Reflections on establishing south africas ecotourism legislative. The intent is to create as little detrimental impact on the environment as possible. Townships, such as alexandra, were hubs of black communities during the apartheid. Another foundation that appears to conduct responsible ecotourism in south africa is baobab alternative roots to travel, it is a ukbased specialist ecotour operator that is part of the short list of tour operators to have won the responsible tourism award 2004. Tourism is one of the worlds largest industries, with ecotourism being one of the fastest growing sectors. It is almost impossible to separate a tourism experience in south africa from a nature experience.
As an early leader in the movement, africas ecotourism businesses have gone through a number of changes and have learned from their. Pdf ecotourism products form the core of south africas tourism industry with almost 80% of all tourism products depending on nature and. Ecotourism as a mechanism for local economic development. Challenges facing management and development of tourism in the eden district, south africa a.
Tourism in south africa has not fully been inviting to the majority of people and reflects the legacy of apartheid that is internalized to this day. This makes the tourism sector a larger contributor than agriculture, but smaller than other industries such as construction and mining. The 2002 quebec conference convened as part of the united nations international year of ecotourism iye. South africa in the period of 1986 until 1998 the number of visitors to game and nature reserves in south africa has grown. South africa will promote its responsible tourism ethic to the world. Though africa s development is slow, the continent is the global leader in ecotourism. Galapagos islands, 7% peru, 6% belize all others 5%. The characteristics of ecotourists and principles of ecotourism have been also described.
The ec private nature reserve association known as indalo, formed in 2002, represents ecotourismbased, private game. Implications for the role of ecotourism in conservation peter a. Ecotourism can help conserve biodiversity and alleviate poverty in south africa through the creation of local jobs. The osa peninsula is the last remaining section of costa ricas pacific coast where ecotourism is the dominant economic activity. Tourism is a rapidly growing field of study in south africa and tourism management is a compulsory course taught in all three years at the majority of universities of technology and universitites. Before i discuss my research let it be known that i was born in senegal, africa and one of my favorite booksmovies is out of africa. This paper presents practices of some high profile ecotourism attractions in the provinces of south africa. Unfortunately, this has led to a massive increase in illegal poaching. Pdf an ecotourism model for south african national parks. This is most likely to occur with proper management and planning, both local and regional. Challenges facing management and development of tourism. South africa yearbook 201516 405 tourism south africa yearbook 201516 406 tourism remains a key driver of south africas national economy and contributes to job creation.
How important is tourism to the south african economy. Ecotourism in africa extends beyond installing solar systems and reducing waste but has grown to include community development. Ecotourism destinations in south africa are some of the most beautiful in the world the countrys natural areas are conserved in a series of unesco world heritage sites, nature reserves and national parks, which is why south africa makes it onto the list of the 17 most megadiverse countries in the world fact. Gen africa african region of global ecovillage network. The theory and practice of ecotourism in southern africa. Namibia, nepal, south africa, st lucia and uganda carried out by the. Guidelines as well as a manual for responsible tourism were designed by deat during 2002 as.
According to the 1996 white paper on the development and promotion of tourism in south africa, responsible tourism was described as an absolute necessity if south africa is to emerge as a successful international competitor. Even though ecotourism lacks a concrete definition, there are many wellrecognized definitions. In africa, naturebased tourism and ecotourism have already attained great relevance in countries such as south africa and tanzania, where these forms of alternative tourism are associated with. South africa enjoys a positive tourism trade balance with the rest of the world. Ecotourism has the potential to alleviate poverty in south africa by. Ecotourism in africa sustainability and conservation. The following section outlines sustainability theory and how this has progressed over the last four decades.
Ecotourism statistical fact sheet the international ecotourism society, 2000. Tourism is the fourth largest generator of foreign exchange in south africa. Ferreira1 1school of economics, development and tourism, faculty of business and economic sciences, nelson mandela metropolitan university nmmu, republic of south africa telephone number. Role of ecotourism in the south african tourism industry. Ecotourism can provide a superior and sustainable alternative to traditional, resource dependent industries that are prevalent. The sector contributes about 9% to the countrys gross domestic product.
Inbound tourism of south africa there are two main factors in recent history that contributed to the increased number of inbound tourists to south africa. However, facing the flourishing ecotourism, we are lacking in corresponding laws and. Oxford university press southern africa, 2007 travel 368 pages. In neighboring countries like tanzania and zimbabwe, as well as namibia, south africa and some parts of botswana, it remains legal and a considerable source of income.
The first would be because of the political history of south africa. Well assume youre ok with this, but you can optout if you wish. The development and promotion of tourism in south africa government of south africa department of environmental affairs and tourism may, 1996 t able of contents abbreviations definition of terms the policy formulation process part i. Ecotourism has been advanced as a form of sustainable tourism that is expected to boost conservation and development in the rural communities of southern. Ecotourism in south africa wikipedia republished wiki 2. The positive and negative impacts of ecotourism on african. Local communities benefit from employment, infrastructure, and education that includes an emphasis on resource management. Tas report high percentage interested in giving back. What this means is that nonresident visitors spend more money in our country than south african travellers spend abroad.
Ecotourism in south africas winelands is thriving, with visitors to the western cape increasingly as interested in exploring the wealth of ecotourism activities on offer as they are in sampling the regions famous wines. After the period of apartheid, townships face the remnants of segregation including overcrowding, unemployment. Ecotourism is the idea of bringing tourism into a country without affecting a nations natural economy by promoting and supporting its biodiversity. More than half the population in south africa lives below the international established poverty line, but south africa has used ecotourism to turn around its image and create a profitable situation for people in some areas of the nation. Parks sanparks is one of the largest conservation and ecotourism providers in south africa, and because ecotourism tends to occur in. Ecotourism as a multidisciplinary conservation approach in africa. Facilitate southsouth and southnorth exchange of inspiration, information and training amongst ecovillages and related projects in africa and the world. Pdf local development through ecotourism in south africa. The tourism sector directly contributed 2,9% to south african gross domestic product gdp in 2016, according to the latest release of stats sas annual tourism satellite account for south africa report.
What should be included in an ecotourism rating system for. An ecotourism model for south african national parks l. Ecotourism is a nature based form of specialty travel defined by the international ecotourism society ties. It is difficult to know if there is regulation of the term one foundation that has won numerous awards in the name of ecotourism and travel is conservation corporation africa cca cca, 2002, which is a privately funded organization and is the leading african safari company operating in five countries in africa with one of its most popular destinations being south africa. Ecotourism itself is meant to be a sustainable form of natural resourcebased tourism. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Our mission the concept of agritourism africa is the creation of a sustainable information hub highlighting tourism farm experiences across the country, thereby allowing tourists local and foreign to incorporate visits to farms as part of their travel plans. Road transport is notoriously poor in much of africa, so it cannot compensate in most countries for the inadequacy of internal air transport. I have just completed research on ecotourism in africa though havent covered all of its countries. Invite traditional village networks into the ecovillage network on the basis of deep respect for the wisdom they still hold. Lindsey mammal research institute, university of pretoria, pretoria, south africa. Ecotourism is the concept of responsible trips and travel to areas that might be protected and especially fragile.
Eddie koch, the author of this paper, is a south african journalist and a trustee of the group for environmental monitoring, an organization promoting research and. After the second world war there were serious segregation laws implemented. Kruger national park, sabi sand game reserve, timbavati, pilanesberg, madikwe, the waterberg, hluhluwe umfolozi park, the drakensberg and game parks of the cape. If youve followed our blog for a while you know we have a love for safaris and the environment. All journal articles featured in journal of ecotourism vol 19 issue 1. Botswana ecotourism safari from the crystalclear waters of the okavango delta to the large elephant herds in the chobe national park and the unpredictable savute channel, which runs dry and floods seemingly at random botswana is blessed with some of africas most beautiful reserves and an array of exceptional wildlife. This paper has argued that ecotourism is a superior form of tourism because it is sustainable, can stimulate the economies of sidelined communities by creating jobs, and can improve south africas overall development situation. Satsa south african tourism services association tries to provide high standards of tourism and focuses on accountability, integrity and quality control, and awards like the local imvelo responsible tourism awards and the international responsible tourism. It is envisaged that a responsible tourism charter will be developed at this conference and subsequently showcased at the wssd. South africa has used ecotourism to sustain and improve its immense biodiversity, as well as invigorate its economy. Wildlife viewing preferences of visitors to protected. Economic importance of tourism in south africa free essays. South africa is the 3rd most biodiverse place on earth. Agritourism south africa authentic farm experiences.
South africa as an emerging country, has a conducive economic environment for. This study examines ecotourism as a form of sustainable development in the eastern cape of south africa. Theory and practice of ecotourism in south africa videa. Yet, both namibia and south africa are examples of destinations that through consistent investment in infrastructure are now able to attract large numbers of selfdrive tourists.
1138 1529 49 1011 993 71 1320 1143 813 1017 1064 274 763 1347 478 409 1461 1252 75 471 591 1031 997 76 727 1481 1213 676 628 16 189 890 483