The economic geography of South Africa’s international tourism industry

Abstract: The business of international tourism is a growth industry and key driver for economic development in many countries. For national and local policy makers the attraction of international tourists is of major importance for economic and social development. Understanding the flows and impacts of international tourism is a vibrant issue in global tourism scholarship. Although the global flows of international tourism are well documented, much less understood are the spatial patterns of international tourists within national territories. The objective in this paper is to analyse scientifically the overall economic geography of international tourism flows in South Africa. An uneven geographical pattern of development of international tourism is disclosed for the period 2001-2012. In interpreting this spatial distribution it is argued that a conceptual distinction be drawn between the different mobilities of South Africa’s cohorts of long haul as opposed to regional African visitors. The economic geography of international tourism in South Africa is a composite of these two sets of visitors and of their differential flows variously for purposes of leisure, business and VFR travel

The Economic Geography of South Africa’s International Tourism Industry

The business of international tourism is a growth industry and key driver for economic development in many countries. For national and local policy makers the attraction of international tourists is of major importnace for economic and social development. Understanding the flows and impacts of international tourism is a vibrant issue in tourism scholarship. Although the global flows of international tourism are well documented, much less understood are the spatial patterns of international tourists within national territories. The objective in this paper is to analyse the economic geography of international tourism flows in South Africa. An uneven geographical pattern of development of international tourism is disclosed for the period 2001-2012. In interpreting this spatial distribution it is argued that a conceptual distinction be drawn between the different mobilities of South Africa's cohorts of longhaul as opposed to regional African visitors. The overall landscape of international tourism in South Africa is a composite of these two sets of visitors and of their differential flows variously for purposes of leisure, business and VFR travel.&nbsp

Filling some black holes: modeling the connection between urbanization, infrastructure, and global service intensity in 112 metropolitan regions across the world

This empirical article combines insights from previous research on the level of knowledge-intensive service in metropolitan areas with the aim to develop an understanding of the spatial structure of the global service economy. We use a stepwise regression model with GaWC’s measure of globalized service provisioning as the dependent variable and a range of variables focusing on population, infrastructure, urban primacy, and national regulation as independent variables. The discussion of the results focuses on model parameters as well as the meaning of outliers, and is used to explore some avenues for future research

Towards a developmental state? Provincial economic policy in South Africa

This paper explores the meaning of the developmental state for spatial economic policy in South Africa. Two main questions are addressed: do provincial governments have a role to play in promoting economic prosperity, and to what extent do current provincial policies possess the attributes of a developmental state? These attributes are defined as the ability to plan longer term, to focus key partners on a common agenda, and to mobilise state resources to build productive capabilities. The paper argues that the developmental state must harness the power of government at every level to ensure that each part of the country develops to its potential. However, current provincial capacity is uneven, and weakest where support is needed most. Many provinces seem to have partial strategies and lack the wherewithal for sustained implementation. Coordination across government appears to be poor. The paper concludes by suggesting ways provincial policies could be strengthened

Small-scale, nature-based tourism as a pro-poor development intervention : two examples in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Tourism is widely acknowledged as a key economic sector that has the potential to contribute to national and local development and, more specifically, serve as a mechanism to promote poverty alleviation and pro-poor development within a particular locality. In countries of the global South, nature-based tourism initiatives can make a meaningful impact on the livelihoods of the poor, in particular the subsistence based rural poor. Taking two examples in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, where small-scale tourism initiatives were developed recently in response to existing natural attractions in the context of coping with local economic crises, this paper broadly assesses the modest benefits to date, as well as drawbacks, in improving conditions of life

Exploring the relationship between tourism and offshore finance in small island economies: lessons from Jersey

Many islands host tourism and offshore finance but research tends to focus on either industry without examining the nature of the relationship(s) between these two where they co-exist. This paper examines the nature of the relationships using a case study of the British Channel Island of Jersey. Both industries demand labour, land and capital that are frequently scarce in small islands. Given their common characteristics and, drawing lessons from Jersey, the paper then considers the nature and the dynamics of their relationship, and the issue of resource competition between the two sectors. In light of the unusual context of small polities and the political power of external actors, the paper also analyses the dynamics of the central relationship between tourism, offshore finance and the state in islands. Finally, the paper considers the overall impact of the relationship between tourism and offshore finance and how it affects the economic development trajectory of small islands.tax havens, island tourism, island development

No. 13: The Rise of African Tourism to South Africa

South Africans display considerable ambiguity if not outright hostility towards Africans from other countries (Crush 2000). The extent of xenophobia was officially recognized in the Immigration Act of 2002 which gives government a statutory obligation to eliminate the phenomenon in its own ranks and amongst the citizenry. Foreign Africans in South Africa are regularly stereotyped as criminals, job-stealers, consumers of scarce public resources and carriers of disease. There is very little recognition of the positive economic benefits of the presence of other Africans in the country. Africans come to South Africa for a variety of purposes and this needs to be clearly recognized by policy-makers and the public. Some of these purposes are of enormous economic benefit for South Africa and South Africans. Easily the vast majority of Africans who come to South Africa do so legally and for purposes that fall under the general heading of “tourism.” South Africa defines tourists broadly as those who come for a timelimited stay for leisure, to visit friends and relatives (VFR), to shop and for business. In 2003, tourists spent a total of R53.9 billion in South Africa (known as “Foreign Direct Spend”). In total, tourism contributed more than R100 billion of foreign direct spend to the economy (including foreign and domestic). The average length of stay was 10 days and the spend per tourist per day was R1 548. The tourism industry employed approximately 512 000 people (South African Tourism 2003). Another common stereotype in South Africa is that tourism is the preserve of visitors from Europe and North America. Nothing could be further from the truth. Certainly, there are distinct differences between the European and the African tourist, but African tourism is a growing and under-appreciated phenomenon. As such, it is part of a large global trend towards South–South tourism. This paper focuses on the nature, dimensions and impacts of African tourism to South Africa. Because this is part of a global trend, it is first helpful to look at the rise of South–South tourism more generally. The general objective of this policy brief is to examine issues and initiatives concerning the growth of South Africa as a destination for intra-regional tourism. The post-1994 political changes have opened up South Africa to a major flow of regional tourists. The work of the Southern African Migration Project (see eg. Crush 1997; Rogerson 1997; Peberdy and Crush 2001; Peberdy and Rogerson 2000, 2003) draws detailed attention to the new flows of international migrants to South Africa from other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, but no attention has been paid so far to the parallel (and linked) growth of tourism flows from subSaharan Africa. In the South African case, regional tourism is defined simply as tourism flows, by land or air, from other countries in sub-Saharan African. Two issues are discussed here. In the next section, current international debates concerning the development of regional tourism in the developing world are reviewed. In the following section, attention turns first to the significance of regional tourism for the tourism economy of post-apartheid South Africa and then to policy development for regional tourism. South Africa provides a useful case study of a national government’s policy awakening to the importance of regional tourism as a force for the development of a country’s tourism industry

Enabling prosperity: success factors in Indigenous economic development

Public discussion about ‘closing the gap’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians tends to focus on measures such as life expectancy, child mortality, early childhood education, literacy and numeracy, and employment.  These are, rightly, essential markers of health and well-being for all people, and for decades they have provided evidence that Australia’s health and social systems have not met the needs of Indigenous Australians. However, there is another story, one that focuses on the measures of success, as evident in the many thriving Indigenous businesses and corporations around the country.  Across Australia, there is a growing story of economic security and success, in which Indigenous Australians are creating enterprises combining sound business principles with strong cultural and social foundations for the benefit of individuals, families and communities. Urbis was commissioned by Westpac to undertake research into Indigenous business development, to provide an evidence base to support the work of the Empowered Communities group. The report, Enabling Prosperity: Success Factors in Indigenous Economic Development, suggests that these factors are much the same as for any other businesses: human capital, access to capital and markets, infrastructure, location and an authorising environment created through government policy and regulation. In practice, businesses succeed because of more than one factor, and multiple factors can strengthen the capacity of a business to grow and develop.  For instance, access to capital often relies on the development of successful partnerships, while ownership of land and resources requires human capital to realise its potential. Indigenous culture can be both a support and a resource. Individual attitude and vision are also essential ingredients in business success, while government plays an important role in ensuring the regulatory environment enables rather than hinders business efforts. Much can be learned by examining successful Indigenous businesses both in Australia and internationally. Businesses are the key driver for wealth creation, helping to provide job opportunities and improve social and economic conditions. Fostering business success, therefore, has the potential to increase employment, improve living standards, and contribute to stable and nurturing communities. Current government policy frameworks, such as the Indigenous Economic Development Strategy, are largely focused on increasing education and training and generating opportunities for private sector employment and enterprise.  This is important. Just as important is the contribution that successful community or non-profit enterprises can make in providing employment, generating business investment for growth, building partnerships and demonstrating positive role models. The Empowered Communities group is such a national initiative. Formed in 2013, the group brings together Indigenous leaders from eight communities across Australia and seeks to strengthen Indigenous individuals and communities through a range of activities (see https://empoweredcomms.wordpress.com for more information). Strategies that strengthen both individual and community business initiatives will help to ensure that more Indigenous Australians have the opportunity to live successful and productive lives.  Everyone has a contribution to make in this regard. Governments can create an enabling regulatory environment. Banks can enable access to capital. Local chambers of commerce can foster business development through support and networks for new entrepreneurs. Communities and individuals can purchase goods and services from Indigenous businesses. Building a strong and vibrant Indigenous business and social enterprise sector can then contribute to improving many of the health and social indicators, such as improving nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices, and increasing employment and education.  Efforts to improve Indigenous outcomes really are everyone’s business

Towards an economic-geographical approach to the globalisation of the hotel industry

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