Utrecht, a town within a game park: tourism potential, perspectives and perceptions
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Date
2005
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Abstract
There has not been a good understanding between the complex nature of the environment and tourism couple with the single degree of administrative fragmentation. Environmental conservation has been perceived as a threat to social and economic development, a threat that has only recently subsided as a result of effort towards the classification of sustainable development. It therefore, goes without saying that without due regard to the appropriate development guideline, the integrity of public and private lands within communities has often been at risk owing to the sacrificing of socio-ecological values at the expense of profit.
National parks will be useful, not only as preserves for indigenous plants and animals, but also as recreation grounds for the people. It is well to consider how comparatively few and small are the areas of this description which will be permanently available for the residents of Adelaide Plains .. .there must come at a time when these plains will be thickly populated from hills to sea, and then, if not now, the need for more breathing space will be recognized. The Mt Lofty range is gradually passing more and more into private hands, and before many years have elapsed it will be difficult to find a place where one may enjoy the beauties of nature without fear of trespassing (Nancel986, in Butler and Boyd 2000).
The image of national paries and their acceptability appears to be generally high in this era, with a few exceptions where local populations have been or feel disadvantaged by the establishment of parks. That is why the study was interested in establishing the perceptions of the local communities towards the Balele game park, within which a town lies.
The fundamental objectives of the study are:
a) To establish the perceptions of the communities towards the game park, within which a town lies.
b) To determine the level of awareness and participation of local communities of and in Balele Game Park.
c) To assess how the host community benefit from Balele Game Park.
d) To investigate the number of local, domestic and international tourists who visit Balele Game Park.
e) To discover the types of natural resources and cultural resources which are found within a Balele Game Park.
These objectives were formulated in order to find out the potential the Utrecht Balele game park has to tourism and the perspectives and perceptions the local communities have towards it.
In achieving properly focused analysis and interpretation of data, which could lead to effective conclusions, some hypotheses were devised. The hypothesis that were postulated for the study are:
a) That the communities see the parkas the business industry for whites
b) That there is a low level of awareness and participation of local communities in tourism activities in the game park
c) That the local communities are not benefiting from Balele Game Park.
d) That the Balele Game Park attracts a bigger number of domestic and international tourists than local tourists.
e) That there is a lack of natural and cultural resources to meet the needs of the tourists
The most findings of the study are that (i) the game park is seen as the business industry for whites; (ii) there is a high level of awareness and low level of participation by local communities of and in tourism activities; (iii) the communities are not benefiting from tourism activities of the game park, since they are not fully involved; (iv) the Utrecht Balele game park attracts most of its tourists from local area as against domestic and international tourists; and (v) there are natural and cultural resources and facilities in the park, but they are not meeting the needs of the tourists.
Tourism is considered as one of the significant ways to enhance positive relationship between parks and local people. There are several studies indicating that programmes based on revenue generated by or through park-based tourism have had positive impacts on local communities, which not only offer employment opportunities but also develop in them positive feelings towards protected areas.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Recreation and Tourism in the
Centre for Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2005.
Keywords
Tourism industry, Tourism --Utrecht, Game parks