Urban tourism and small tourism enterprise development in Johannesburg: The case of township tourism

Urban tourism is a focus of vibrant research in developed countries. In this paper the focus is upon an element of urban tourism in a developing world city, viz., Johannesburg. Specific attention centers on an analysis of the role of small enterprise development in urban tourism. The major issues surrounding the development of small tourism businesses in two of Johannesburg's former black townships, namely Soweto and Alexandra, which are emerging as centers for so-termed ‘township tourism’ in South Africa, are investigated. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Researching the South African tourism and development nexus

Under apartheid, tourism was essentially anti-developmental in focus and tourism research largely centred on the recreation of white South Africans. Since the 1994 democratic transition tourism has become recognised as an increasingly important sector for South Africa's economy and for achieving the government's goals for reconstruction and development. In this paper a review and critical analysis is presented of the changing directions and foci of tourism scholarship in South Africa. It is shown that South African scholars are beginning to respond to the challenges posed by tourism as a developmental focus. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Transforming the South African tourism industry: The emerging black-owned bed and breakfast economy

In South Africa the tourism industry has been targeted as one of the key sectoral drivers for economic development and transformation of the country over the next two decades. A special feature of the South African tourism economy, which is a legacy of the apartheid period, is that the overwhelming majority of tourism enterprises and of the tourism economy as a whole is under the ownership of the white minority. With the post-apartheid transition, the national government recognizes that this unequal ownership structure in tourism needs to be addressed through a programme of transformation and consolidated support for the development of black owned tourism enterprises, especially of small tourism enterprises. The objective in this paper is to examine the problems and challenges that face the transformation of South Africa's contemporary tourism economy by investigating the development and constraints upon the country's emergent small black-owned accommodation sector in the form of bed and breakfast establishments.     

Volunteer tourism: The case of Habitat for Humanity South Africa

Volunteer tourism as a subset of alternative tourism is the focus of analysis. This paper contributes to the limited writings on volunteer tourism by investigating the activities in South Africa of Habitat for Humanity, a grassroots ecumenical Christian organization that works in partnership with communities to eliminate poverty through the provision of shelter. A profile of the volunteer tourist and of their tourism experience in South Africa is presented which is based largely upon the return of 123 questionnaires from volunteer tourists in South Africa working with the local branch of Habitat for Humanity. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Employment in Cape Town’s lodging sector: opportunities, skills requirements, employee aspirations and transformation

Since the attainment of democracy in 1994 one of the major concerns of the South African government has been to address the social and economic injustices that characterised the apartheid regime. With tourism on the rise in South Africa and international arrivals growing at a rate almost triple the global rate, the tourism industry has been identified as one of the important industries to drive the transformation agenda. This study sought to assess the employment situation in Cape Town’s lodging sector, identify the existing types of jobs and skills requirements of the sector, determine career aspirations of and skills development needs for lodging sector employees as well as asses the state of transformation. Study findings showed that the lodging sector is labour intensive, requires low academic skill, and offers low paying employment following the findings that about a quarter of the respondents indicated that their jobs didn’t require any formal qualification, the average working day was 9.2 h and 52% earned below R3,500 a month. The study showed significant differences in income based on race. White employees earned significantly more than their black and coloured counterparts. However, white employees working as general labour were also significantly more qualified than their black and coloured counterparts. There was a significant positive relationship between income and length of service for white employees, but the same wasn’t true for black and coloured employees. There was a significant negative relationship between length of service and academic qualifications for black employees implying that black people’s length of service for one employer decreases as they become more academically qualified. Also significant was skills development opportunities based on gender. Significantly more females than males had attended on-the-job training programs.     

The developmental impacts of backpacker tourism in South Africa

South Africa has recorded considerable growth in tourism activity over the past decade. In the light of the vast range of economic sectors that gain from tourism development, the national government has instituted a range of incentives and initiatives to stimulate tourism development, with the expansion of tourism infrastructure aimed at high-end tourists forming a key component of this strategy. Little investment has, however, been made in tourism infrastructure targeting those markets that prefer to avoid high-end tourism facilities. In this respect backpacker tourists and their preferred accommodation type, backpacker hostels, are a case in point. Despite backpacker tourism being largely ignored in national tourism development initiatives, backpacker tourism is increasingly popular in South Africa. This paper focuses on the recent proliferation of backpacker tourism in this country and seeks to convey the results of the first nation-wide exploration in this regard. The paper has two main objectives. Firstly, it seeks to present broad-ranging empirical data concerning this tourist cohort and their preferred accommodation type- backpacker hostels — in the South African context. Secondly, it aims to demonstrate why backpacker tourists and hostels hold much potential for local development initiatives in South Africa. In the light of the findings of this study, the paper concludes that the expansion of backpacker tourism to this country might form an appropriate means by which to achieve a range of local development objectives.     

梭布垭奥陶纪地质公园旅游开发研究

以恩施州梭布垭地质公园为例,分析了地质公园旅游资源开发的特点和条件,在此基础上提出了相应旅游产品的开发。     

福建宁德世界地质公园太姥山园区可持续发展初探

地质公园的可持续发展和区域旅游的可持续发展之间相互影响,相互促进.对于地方而言,地质公园可持续发展应置于地区旅游可持续发展的宏观规划中,从而可以发挥地质公园对区域旅游和其他相关行业的带动作用;同时区域旅游的发展也为地质公园建设创造良好的发展环境.本文通过对宁德世界地质公园太姥山园区的旅游环境容量测算以及游客量预测的比较...     

Driving environmental certification: its impact on the furniture and timber products value chain in South Africa

In this new globalised era there is an increasing demand in the developed world for environmental certification (Forestry Stewardship Council) of furniture and timber products. The imposition of this requirement has major implications for producers in developing countries. This paper examines this issue from a value chain perspective, exploring how certification requirements are driven through the links of the global furniture value chain. It does so by focusing on the dynamic underlying the spread of FSC certification through the furniture and timber industry in South Africa, and investigates the role of the various organisational ‘drivers’ of the system. In doing so it explores how developing country firms relate to these opportunities and pressures, drawing out the logistical implications, the costs and benefits, as well as the future for FSC certification. It concludes with a discussion of the role of buyers, agents, certification agencies and manufacturers in driving FSC certification through the wood products value chain in South Africa.     

Second homes and local development: Issues arising from Cape Town's De Waterkant

The paper aims to make a contribution towards addressing the current paucity of academic reflection on second home development in South Africa. The paper focuses on the intersection between tourism, second homes and local development, as embodied in the empirical realities of a Cape Town neighbourhood — De Waterkant. It is argued that this particular case study presents an example of the types of local development impacts that second home expansion holds for host communities. These impacts include employment generation, urban conservation, a range of forward and backward economic linkages, as well as a flexible tourist accommodation supply. Moreover, the case study elucidates an interesting example of second homes as sites of simultaneous tourism space production and consumption at work. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

地质遗迹旅游资源化：概念、动力及途径

地质遗迹是具有独特观赏价值和科普价值的自然遗产,旅游资源化是地质遗迹保护与利用协调发展的最佳方式。提出地质遗迹旅游资源化的概念,分析地质遗迹旅游资源化的动力和途径,认为地质遗迹旅游资源化是旅游需求层次的提高、地质遗迹的保护、地质产业转型、国家政策的支持、地质公园建设的成功5种因素共同作用的结果。地质遗迹向旅游资源的转化需经过地质遗迹调查、地质遗迹评价、旅游产品开发、完善解说系统等步骤。     

Transformation of residential planning in Umtata during the post-apartheid transition era

The political changes in South Africa after 1994 necessitated that the Bantustans, the main servers of apartheid planning, be re-incorporated into the mainstream of South Africa, implying the transformation of apartheid residential planning. Since then there has been much speculation about the type of transformation that would be implemented in the Bantustans to effect change in a non-racial South Africa. The aim of this paper is to analyze the effects of post-apartheid territorial restructuring in the former South African Bantustans. Examining and elucidating the manner in which the diverse social, economic and political factors have manifested themselves in the process of transformation of spatial residential planning in Umtata (the former capital city of the Transkei Bantustan) since 1994 is the central theme of this paper. Using property registers together with changes in legislative policies and land ownership, the transformation pattern was analysed in the former Bantustan capital city (Umtata). The findings indicate that the new South African policies and development strategies have been partially successful in eliminating the incongruencies of the past with regard to access to housing in Umtata. More critical is that this paper suggests that there still remains a greater challenge lingering from the influence of the Bantustan government in the city.     

The private sector and local economic development in South Africa

The objective in this paper is to analyse private sector involvement in LED in South Africa. Four key spheres of private sector involvement in LED are identified and discussed: (1) as participator and occasional initiator of local development processes, (2) as major partner in the development activities of public-private sector partnerships, (3) as lead role player in certain direct initiatives for reviving South Africa's inner cities, and (4) as promoter and facilitator of local small business development. It is argued that the concept of local dependence could be usefully applied to interpret private sector involvement in LED in South Africa.     

盐城市地热资源特征及其开发利用建议

地热资源是集“热、矿、水”三位一体的清洁资源,开发利用地热资源,可以带动并提升旅游休闲业、现代农业和服务业的快速发展。盐城市地热资源开发利用程度较低,开发时间短,形式粗放、单一。对盐城市地热资源赋存条件、分布特征、地热水质特征、地热资源开发利用现状、旅游景区建设需求、旅游市场条件、环境条件和地区社会经济发展等不同层面进行了综合分析。结果表明: 盐城市地热资源具有旅游休闲度假、商务休闲度假、农业观光旅游和综合开发示范等功能价值; 滨海—阜宁一线、盐城市区、盐城丹顶鹤海滨湿地旅游区、马家荡景区—大纵湖旅游景区、东台和大丰市区以及中华麋鹿园—黄海森林公园一线可划定为地热资源重点开发区。此外,在分析研究区地热资源分布特点、开发利用程度及其交通条件、经济状况、旅游资源分布特征和发展水平等因素的基础上,提出盐城市范围内现代旅游业地热资源开发利用要形成以地热富集区和县、市区为中心并以重要风景旅游区为节点向周边辐射扩散的地热资源多元开发和综合利用的基本格局。     

Tertiary education requirements in the geosciences for the minerals industry and in the environmental field to meet the demands of the 21st century in South Africa

South and southern Africa are currently facing a major skills shortage in the applied earth sciences, particularly in the minerals industry and in the environmental field. This paper offers outlines of course curricula, developed in South Africa, which are designed to meet these needs.It is argued that insufficient time is devoted to applied geology in degree courses in South Africa and that appropriate specialisations should be introduced into the third and fourth years of Earth Science degrees. More detailed specialisation should be offered at master's level. Examples of such courses currently run in South Africa are cited.The important contribution of the earth sciences to contemporary environmental issues is stressed and the need for environmental geologists emphasised. It is argued that the huge amount of information essential to environmental geology requires postgraduate level teaching of this subject. An example of such a master's level course is taken from a course planned at the University of the Witwatersrand.Courses similar to those being developed in southern Africa need to be developed in other African regions.     

Interrogating the post-apartheid socio-economic transformation in Mdantsane,Buffalo City

While scholarly concentration has been given to the challenges and opportunities for urban transformation in democratic South Africa, there are still pockets of areas which fall short of intensive examination, particularly in the topic of transforming hidden urban communities. In order to interrogate the socio-economic transformation of the hidden urbanites in a post-apartheid policy regime, this paper draws heavily from empirical evidence of Mdantsane, the second largest township in South Africa. It triangulates data obtained through unstructured in-depth interviews with that gathered from census surveys and other government reports. The study indicates that despite notable policy strides to facilitate the much sought after transformation, Mdantsane’s urban landscape still suffers from development gaps that are largely reflected in socio-economic spatial inequalities. Although these findings generally resonate with scholarly evidence established in other urban areas in South Africa, we argue about the peculiarity of Mdantsane’s case, which is chiefly associated with a complex matrix of policy events and physiographic constraints that would need a revisit if the envisaged development plans are to become a reality.     

新疆阿合奇县旅游资源的SWOT分析

新疆阿合奇县旅游资源丰富,民族文化独特,开发潜力较大。利用SWOT分析法,分析了该区托什干河谷风光、千年古树、吉鲁苏温泉地质景观、历史古迹等自然资源旅游优势和玛纳斯文化、猎鹰文化、库母兹文化、民族节日、民族关食等人文资源优势。阿合奇县存在经济欠发达、旅游产业未形成、旅游宣传力度不够等资源劣势。旅游面临政策优势、政策引导、西部大开发等机遇,行业竞争激烈、旅游品牌还未形成等挑战。从旅游开发理念、旅游营销策划、人才培养等方面提出了对策建议,为该地区发展旅游提供理论支持。     

长江正源区可持续发展对策探讨

长江源区自然环境恶劣，生态脆弱，资源较缺乏，居民生活贫困，区域经济的发展和生态环境的保护面临着严峻的挑战。综合分析源区的现状和有利条件，认为旅游资源具有得天独厚的优势，如果加强基础设施建设，逐渐使牧民从散居到聚居，以旅游业为龙头，带动第三产业的发展，促进居民生活方式的多元化，提高居民生活质量和思想素质，树立环保意识，逐渐摆脱对草地的过分依赖，自觉保护生物多样性，优化和重建生态环境，从而实现人和自然的协调发展，步入可持续发展的轨道。     

Power and the hierarchy of knowledge: A review of a decade of the World Bank’s relationship with South Africa

This article presents a case study of the World Bank’s relationship with South Africa to argue that the Bank uses its knowledge brokering role as a device to facilitate the development of a lending relationship with countries that may initially be reluctant to enter into this kind of engagement. This article reviews the World Bank’s 10-year effort to develop a lending relationship with South Africa. The Bank inserted itself into the country in the early 1990s at the outset of its democratic transformation. Throughout the decade, South Africa acceded to the Bank’s policy interventions through technical assistance rather than through a concerted lending programme. In doing so, South Africa internalized the Bank’s market-driven political economy framework underlying its technical assistance programme. The country’s application of the Bank’s knowledge has had questionable outcomes for its development agenda. While the Bank’s ‘expert’ interventions may have offered valuable technical insights, it neglected the politics of distribution that are embedded in a more localized knowledge formation process. The result has led to the instrumentalization of local governance and undermined the engagement of civil society actors in the construction of a democratic state at the local level.     

国家地质公园对旅游业发展的意义述评

文章介绍了中国国家地质公园的发展过程及现状,通过对国家地质公园的地理分布、地质特征和类型划分的描述,从地理位置、交通条件、旅游内容、旅游发展规划、旅游收益几个方面来分析国家地质公园对旅游业发展的意义.