourism service providers generally do not deliver satisfactory services to ecotourists due to misunderstanding the segment’s needs and the customer traits. In emerging countries such as South Africa, which has a conducive economic environment for tourism businesses, some provincial departments such as the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism has set objectives to make the Limpopo province a preferred ecotourism destination. These have been propagated by service providers who passively participate in ecotourism yet claim to be ecotourism service providers. Moreover, the attitude of passiveness by service providers is derived from insufficient knowledge of the ecotourist. This set the foundation for the current study, which sought to provide detailed profiles of ecotourists in the Capricorn District Municipality in order to gain a clear understanding of the ecotourists visiting the Limpopo province. The study reviewed theoretical and empirical works conducted by tourism scholars. The study was developed on a descriptive research design and employed a quantitative approach. It made use of self-administered questionnaires with a sample of 295 participants selected from tourism establishments and attractions in the region, utilising convenience and purposive sampling methods respectively. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 24 and Microsoft Office Excel was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, cluster analysis and Chi-square tests were conducted to analyse the data of the study. The findings revealed demographic, psychographic and behavioural descriptors associated with the ecotourists in the Capricorn District Municipality. In addition, information sources preferred by ecotourists in the Capricorn District Municipality were identified. It is envisaged that the findings of the study will be of value to ecotourism service providers as they will provide a sound understanding of ecotourists and thereby help to deliver satisfactory ecotourist experiences. This will ultimately provide valuable input for the planning of the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism in promoting the Limpopo province as a preferred ecotourism destination in South Africa.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / The purpose of this study was to develop a competency model that incorporates the necessary knowledge, skills and attributes for an outstanding hotel manager based on actual experiences of successful hotel managers. The general managers and director of human resources from each hotel selected three outstanding and three average-performing managers from their respective properties (a total of 18 managers). Over a two-month period, using the behavior event interview process, both superior and average managers were interviewed and asked to describe, in great detail, situations when he or she was particularly effective and situations when he or she was ineffective. The interviews were transcribed and coded using a combination of a validated competency dictionary and thematic analysis. Competencies observed in outstanding managers but not in average performing managers were identified and a competency model was created. An expert panel of senior industry executives validated the findings. In brief, the model includes the following competencies: achievement orientation, information seeking, customer service orientation, organizational awareness, professional expertise, honesty, interpersonal understanding, teamwork, team leadership, analytical thinking, initiative, self-control, self-confidence, self-learning, face- to-face communication, relationship building, optimism and passion.

In the context of South Africa, there is an increasing interest in the provision of a TSA to be made available at a region level (Ragab, 2014). The satellite accounting approach and its regional extension are likely to be the most appropriate tools to estimate the economic contribution of the tourism sector (Jean-Pierre & Perrain, 2016). Nonetheless, due to the complexity and limitations of the methodology (Jones & Munday, 2010) the researcher had to define the boundaries of the data available in South Africa at a regional level in terms of the RTSA requirements (United Nations, 2013). The construction of an RTSA can be done through a top-down or bottom-up approach (Jean-Pierre & Perrain, 2016; Song et al., 2012; Pham et al., 2008; Fletching, 2008). The top-down approach is the more common method used in literature since it is more cost effective, utilises existing resources and allows for national level and inter-regional comparisons. Taking this into consideration, the researcher applied a top-down approach in order to determine the appropriateness of the secondary data available in South Africa in the context of constructing an RTSA for a region. The data challenges in constructing an RTSA for the Western Cape region, in South Africa, related to the lack of a regional account, the inadequate tourism surveys at a regional level, and the unbalanced reconciliation of supply and demand. As in most emerging destinations, the study area did not have an available regional account detailed enough to satisfy the structural requirements of an RTSA. The location quotient technique was used to regionalise the national production table made it less accurate. The tourism data available at a regional level did not report on the necessary expenditure indicators to regionalise the national tourism expenditure; further, the international and domestic tourism data varied in indicators reported at granular level. This created inconsistencies in the estimated regional expenditure distribution between international and domestic tourism. Finally, these data challenges resulted in the regional supply and tourism demand ratio to be unbalanced. The aforementioned needs to first be addressed for an accurate and reliable RTSA to be constructed for a region. Therefore, as in many emerging destinations, the lack of adequate tourism supply and demand data is a critical limitation in estimating the value of tourism as an economic activity at a regional level. In conclusion, emerging tourism destinations would need to use alternative methods to construct an RTSA that would be deemed less accurate but still adequate for policymakers decision-making processes. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria 2019. / Tourism Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Trail running is thriving as a niche sport and lucrative sport tourism concept around the world. Whether it is for personal conquer, the experience of pure nature or just to stay healthy it is growing as a sport. The purpose of this exploratory study is to give an insight to the essence of trail running and what regulates the sport in Sweden. It also aims to investigate the impact of sport tourism and analyze trail race organizers perception of trail running as a potential lucrative business in Swedish mountain areas.     Data was collected and interviews were held with six different trail race organizers. This study gives an insight to the sport trail running itself, what rules regulate it, the impact of sport tourism on local tourism and investigate trail running event organizers  perception of trail running as a potentially successful niche of sport tourism in Swedish mountain areas.    This study show that trail running is an autonomous sport practiced in diverse terrain with not more than 20% hardened surface. The sport is regulated by ITRA and as a niche sport it can benefit both tourism and society. The interviews performed indicate that most of the organizers believe in trail running as a potentially successful niche of sport tourism when the right conditions are in place. Tough there are several indications why this could be difficult in certain areas in northern Sweden. This study is valuable for the development of niche sport tourism, like trail running, in Swedish mountain areas.

Political environments shape the tourism industry. Political support for the industry can result in the creation of competitive and sustainable destinations through which tourism may contribute positive social, environmental, and economic impacts to residents and business owners alike. However, policymakers do not always recognize the potential for these positive impacts. Some tourism representatives argue that policymakers only see their businesses as an engine for tax generation and that the industry as a whole does not receive the respect it deserves from policymakers. The fragmented nature of tourism poses a challenge for advocates desiring to develop a collective voice and legislative agenda for the industry. Such initiatives would appear to demand strong leaders from within the tourism industry itself who can organize a unified approach to gaining political influence. However, few scholars have explored these individuals, who serve as a conduit between the tourism industry and policymakers. Even less attention has been given to their relationship with members of the tourism industry. Therefore, this study utilized a partnership with the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association to examine how political leaders within the tourism industry, or tourism advocates, establish relationships with members of the tourism industry in order to facilitate political influence. A political model of leadership was employed to conceptualize the contextual elements, antecedents, and behaviors that result in outcomes that influence the relationship between the advocates and tourism industry members. Data was collected through interviews with 26 tourism advocates which were conducted to gain an understanding of the contextual elements and antecedents that influence tourism advocates' political behavior, in regards to building a relationship with members of the tourism industry. Their followers, members of VHTA who represent the lodging, restaurant, and attractions segments of the Virginia tourism industry, were surveyed to evaluate their perceived outcomes of tourism advocates' leadership efforts. This study determined that contextual elements such as organizational culture and advocates' prior episodes play an important role in determining advocates' participation in political leadership. In turn, advocates' antecedents, particularly their sector-specific knowledge, social capital, and interpersonal style influence the behaviors they use to create relationships with tourism industry members. It was determined that overall, advocates' are far more critical of the outcomes of their behaviors than tourism industry members. The findings of this study can help prepare future tourism advocates to pursue political influence for the tourism industry by suggesting strategies that result in a productive relationship between political leaders and members of the tourism industry. / Ph. D.

A dissertation of limited scope submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters of Recreation and Tourism degree in the Centre for Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, 2008. / The study on die assessment of the development and promotion of a tourism delivery strategy, within the Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve and surrounding, was conducted against the background that, in spite of the fact that South Africa is blessed with accessible wildlife, varied and impressive scenery, unspoiled wilderness areas; the country has not yet been able to realise full tourism potential. The failure of South Africa to realise a tourism delivery strategy for the benefit of the community and stakeholders, was a strong motivation for carrying out this research investigation. The subsequent result of this limited contribution is that some tourist destinations attract more tourists while other destinations attract few tourists. Notwithstanding the existence of the democratic government elected in 1994, tourism development in South Africa still focuses on urban areas and areas along scenic natural environments. It is also a serious challenge that the tourism industry is still dominated by the white population sector. The involvement of local indigenous communities in tourism related activities in the study area is almost non-existent. The study therefore, had specific objectives which are the following: (a) To reveal the extent to which the stakeholders are aware of the importance of tourism in the study area. (b) To find out whether the activities and facilities in the study area are adequately provided and are of good quality. (c) To establish the degree to which stakeholders participate in tourism activities in the study area. (d) To determine whether the level of utilisation and patronage of various resource facilities in the study area are of low or high order. (e) To investigate the adequacy and effectiveness of tourism management practices for benefiting the local communities in the study area. (i) To ascertain the adequacy of perceived community benefits coming from tourism activities in the study area. A number of hypotheses directly related to the objectives of the study were postulated. The hypotheses were duly tested in an attempt to uncover the underlying causes of the identified discrepancies in the study area. The testing of the hypotheses was done through the analysis and interpretation of the data collected from the population sectors that are directly or indirectly affected by the study area. There were various findings that emerge and were deduced from the research data analysed. The findings showed that the respondents from the study area: (a) community members are relatively aware of tourism facilities and activities in the study area; (b) the facilities were inadequately provided and thought to be ill-equipped; (c) there was a moderate to fair participation practice in tourism activities, mainly based on race and economics, where Whites and Indians showed a high level of participation; (d) levels of utilisation and patronage of facilities were not of a high order, that is, community members found utilisation to be inadequate in the study area; (e) the tourism management practices in the study area were inadequate and ineffective for benefiting the local communities; and (f) the tourism benefits for the local communities were found to be inadequate in the study area, in other word, community benefits coming from tourism activities are inadequate in the study On the whole, the study conclusively established that there were evidently negative perceptions of provision, participation, utilisation, management practice and community related tourism benefits in the study area. These findings lend themselves to the need for the development and promotion of a tourism delivery strategy at the Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve. Finally, the research study concluded by providing recommendations, which sought to ameliorate the negative outcomes of the investigation. It was further suggested that the development and promotion of a tourism delivery strategy would depend on mutual co-operation between all stakeholders: the government, the tourists, the nature reserve officials, the private sector tour operators and the local communities.

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 submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters in Recreation and Tourism in the Department of Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, 2009. / The fundamental aim of the study is to establish the outdoor recreation participation patterns in Umkhanyakude District. In other words the study wants to discover the role played by policy and practice in usage and community involvement in outdoor recreation in the study area. Among other things, the study is also carried out with a purpose of motivating the local community at Umkhanyakude, not only to participate in outdoor recreation activities, but conserve them for future generations to serve their physical, mental, spiritual and emotional needs. It was anticipated that the community would be aware that it is not only about recreation only, but also about boosting the economy of the study area and the entire Province of KwaZulu-Natal. The research study has therefore operated with the following objectives in mind: (a) To established the level of participation in outdoor recreation activities among the Umkhanyakude communities. (b) To investigate the adequacy and provision of outdoor recreation facilities in the study area. (c) To ascertain the strategies or management practices used by the Umkhanyakude Municipality to encourage local communities to be involved in outdoor recreation activities. (d) To indicate the perceived types of policies existing in the study area as well as their level of implementation. (e) To establish the community’s perceived benefits of participating in outdoor recreation activities in the study area. The study has also identified related hypotheses towards finding answers to the research question. The method of collecting, analysing and interpreting data involved computer manipulating of data utilizing the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). The findings of this study reveal that most of the stated objectives were met, some were supported some were not. Fundamentally, the research project had tried to reveal how policy and practice play a role in addressing outdoor recreation participation, provision, strategic management and community benefits. On the whole, the majority of stakeholders have viewed strategies for benefitting the previously disadvantaged communities as an appropriate policy to address inequalities from the past. In essence the findings are that the people of Umkhanyakude Municipality are positive towards outdoor recreation participation in the future. Whereas the minority of the respondents felt that the provision of facilities was adequate. Some of these recreation facilities were also perceived to be located far away, run down and/or poorly maintained. Another important finding is that whereas recreation officials were of the view that recreation management practices in the study area were good and well implemented, the majority of recreators and local communities thought that the recreation management practices were poor and not in line with recreation development principles. Another set of objectives-based findings indicated that recreation officials thought that the existence of policies and their implementation was good. On the same opinion, the majority of recreators and local communities felt that these policies and their implementation were indeed poor. Additionally, the majority of respondents prominently specified that they would rather benefit from skills development, employment opportunities and infrastructural development. These were more functional variables preferred by respondents than otherwise. Finally, the research inquiry came up with recommendations which sought to ameliorate the negative findings, more specifically on the role of policy formulation and its implementation. Some of these findings relate to factors such as participation, provision, strategic management and community benefits, which have induced recommendations such as development of new strategies, accessibility of outdoor recreation facilities, organising of recreation awareness campaigns, introduce a new curriculum on recreation and tourism.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Recreation and Tourism, at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2011. / Large numbers of rural people in South Africa are stuck in a poverty trap that is characterised by extreme poverty to an extent that it is difficult to meet the evergreen challenges of the lack of infrastructure, the prevalence of diseases and the problem of hunger. These challenges, in turn, hamper economic growth and sometimes promote rural depopulation (Sachs, McAuthur, Schmidt-Traub, Kruk, Bahadur, Faye & McCord 2004:3). The irony of the whole situation is that the countryside still remains a tourism paradise which offers a variety of attractions including scenic beauty, diverse wildlife, a kaleidoscope of traditions, cultures, and an array of opportunities to explore the outdoors through sporting and adventure activities. As a result of this situation, concerned academics such as Bennet & George (2004:4) contend that there is inadequate information about the contribution of the rural tourism assets to the socio-economic conditions of the local people especially the alleviation of poverty. Similarly, scholars like Brown (2000) and Meyer (2006) insist that tourism development planners must change their focus from the enclave development of resorts which is characterised by exclusion of linkages to the local poor rural areas. The danger of such approaches to tourism development is that they undermine the role that the tourism industry can play in poverty alleviation. On basis of this background, this study was undertaken with an aim to analyse the direct and indirect livelihood impacts of tourism and their implications on poverty alleviation in Bergville. The analysis focused on tourism resources, contribution to job opportunities, entrepreneurial skills development, increased income generation and livelihood impacts. These focus areas were informed by a five-fold general research objectives which are:  To identify the resources that can be used for rural tourism development in Bergville. To establish the extent to which rural tourism development can contribute positively to job opportunities, entrepreneurial skills development and increased income generation in Bergville.  To find out the perceptions of Bergville residents relating to rural tourism development as a mechanism for economic development in their area.  To identify the existing management practices or strategies perceived as contributing to the improvement of the quality of livelihoods in the study area.  To propose an integrated development model that would contribute to job creation and thus result in poverty alleviation in Bergville. The survey approach was used to address the research question. A particular research methodology was used to capture the complexity of local perceptions towards tourism development. To cover a broader spectrum of the local community of the study area, three questionnaires were designed for the general public, the local business people as well as the local municipality employees. Triangulation of sources of data and methods blending the qualitative and quantitative methods enabled the study to have the broad understanding of the role that tourism development can play to alleviate poverty. Because of time limitations, the study used the convenience sampling method where the respondents who happen to be available at prominent points such as farm stalls, shopping areas, and public places were targeted for the survey. The sample size which was based on the estimated number of the population of the study area was deemed to be adequate for the purpose of collecting information required to answer the research questions and to achieve the objectives of the study. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. The administration of the questionnaires took into consideration the objectives of the study, the sequence of questions, question structure as well as ethical considerations. The analysis of the data provided insight into various issues that relate to the objectives of the study. The researcher converted the raw data into a form that is suitable for analysis before it was subjected to statistical analysis. A series of univariate data presented in percentages, frequencies, tables and graphs gave an understanding of the data that is purely descriptive. The interpretation of the data concentrated on tourism resources, contribution to job opportunities, entrepreneurial skills development and generation of income, economic growth, perceptions on tourism development and management practices that contribute to the improvement of the livelihoods of the people of Bergville. The study concludes that the people are convinced that the resourcefulness and accessibility of Bergville can support tourism development. Similarly, the findings imply that rural tourism is seen as a very important and probably the most important factor for economic development. The largest percentages of people agree that tourism development can contribute positively to the creation of job opportunities, development of entrepreneurial skills and the generation of increased income. The study found that the people have both advocacy and cautionary views about tourism development in Bergville. Furthermore, the findings imply that people have mixed feelings about the contribution of existing management practices in improving the livelihoods of local people.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Recreation and Tourism, at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012. / The growth of tourism as a social phenomenon, a tourist industry as well as an economic enterprise have been full of drama during the last half of the twentieth century. Tourism has become a major economic force in many countries and regions throughout the world. Increasingly, it has been agreed that the growth of tourism offers means for developing countries to escape the confines of underdevelopment and that new forms of tourism allow this transition to be achieved sustainably and equitably (Mowforth & Munt, 1998: 221). As a global tourism player, KwaZulu-Natal has not been immune to the global trend of massive tourism development. The province of KwaZulu-Natal currently holds number one position in the domestic market and is number three in attracting the international market in South Africa (South African Tourism, 2004: 12). The research problem in this study is seen as four-fold: Firstly, tourism in KwaZulu- Natal is governed in terms of the KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Act of (1996) as amended in (2000), which regrettably has serious shortcomings. The Act only advocates the establishment of Destination Management Organisation, the KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority, and regulation of tourist guides without any reference to the mandate and functions of the provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism [DEDT]. The Act confers the tourism marketing, development and investment function to KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority. This state of affairs has culminated to serious clashes in operational roles between the department and the destination management organisation. Secondly, KwaZulu-Natal does not have a provincial tourism master plan. The municipalities are developing their tourism plans and strategies without a guiding provincial tourism plan or tourism strategy. Thirdly, the tourism coordinating structures in Kwazulu-Natal are inefficient and ineffective and do not succeed in providing a coordinated tourism development approach and alignment of tourism policies and strategies between the provincial and local government. Lastly, the local communities are not properly consulted and involved in tourism matters at a local level. The objectives of this study were set to facilitate better comprehension of the study as well as to accomplish the main goals of the study. The objectives are: (a) To analyse the gaps in the legislative frameworks governing tourism development in KwaZulu-Natal and how these influence creation of the enabling environment for co-ordinated planning in the tourism industry. (b) To analyse the national, provincial and local government tourism policies and strategies, revealing how these are aligned to positively influence tourism planning and development in KwaZulu-Natal. (c) To scrutinise relevance, composition, stakeholder efficacy, operations and effectiveness of tourism co-ordinating structures for the public and private sector engagements in KwaZulu-Natal. (d) To investigate policy and strategic planning challenges facing a broad crosssection of tourism stakeholders in planning, coordination and delivery of tourism development in KwaZulu-Natal. (e) To establish the perceptions of tourism stakeholders towards the effectiveness of existing policy, institutional frameworks and their implementation in achieving co-ordinated tourism development in the study area. (f) To propose a mechanisms or model-related master plan that could be utilised to ensure a co-ordinated and integrated tourism planning and development process in KwaZulu-Natal. The section on methodology provides a discussion on the research strategy and general approach that was adopted in conducting the study. In essence the research design utilised the qualitative and quantitative approaches, which according to KZNTA (2008) are ideal in assessing the state of tourism in KwaZulu-Natal. The sample of the study included a number of diverse organisations and institutions, namely; provincial and local government, private sector, local communities, development finance institutions which are all organisations somehow responsible for tourism policy, planning, development and management in KwaZulu-Natal. The study was conducted as an applied research The main findings of the study revealed that the legislative framework in KwaZulu- Natal has gaps and causes challenges in the tourism industry; national and provincial tourism policies are not fully communicated to local communities; the tourism coordinating structures are not effective and fully inclusive of the local stakeholders; the local communities are not adequately consulted on policy and planning matters in the province; and that municipalities do not have necessary by-laws to regulate the industry. The study was conducted as applied research and it developed a conceptual model for tourism planning and management in KwaZulu-Natal which is a new model that adds the body of knowledge in the field of tourism policy and planning. The new model is called the Community Coordination Matrix for Tourism Planning. The model was not adapted from any existing model but was developed to provide coordination and alignment of tourism activities among a number of tourism authorities and coordinating structures that exist in KwaZulu-Natal and to ensure that they are properly coordinated, synergised and work in unison to improve tourism policy, planning and development in the study area.