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Towards the development of sustainable education and employment opporumities in the hospitality industry through an authentic homestead experience: A case study of Shobeni, KwaZulu-Natal

Thesis (DTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010. / Media reports show that South Africa is engulfed by the clouds of abject poverty and
unemployment. These conditions lead to many social ills: hunger, a lack of self esteem, the poor
performance of children at school due to malnutrition and the general low morale within
communities. This condition seems to worsen as one moves towards the rural areas. As a result,
the government has embarked on a number of projects in an attempt to help the destitute. This
requires support from all South Africans. In view of the above, this study aimed to investigate the possibility of developing sustainable
education and employment opportunities in the hospitality industry through the provision of
cultural tourism at a proposed homestead Lodge. The study's objectives were firstly to explore
the possibility of offering development in the form of sustainable education in the rural
community of Shobeni village, located along the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Secondly, the
study aimed to explore the possibility of establishing a Homestead Lodge at Shobeni to provide
employment opportunities to the community, while facilitating tourist access to an authentic
rural experience. Lastly, it wanted to examine the possibility of linking to a teaching institution
such as the Durban University of Technology to ensure the continuity of fresh ideas through
research and education. The data collected revealed that the rural villages are rich in cultural
tourism. The approach taken for data collection was of a qualitative nature, as thirty study
participants were interviewed based on their knowledge of the subject under study. For the
analysis of field data an auto/ethnographic approach was adopted. further exercise was completed to select the kind of cultural products deemed suitable for such
a project. A participatory approach was employed to ensure that the community had a say in the
decision-making process. The study concluded that it is possible to create a project of this nature.
The recommendation is that the implementation stage should start immediately after all
stakeholders have been consulted.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:cput/oai:localhost:20.500.11838/2113
Date January 2010
CreatorsMnguni, Mzobanzi Erasmus
ContributorsMngomezulu, BR
PublisherCape Peninsula University of Technology
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Rightshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/za/

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