Abstract in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / Tourism generates foreign currency and employment, and proper planning and management benefits the community and environment upon which tourism depends. The study investigated the management of sustainable action plans at selected nature-based attractions in Botswana, namely; Gaborone Game Reserve, Khutse Game Reserves, and Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Purposive, convenience and snowball sampling yielded 25 respondents for semi-structured interviews. Findings highlighted that sustainable action plans, like recycling and engaging local labour, were managed and implemented to a small extent. The conclusions were that the full potential of sustainable action plans management needed to be fully explored. The study recommends government enforcement of policies, master plans and strategies for management of sustainable action plans in nature-based attractions; and decentralisation of public nature-based attractions to allow managers full management of sustainable action plans. Government and private sector should fund management of all nine sustainable action plans, and implement a holistic tourism strategy to retain the quality of tourists’ experiences. / Ezokuvakasha zidala imali yangaphandle kanye nomsebenzi, nokuhlelwa kahle nokuphathwa kahle komphakathi kanye nemvelo lapho ezokuvakasha zincike khona. Ucwaningo lucwaninge ukuphathwa kwezinhlelo zokusebenza ezisimeme ezikhethiwe zokukhangiswa kwemvelo eBotswana, okuyiSiqiwi iGaborone, iSiqiwi iKhutse, nokuGcinwa kweMvelo iMokolodi. Imibonakaliso ekhethwe ngokusekelwe ezilinganisweni zabantu kanye nenhloso yocwaningo (purposive sampling), indlela yokubala nokudweba idatha emele ngokukhetha abantu ngenxa yokukhululeka kokuzithandela kwabo (convenience sampling) kanye nabacwaningi bezokucwaninga abathatha abanye abahlanganyeli ukuze banze ucwaningo (snowball sampling) inikeza abaphenduli abangu-25 ngemibuzo ehleliwe. Okutholakele kubonise ukuthi izinhlelo zokusebenza ezisimeme, njengokuvuselela kabusha nokubandakanya abasebenzi basekhaya, zaphathwa futhi zenziwa ngendlela encane. Isiphetho sasiwukuthi amandla aphelele okuphathwa ezinhlelo zokusebenza ezisimeme kufanele ahlolwe. Ucwaningo luphakamisa ukuqiniswa kwezinqubomgomo kuhulumeni, izinhlelo ezinhle kanye namasu okuphathwa kwezinhlelo zokusebenza ezisimeme ezikhethiwe zokukhangiswa kwemvelo; kanye nokwabiwa kwamandla okukhangayo okusekelwe emphakathini ukuvumela abaphathi ukuphatha ngokugcwele kwalezi zinhlelo. Uhulumeni kanye nezimboni ezizimele kufanele baxhase ukuphathwa kwazo zonke izinhlelo zokusebenza ezisimeme eziyisishiyagalolunye, futhi basebenzise uhlelo lwezokuvakasha oluphelele ukugcina isipiliyoni sabavakashi sisezingeni. / Toerisme genereer buitelandse valuta en werkverskaffing, en behoorlike beplanning en bestuur is tot voordeel van die gemeenskap en omgewing waarop toerisme staatmaak. Die studie het die bestuur van volhoubare aksieplanne by geselekteerde natuurgebaseerde besienswaardighede in Botswana, naamlik die Gaborone, Khutse en Mokolodi Natuurreservate, ondersoek. Doelbewuste, gerief- en sneeubalsteekproefneming het 25 respondente vir semigestruktureerde onderhoude opgelewer. Volgens die bevindings, is volhoubare aksieplanne soos herwinning en die gebruik van plaaslike arbeid, tot ’n mate bestuur en geïmplementeer. Die gevolgtrekking was dat die volle potensiaal van volhoubare aksieplanbestuur verken moet word. Die studie het regeringstoepassing van beleide, meesterplanne en strategieë aanbeveel vir die bestuur van volhoubare aksieplanne in natuurgebaseerde besienswaardighede; en die desentralisasie van openbare natuurgebaseerde besienswaardighede om bestuurders toe te laat om hierdie planne ten volle te bestuur. Die regering en die privaat sektor behoort die bestuur van al nege die volhoubare aksieplanne te befonds, en 'n holistiese toerismestrategie te implementeer om die gehalte van toeriste-ervarings te behou. / Transport Economics, Logistics and Tourism / M. Com. (Tourism Management)

In recent decades tourism has asserted its importance as the biggest employer and foreign exchange earner in both the developing and developed countries. Consequently, there has been increasing attention to tourism development as a strategy to stimulate economic growth, local economic development and poverty alleviation, especially in the developing countries. This study was undertaken with the objective of determining the direct benefits of the growth in tourism to the local communities in the vicinity of protected areas in South Africa's Mpumalanga Province. The tourism sector is strategically located within the economic mainstream as it links easily with other sectors of the economy such as agriculture, hospitality, transport and entertainment. It has added advantages, including the fact that the tourist product is consumed at the destination. This offers local communities opportunities in job creation, skills development, economic empowerment and social development. The study found that meaningful involvement of local communities in the tourism industry through ownership of tourism-related enterprises was almost non-existent. There were no meaningful linkages between the industry and the local communities other than the communities' supply of unskilled labour. There were also no programmes aimed at harnessing the phenomenal growth in South Africa's tourism for the economic empowerment of local communities. The economic empowerment of local communities need not be achieved through the ownership of tourism-related enterprises only, but may also include shareholding, outsourcing, affirmative procurement and social responsibility programmes by the industry.The continued marginalisation of the local communities by the tourism industry was attributed to unsatisfactory progress with the industry's transformation. The launch of the Tourism Black Economic Empowerment Charter and Scorecard in 2005 provided impetus for the transformation of South Africa's tourism industry. However, more work still needs to be done in the identified areas of ownership and control of tourism-related businesses, distribution of tourism benefits and the development of tourism-related skills and entrepreneurial culture in local communities. The role of the private sector in stimulating community involvement in tourism is particularly important. The private sector is singled out because of government policy that tourism development would be regulated by government and be private-sector driven. Furthermore, the private sector has the capacity and the resources to mobilise, not only to improve the attractiveness and marketing of a destination and the overall management of the tourism industry, but also to build thriving local communities. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

Many developing countries, rich with natural resources, have turned to tourism as a source of national growth and subsequently an increasing amount of local communities are being "developed". Despite its importance to developing countries, tourism has been covered scarcely in the literature on development studies. Local communities that find themselves in a situation having to deal with tourism related development, face many challenges. Contrary to previous work on development which considered poor local communities a threat to the natural environment, current views emphasise the role of the community in bringing about participation, conservation and consequently Sustainable Development. Therefore, if tourism can be seen as a possible path to Sustainable Development, the role of the local community in its development is of vital importance. This research investigates the role of the local community in integrating conservation in tourism related development by means of a case study on Apo Island. / DEVELOPMENT STUDIES / MA(SS)(DEV. STUD)