A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, August 2015. / Climate change literature is growing rapidly, with increasing literature being
produced on the relationship between climate change and tourism. Globally, tourism
is very dependent on the climate and the impacts of climate change may alter
tourism flow and demand. Developing countries are likely to be the most affected by
climate change and its effects on tourism which is worrying as this sector is a huge
contributor to their economy. South African tourism relies heavily on its environment
to attract tourists and give a satisfactory travel experience; climate change is a threat
to the environment and thus a major concern for South Africa. This thesis
investigates the perceptions of climate change threats within the tourism sector by
exploring how perceptions may influence behaviour and how the tourism sector will
respond to a changing climate. Research was carried out in two coastal towns, St
Francis Bay and Cape St Francis in the Eastern Cape Province. These towns are
dependent on their tourism sectors to drive their economies. These towns are
dependent on their local tourism sector to drive their economy. The results indicate
that while both the tourists and tourist accommodation establishments are aware of
the threat of climate change and are concerned about its impacts, there is very little
adaptation being implemented. While the level of concern varies among the
accommodation establishments, there appears to be no perceived significant
relationship between the threat of sea level rise and their distance from the coastline.
Tourism Climate Index calculations for the two towns suggest that the climate is
worsening in terms of tourist comfort, and project that the towns will become less
attractive for tourism based on their climate. A Digital Elevation Model developed for
the towns however shows that the projected sea level rise for 2050 and 2100 will
result in parts of the beaches and a protective artificial spit being washed away. The
lack of climate change planning to deal with these impacts is directly linked to their
perception. The tourist accommodation establishments do not believe they need to
take major action and rather feel the government should respond to climate change.
Overall, the results indicate that there is a need for further research into bottom-up
approaches to climate change, to better plan and implement successful climate
change mitigation and adaptation which can be done through educating individuals
and businesses within the tourism sector.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/19286 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Grant, Bronwyn Caroline |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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